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This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Diagnosis To diagnose obesity, your health care professional may perform a physical exam and recommend some tests.

These exams and tests often include: Taking your health history. Your health care team may review your weight history, weight-loss efforts, physical activity and exercise habits.

You also may talk about your eating patterns and appetite control. Your health care professional may ask about other conditions you've had, medicines you take, your stress levels and other issues about your health. They may also review your family's health history to see if you may be more likely to have certain conditions.

A general physical exam. This includes measuring your height; checking vital signs, such as heart rate, blood pressure and temperature; listening to your heart and lungs; and examining your abdomen. Calculating your BMI. Your health care professional checks your body mass index, called BMI.

A BMI of 30 or higher is considered obesity. Numbers higher than 30 increase health risks even more. Have your BMI checked at least once a year.

This can help pinpoint your overall health risks and what treatments may be right for you. Measuring your waist size. The distance around your waist is known as the circumference. Fat stored around the waist, sometimes called visceral fat or abdominal fat, may further increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Women with a waist that measures more than 35 inches 89 centimeters and men with a waist that's more than 40 inches centimeters around may have more health risks than do people with smaller waist measurements. Like the BMI measurement, waist circumference should be checked at least once a year.

Checking for other health problems. If you have known health problems, your health care team will evaluate them. Your health care professional also will check for other possible health problems, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, underactive thyroid, liver problems and diabetes.

Care at Mayo Clinic Our caring team of Mayo Clinic experts can help you with your obesity-related health concerns Start Here. More Information Obesity care at Mayo Clinic Cholesterol test Liver function tests BMI and waist circumference calculator Show more related information.

Request an appointment. By Mayo Clinic Staff. Show references Overweight and obesity. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Accessed Dec. Goldman L, et al. In: Goldman-Cecil Medicine. Elsevier; Kellerman RD, et al. Obesity in adults. In: Conn's Current Therapy Feldman M, et al.

In: Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Management. Perrault L. Obesity in adults: Prevalence, screening and evaluation. Melmed S, et al.

In: Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. COVID People with certain medical conditions. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Obesity in adults: Overview of management. Healthy weight, nutrition and physical activity. Ferri FF. People who practice mindful eating also try to eat more slowly and savor their food, concentrating on the taste.

Making a meal last for 20 minutes allows the body to register all of the signals for satiety. Many social and environmental cues might encourage unnecessary eating. For example, some people are more likely to overeat while watching television. Others have trouble passing a bowl of candy to someone else without taking a piece.

By being aware of what may trigger the desire to snack on empty calories, people can think of ways to adjust their routine to limit these triggers.

Stocking a kitchen with diet-friendly foods and creating structured meal plans will result in more significant weight loss. People looking to lose weight or keep it off should clear their kitchen of processed or junk foods and ensure that they have the ingredients on hand to make simple, healthful meals.

Doing this can prevent quick, unplanned, and careless eating. Planning food choices before getting to social events or restaurants might also make the process easier. Some people may wish to invite friends or family members to join them, while others might prefer to use social media to share their progress.

Weight loss is a gradual process, and a person may feel discouraged if the pounds do not drop off at quite the rate that they had anticipated. Some days will be harder than others when sticking to a weight loss or maintenance program. A successful weight-loss program requires the individual to persevere and not give up when self-change seems too difficult.

Some people might need to reset their goals, potentially by adjusting the total number of calories they are aiming to eat or changing their exercise patterns. The important thing is to keep a positive outlook and be persistent in working toward overcoming the barriers to successful weight loss.

Successful weight loss does not require people to follow a specific diet plan, such as Slimming World or Atkins. Instead, they should focus on eating fewer calories and moving more to achieve a negative energy balance.

Weight loss is primarily dependent on reducing the total intake of calories, not adjusting the proportions of carbohydrate , fat, and protein in the diet. A reasonable weight loss goal to start seeing health benefits is a 5—10 percent reduction in body weight over a 6-month time frame.

Most people can achieve this goal by reducing their total calorie intake to somewhere in the range of 1,—1, calories per day. A diet of fewer than 1, calories per day will not provide sufficient daily nutrition. After 6 months of dieting, the rate of weight loss usually declines, and body weight tends to plateau because people use less energy at a lower body weight.

Following a weight maintenance program of healthful eating habits and regular physical activity is the best way to avoid regaining lost weight.

People who have a BMI equal to or higher than 30 with no obesity-related health problems may benefit from taking prescription weight-loss medications. These might also be suitable for people with a BMI equal to or higher than 27 with obesity-related diseases. However, a person should only use medications to support the above lifestyle modifications.

Achieving and maintaining weight loss is possible when people adopt lifestyle changes in the long term. Regardless of any specific methods that help a person lose weight, individuals who are conscious of how and what they eat and engage in daily physical activity or regular exercise will be successful both in losing and keeping off excess weight.

I have an injury that is keeping me from physical exercise. Is there any way to continue keeping the weight off? If your injury allows, you can do some simple exercises while sitting in a chair, such as lifting light weights.

You can also use resistance bands while sitting or lying down. Some other ways to keep the weight off include counting calories and sticking to a healthful diet that includes fruits, vegetables, lean meat and fish, and whole grains.

Ensure that you include plenty of nutrient-dense foods in your diet, take the time to plan meals, use portion control, drink plenty of water, and maintain a positive attitude. Gerhard Whitworth, RN Answers represent the opinions of our medical experts.

All content is strictly informational and should not be considered medical advice. A new trial explores the effect of varying the portion size of food and making healthful, low-calorie choices on women who are trying to lose weight….

Another limitation was that the trial registration was performed after data collection. However, the study was submitted and approved to the Ethics Committee before recruiting participants, following all guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki.

The study was carried out and approved, taking into account the aspects recommended in a clinical trial. In addition, the data collection of this work was carried out in Therefore, differences in the context experienced today and in the time of data collection should be considered when interpreting the results.

The study was conducted in a unit of the first implemented in the municipality. In addition, the high cost of biochemical analysis limited the expansion of the study to other units.

However, it is important to note that after the study, PAS was expanded in Brazil and is today considered a useful space for the treatment of obesity and it is part of the network of attention to chronic diseases in the country [ 14 ].

Also, this study was performed in a PHC service in Brazil, and the results should not be generalized to populations with other characteristics. More studies are needed for other populations.

Additionally, this study includes only the results of women. Few men were included in the PAS, which makes it impossible to obtain a sufficient sample to verify the effectiveness of the intervention. Studies using this population are necessary, considering its high prevalence of obesity and associated factors.

Despite the limitations, this study showed that the TTM-based intervention for weight control in this scenario was effective and shows the relevance of these strategies in PHC for weight control. Individualized TTM-based interventions, when combined with usual care, might offer a viable and effective strategy for weight loss in primary health care and have a positive impact on inflammatory markers.

The characteristics of the approaches used are in line with international guidelines aimed to prevent and control NCD by promoting interdisciplinary practices that are indispensable for the successful treatment of obesity and other NCD.

Nevertheless, further research to identify additional strategies is needed to address barriers to weight maintenance among obese low-income women. World Health Organization WHO. Obesity and overweight. Accessed 28 Oct Stenholm S, Head J, Aalto V, Kivimäki M, Kawachi I, Zins M, et al.

Body mass index as a predictor of healthy and disease-free life expectancy between ages 50 and a multicohort study. Int J Obes. Article CAS Google Scholar. Dansinger ML, Gleason JA, Griffith JL, Selker HP, Schaefer EJ.

Comparison of the Atkins, Ornish, weight watchers, and zone diets for weight loss and heart disease risk reduction: a randomized trial. Raynor HA, Champagne CM. Position of the academy of nutrition and dietetics: interventions for the treatment of overweight and obesity in adults.

J Acad Nutr Diet. Article Google Scholar. Sutton K, Logue E, Jarjoura D, Baughman K, Smucker W, Capers C. Assessing dietary and exercise stage of change to optimize weight loss interventions.

Obes Res. Katan MB. Weight-loss diets for the prevention and treatment of obesity. N Engl J Med. Mastellos N, Gunn LH, Felix LM, Car J, Majeed A.

Transtheoretical model stages of change for dietary and physical exercise modification in weight loss management for overweight and obese adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev.

Hartmann-Boyce J, Johns DJ, Jebb SA, Aveyard P. Behavioural weight management review group. Effect of behavioural techniques and delivery mode on effectiveness of weight management: systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression.

Obes Rev. Norcross JC, Krebs PM, Prochaska JO. Stages of change. J Clin Psychol. Andrés A, Saldaña C, Gómez-Benito J. The Transtheoretical model in weight management: validation of the processes of change questionnaire. Obes Facts. Menezes MC, Bedeschi LB, Santos LC, Lopes AC.

Interventions directed at eating habits and physical activity using the Transtheoretical model: a systematic review. Nutr Hosp. Google Scholar. Rosas LG, Thiyagarajan S, Goldstein BA, et al.

The effectiveness of two community-based weight loss strategies among obese, low-income US Latinos. Johnson SS, Paiva AL, Cummins CO, Johnson JL, Dyment SJ, Wright JA, et al.

Transtheoretical model-based multiple behavior intervention for weight management: effectiveness on a population basis. Prev Med. Ministério da Saúde Brasil. Portaria n° 2.

Redefine o Programa Academia da Saúde no âmbito do Sistema Único de Saúde SUS. Diário Oficial da União 8 nov Accessed 4 Apr Costa BVL, Mendonça RD, Santos LC, Peixoto SV, Alves M, Lopes ACS. Academia da Cidade: um serviço de promoção da saúde na rede assistencial do Sistema Único de Saúde.

Cien Saúde Colet. The use and interpretation of anthropometry Physical status: the use and interpretation of anthropometry: report of a who expert committee. Geneva: Expert Committee on Physical Status; Nutrition Screening Initiative. Nutrition Interventions Manual for Professionals Caring for Older Americans.

Washington, DC: The Nutrition Screening Initiative; Geneva: WHO; Institute of Medicine. Dietary reference intakes for energy, carbohydrate, Fiber, fat, fatty acids, cholesterol, protein, and amino acids. Washington: National Academy Press; Cattai GBP, Hintze LJ, Junior NN.

Validação interna do questionário de estágio de prontidão para mudança do comportamento alimentar e de atividade física. Rev Paul Pediatr. Zanetti ML, Arrelias CCA, Franco RC, Santos MA, Rodrigues FFL, Faria HTG. Adherence to nutritional recommendations and sociodemographic variables in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Rev Esc enferm USP. Menezes MC, Mingoti SA, Cardoso CS, Mendonça RD, Lopes AC. Intervention based on Transtheoretical model promotes anthropometric and nutritional improvements - a randomized controlled trial.

Eat Behav. Ouchi N, Parker JL, Lugus JJ, Walsh K. Adipokines in inflammation and metabolic disease. Nat Rev Immunol. Karintrakul S, Angkatavanich J.

A randomized controlled trial of an individualized nutrition counseling program matched with a transtheoretical model for overweight and obese females in Thailand. Nutr Res Pract. Calder PC, Ahluwalia N, Brouns F, Buetler T, Clement K, Cunningham K, et al.

Dietary factors and low-grade inflammation in relation to overweight and obesity. Br J Nutr. Koebnick C, Wagner K, Garcia AL, Gruendel S, Lahmann PH, Weickert MO, et al. Increase in serum resistin during weight loss in overweight subjects is related to lipid metabolism. Gomez-Huelgas R, Ruiz-Nava J, Santamaria-Fernandez S, Vargas-Candela A, Alarcon-Martin AV, Tinahones FJ, et al.

Impact of intensive lifestyle modification on levels of Adipokines and inflammatory biomarkers in metabolically healthy obese women. Mediat Inflamm. Lemos EC, Gouveia GC, Luna CF, Silva GB. Programa academia da cidade: descrição de fatores de adesão e não adesão. R bras Ci e Mov. Download references.

We acknowledge Prefeitura Municipal de Belo Horizonte to making this study possible in the Programa Academia da Saúde. The funding had no role in the study design, collection, analysis or interpretation of the data, writing the manuscript, or the decision to submit the paper for publication.

Research Group in Nutrition Interventions, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Department of Nutrition, School of Nursing, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Department of Maternal and Child Nursing and Public Health, School of Nursing, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar. PPF contributed to designing the study, analysing the data, writing the article and have approved the final manuscript.

MCM contributed to designing the study, interpretation the data, critical review of content and have approved the final manuscript. LCS contributed to designing the study, interpretation the data, critical review of content and have approved the final manuscript. AMP contributed to designing the study, interpretation the data, critical review of content, have approved the final manuscript.

AVMF contributed to designing the study, interpretation the data, critical review of content and have approved the final manuscript.

ACSL contributed to designing the study, analysing the data, writing the article, critical review of content and have approved the final manuscript.

The number of minutes engaged and type and level of exertion of physical activity should ideally be recorded. An important and often forgotten aspect of exercise logs is the level of perceived exertion. Walking for 30 minutes, at an easy compared to a hard pace, will result in different levels of calories burned and cardiovascular impact.

Typically, an easy physical activity that does not increase heart rate much, or alter breathing would usually be the pace that you walk around work or go shopping. Moderate level of physical exertion is when you are getting a mildly increased heart and breathing rate.

Heavy or hard level of physical exertion would be sweating, increased heart rate target heart rate range as well as increased breathing. Remember, physical activity can be done at one time or intermittently throughout the day. Logging exercise can be a positive feedback or a reminder to incorporate more exercise or physical activity into your daily routine.

Initial activities may be walking, riding a stationary bike or swimming at a slow pace. Other types of exercise that can be fun are dancing, exercise videos or chair exercises.

You should try to aim for 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week. Many people try to start out with exercise on three or four days of the week. However, if you can get yourself exercising most to all days of the week, even if only for 10 or 15 minutes, it will become more of a routine for you.

All adults should set a long-term goal to accumulate at least 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity on most to all days of the week. Also, try to increase activities of daily living such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking further away or walking to a bathroom that is further from your desk.

Reducing sedentary time is a good strategy to increase activity by undertaking frequent, less strenuous activities. With time, you may be able to engage in more strenuous activities.

Self-monitoring tools are becoming more and more popular and accurate. One of the simplest of these self-monitoring tools is a pedometer.

Pedometers give objective data of physical activity throughout the day. Pedometers can be found in almost any consumer catalog or retail store. Some of the more popular manufactures include Digi-Walker, Omron, Acumen, Bodytrend, Oregon Scientific, Sportline, Freestyle, Brookstone, AccuStep and many others.

Garmin and Timex make pedometer of speedometer devices that calculate steps and speed using GPS. Many people get an average of 3, steps per day with daily activity.

In order to burn off extra calories for weight-loss, walking 10, steps per day is recommended. For regular health, a minimum of 6, steps per day is required.

Research suggests that a deliberate walk of 4,, steps will help with weight-loss. It is often a good idea to keep track of your daily steps taken in your exercise log.

Pedometers can be frustrating for those who are more interested in distance traveled. Focusing on the number of steps and ways to incorporate more steps throughout the day will make as much of a difference with weight-loss as actual distance does.

Pedometers encourage people to find ways to add more steps throughout the day. Because step counting is becoming more popular, advances are being made in the technology behind pedometers.

New pedometers display steps and count them accurately. They are meant to be worn everyday and all day, as motivation to keep stepping, Most are small and comfortable to wear. Pedometers sense your body motion, counting your footsteps usually by a turned pendulum technology, a coiled spring mechanism and a hairspring mechanism which is the least accurate.

The unit should be accurate in its count when you wear it correctly. You may need to experiment with where to wear it.

You can measure your stride and then the pedometer can estimate distance traveled. Some pedometers today offer multifunction options like calorie estimates, clocks, timers, stopwatches, speed estimators, seven-day memory or pulse rate readers, voice feedback and radios.

Although pedometers are very cost-effective, one of the main flaws in using pedometers, however, is that they do not record intensity how hard or duration how long or frequency how often movement occurs.

Accelerometers are devices that can objectively measure frequency, duration and intensity of physical activity. Accelerometers provide a high level of accuracy when assessing physical activity. BioTrainer and Nike are examples of affordable accelerometers.

Many of the more expensive accelerometers are used only in research or as a part of a hospital-based program. These monitors are more complex than pedometers in that they display and store more complex data. The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice.

Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health. Weight Control. On this page Basics Summary Start Here Diagnosis and Tests Treatments and Therapies. Learn More Living With Related Issues Specifics.

See, Play and Learn Health Check Tools Test Your Knowledge. Research Statistics and Research Clinical Trials Journal Articles. Resources Reference Desk Find an Expert. For You Children Teenagers Women Patient Handouts. Why is weight control important? What factors affect weight and health?

But there are many different factors that can affect weight gain, such as: The world around you. Your home, community, and workplace all may affect how you make daily lifestyle choices. For example: It is often easier to find food and beverages high in calories, sugar, and fat.

For instance, vending machines, cafeterias, and special events may not offer healthy, lower calorie options. Less healthy foods may be cheaper than healthier foods. Many people are getting less physical activity because they are spending more time using smartphones and other devices.

Overweight and obesity tend to run in families. This suggests that genes may play a role in weight gain. Families may also share eating and lifestyle habits.

For example, some families may often have foods and drinks that are high in calories, sugar, and fat. And some families may tend to be less active and spend more time doing things like sitting and watching TV or using computers. Not enough sleep.

People who don't get enough sleep may eat more calories and snack more. Some people eat when they feel bored, sad, or stressed, even if they are not hungry. Medicines and health conditions. Taking certain medicines, such as steroids and certain antidepressants , can lead to weight gain. Some chronic health problems can also cause you to gain weight.

A few examples are Cushing's syndrome and polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS. How can I get to and stay at a healthy weight?

Some ways to do this are: Eating more nutrient-rich foods, such as foods with lots of vitamins , minerals , and fiber. Eating and drinking less of the foods and beverages that have lots of calories, salt , sugar, and fat.

Limiting alcohol. Safe and successful weight-loss programs should include behavioral treatment, also called lifestyle counseling, that can teach you how to develop and stick with healthier eating and physical activity habits—for example, keeping food and activity records or journals information about getting enough sleep, managing stress, and the benefits and drawbacks of weight-loss medicines ongoing feedback, monitoring, and support throughout the program, either in person, by phone, online, or through a combination of these approaches slow and steady weight-loss goals—usually 1 to 2 pounds per week though weight loss may be faster at the start of a program a plan for keeping the weight off, including goal setting, self-checks such as keeping a food journal, and counseling support The most successful weight-loss programs provide 14 sessions or more of behavioral treatment over at least 6 months—and are led by trained staff.

However, experts suggest that these weight-loss programs should provide the following: organized, weekly lessons, offered online or by podcast, and tailored to your personal goals support from a qualified staff person to meet your goals a plan to track your progress on changing your lifestyle habits, such as healthy eating and physical activity, using tools such as cellphones, activity counters, and online journals regular feedback on your goals, progress, and results provided by a counselor through email, phone, or text messages the option of social support from a group through bulletin boards, chat rooms, or online meetings Whether a program is online or in person, you should get as much background as you can before you decide to join.

Many weight-loss programs are now being offered online and through apps for mobile devices. Here are some other questions you may want to ask: What does the program include? Eating Am I expected to follow a specific meal plan?

Am I encouraged to write down what I eat each day? Do I have to buy special meals or supplements? If so, what are the daily or weekly costs?

Does the program offer healthy meal-plan suggestions that I could stick with? If the program requires special foods, can I make changes based on my likes, dislikes, and any food allergies I may have? Physical Activity Does the program include a physical activity plan?

Does the program offer ways to help me be more physically active and stay motivated? Counseling Does the program offer one-on-one or group counseling to help me develop and stick with my healthier habits? Does the program include a trained coach or counselor to help me overcome roadblocks and stay on track?

What does that program include? Will there be ongoing counseling support? Other Features How long is the actual weight-loss program? How long is the weight-loss maintenance program? Does the program require that I take any kind of medicine? Can I speak with a doctor or certified health professional if I need to?

Can I change the program to meet my lifestyle, work schedule, and cultural needs? Will the program help me cope with such issues as stress or social eating, getting enough sleep, changes in work schedules, lack of motivation, and injury or illness? Is the program in person? Is there an online part to the program?

Find out if the program offers ways to help you be more physically active. What kind of education or training do staff members have? These questions are especially important if you are considering a medically supervised program that encourages quick weight loss 3 or more pounds a week for several weeks : Does a doctor or other certified health professional run or oversee the program?

Does the program include specialists in nutrition, physical activity, behavior change, and weight loss? What type of certifications, education, experience, and training do staff members have? How long, on average, have most of the staff been working with the program? Does the program or product carry any risks?

Could the program cause health problems or be harmful to me in any way? How much does the program cost? What is the total cost of the program, from beginning to end? How much weight does the average person lose?

How long does the average person keep the weight off?