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Body Mass and Weight
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10
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25
T
o be
obese means to have too much fat on the body. Obese people are
not just overweight. Such people are likely to suffer health problems
because of their weight. The precise cause of obesity is not clear.
However, it is clear that obesity is a problem in most countries. One study
estimated that about 55 percent of people in the United States are obese. People
need to understand what obesity is and how to tell if they themselves are obese
so that they can change their condition.
An obese person does not have to look
extremely fat. Even people who seem
only
slightly overweight can actually be considered obese. If a person has a
certain
amount of fat on their body, then their health might be in danger. This amount of fat
is usually thought to be 40 percent of the body’s total
composition. Finding a
person’s exact fat percentage is troublesome. Most people still rely on their weight
measurement to tell them if they are overweight or obese.
There are problems with this method, however. There are
recommended
weights for different ages. In addition, weight alone says nothing about a person’s
percentage of body fat, which is most important. People have different body types,
which can make weight measurements
unreliable. For instance, athletes usually
have more muscle mass than other people. Muscle weighs more than fat. Therefore,
an athlete may weigh more than their recommended weight, but this does not mean
they are not healthy. A more accurate measurement of body fat is needed.
Probably the most popular method of determining body fat today is the
Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is a person’s weight (in kilograms) divided
by the square of his or her height (in meters). For men, a BMI of 24
to 27 is normal. For women, it is 23 to
26. A BMI of 30 or more means a
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obese --- overweight in an unhealthy way
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extremely --- to the utmost degree; exceedingly;
excessively
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slightly --- a little
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certain --- particular
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composition --- a mix of all the various parts
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recommend --- to suggest
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unreliable --- not able to be trusted
