Stages of Gaining Weight

Weight gain can happen in one of two stages. It either occurs gradually over a period of time or quickly. Unfortunately, the average overweight American experiences quick weight gain over a period of time because she is uninformed and unaware of her abnormal body changes. Contributing factors like stressful home and work environments and medications can cause the weight-gaining individual to pay little or no attention to the scale. By the time an individual notices her weight increase, it could be after 15 or 20 lbs. of fat gain.

Overweight

• As of 2009, no state in America achieved the obesity target of 15 percent or less of obese adults. In such a society, it's no wonder that many adults feel healthy and comfortable even when they are overweight. To be overweight, you have to weigh more than what is recommended for your height. This stage of weight gain is critical because it applies to thousands of American children and teens.

  The Body Mass Index, or BMI, for an overweight adult is 25.0 to 29.9. For children and teens, BMI has to be calculated differently. A youth's BMI is measured by his age, weight and height, then plotted along the percentile growth chart to determine his classification. Therefore, a 10-year-old boy would be compared on the percentile chart with other 10-year-old boys. Using his height and weight, the doctor would see if he was among the 85 percentile and less than the 95 percentile before formally categorizing him as overweight.

Obese

• Medline Plus, an online service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, states, "Obesity means having too much body fat." Once an adult or a youth reaches the obese category, it is because they have practiced the eating habit of eating more calories than they are burning on a consistent basis. Over time, these extra calories store within the body and transform into sugar before they turn into fat.

  To go from obese to a healthy body size, one would have to focus on fat-burning goals. Milestones like replacing unhealthy snacks with servings of fruits and vegetables, completing a 30-minute cardio activity once a day and avoiding fast foods are all progressions towards ridding the body of excess fat while addressing the issue of learning how to live healthy.

Morbid Obesity

• Overweight children often suffer from low self-esteem and depression.

  Morbidly obese is weighing 100 lbs. more than your healthy body weight and/or having a BMI of 40 or higher. Once a person reaches the stage of morbidly obese, their chances double for being at risk of developing high blood pressure, sugar diabetes and heart failure.

  Since morbid obesity can easily lead to emotional distress and physical disabilities, everyday programs are being offered to individuals and families alike to help get people healthy. Options range from prescribed medication and one-on-one medical consultation to surgical procedures.