Look around us. There are many overweight and obese people all around. Here is some overweight statistics:

• 64 percent of people are overweight in the US
• 48 percent of people in Europe are overweight
• 27 percent of Americans are classified as obese
• Obesity is responsible for 325,000 deaths every year
• Obesity cost an estimated $ 75 billion in 2003 because of its long and expensive treatment
• 750 million worldwide are overweight, out of which 300 million are obese

Just looking at the above overweight statistics drives home the point that overweight and obesity are serious problems.

Obesity is arguably the most common medical problem in the world today, particularly the advanced countries. There is a very strong medical consensus that overweight is bad for our health. In fact, the more overweight we are, the more serious its effects on health are likely to be.

There is a list of diseases associated with obesity, namely thyroid problem, Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and various forms of cancer.

While there is consensus among the medical fraternity acknowledging the overweight statistics and recognizing the dangers of overweight and obesity, there is a difference in opinion on just what obesity is. Opinions vary on whether it is more accurate to view obesity as a disease or as a condition with multiple causes that are associated with an array of other diseases. Some authorities are flatly announcing obesity as a chronic disease.

How is overweight quantified? In overweight statistics parlance, there is a unit of measurement called Body Mass Index, or BMI in short. BMI is derived from dividing the weight of a person (in kilograms) by the square of the height (in meters). For a male, a BMI of less than 20 is termed underweight, a BMI from 20 to 24.9 as normal, 25 to 29.9 as overweight and over 30 as obese. The corresponding figures for a female are under 19, 19 to 24.9, 25 to 29.9 and more than 30.

The overweight statistics relating to medical problems are of real concern. Many people recognize the danger sign posts and make concerted efforts to reduce their weights, be it dieting, exercise and so forth. There is also another category of people who undertake weight loss regimes for personal or social reasons. Look at the number of advertisements for slimming clubs, fitness centres to know there is a big market for this segment. For example, they may want to lose weight because:

• They want to look better, hate how they look in the mirror, get rid of double chins, get rid of that 'spare tyre' around their middle
• They may have just come out of a divorce/separation/break-up or they may lack sex drive
• For seasonal reasons, to lose weight before summer arrives so that they can wear their bikinis on the beach, or in time for their weddings
• For pregnant women, losing weight before and after child birth.

Whatever the reason, be it medical as revealed in overweight statistics or just for social or emotional reasons, it is actually very important to maintain our weight to an ideal BMI of between 20 to 24.9