Body Mass Index

What is BMI?

If you are 100 pounds or more above your ideal body weight, you suffer from morbid obesity. A common measure of obesity is Body Mass Index (BMI), which is calculated by dividing your weight by the square of your height.

Your BMI is important to take into account when considering whether to seek treatment for a weight problem. This is especially true if you are experiencing one or more co–morbid conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure.

Another measure of obesity is the Ideal Weight Chart. Discuss your BMI and ideal weight with your Plaza bariatric surgeon as you assess your obesity–related health risks, and whether surgery could be an appropriate solution for you.

Morbid obesity is a disease that can have a devastating effect on your quality of life. It is also associated with a number of chronic conditions that can lead to premature death.

Obesity and Morbid Obesity

Obesity results from an accumulation of fat that is out of proportion to the body’s skeletal and physical standards. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a surplus of 20 percent is the point at which excess weight becomes a health risk.

Today, some 97 million Americans – more than one–third of the nation’s adult population – are overweight or obese. Of these, an estimated 5 to 10 million are considered “morbidly obese.”

Obesity becomes “morbid” when it threatens to trigger one or more health conditions or serious diseases (referred to as “co–morbidities” ) that may result in significant physical disability or even death.

Morbid obesity is usually defined in terms of:

• A body weight 100 pounds or more above the threshold considered optimal for a given height
• A Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or higher

According to a NIH Consensus Report, morbid obesity is a serious disease that warrants aggressive treatment. It is also a chronic disease, meaning that its symptoms become increasingly debilitating the longer it persists.