When you are trying to figure out you are overweight or obese, there are two key pieces of information to have. These are your body mass index (BMI) and your waist circumference.

BMI or Body mass index

The most common way to measure whether you are overweight or obese is body mass index. BMI uses your weight and height to estimate your make -up. Use this calculator to find your BMI and then check the number below to figure out your weight category.

• Below 18.5 is underweight
• 18.5-24.9 is normal weight
• 25.0-29.9 is overweight
• 30.0 or higher is obese

Waist Circumference

BMI does not tell you the whole story. It doesn’t directly measure body fat, and some research suggests that where you store fat is especially how much you store around your waist. So its important to consider your waist size.

To measure your waist size, place the tape measure around your bare stomach just above your hip bone. Be sure that the tape measure should not pinch your skin. It should up parallel to the floor. Relax, exhale and measure your waist.

If your BMI suggests that you are overweight or obese, or your waist size is greater than 3 inches, your weight may be putting your health at risk. Talk to your doctor. He or she will probably recommend that you may have to make certain lifestyle changes to reduce your weight or prevent further weight gain.

Symptoms are below that tells you that you need to lose weight:

1. Snoring and generally wake up groggy
2. You find exercising very uncomfortable in the beginning
3. You have tender spots everywhere
4. Most of the time you feel tired
5. You are always feeling hungry even though you eat plenty
6. Your doctors tell you that you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol
7. Your waist circumference is greater than 35 inches
8. Your knees, hips, and back hurts