Obesity Dr Rob Hicks Dr Rob Hicks explains why so many men in the UK are now obese and explains what can be done about it

In this article

What is it? What happens?

Why does it happen? Can I stop it?

Should I see a doctor? Treatments

More than half of the men in the UK are denting their seats because they're too fat - and that number is increasing. You can work out whether you're a healthy weight or putting your health at risk by calculating your body mass index (BMI). Use our BMI calculator or work it out using this formula:

Take your weight in kilograms and divide it by your height in metres and then divide the result by your height in metres again.

• Underweight = BMI less than 18.5
• Healthy weight = 18.5 to 24.9
• Overweight = 25 to 30
• Obese = 30 to 40
• Severely obese = 40-plus

Being overweight puts your health at risk since it contributes to the development of many problems that include:

• heart disease
• high blood pressure
• arthritis
• diabetes
• indigestion
• gallstones
• some cancers (for example, breast, colon)
• snoring and sleep apnoea
• stress, anxiety and depression

It's an equation of balance - if you eat more calories than you use in daily activity, the spare energy is stored as fat and weight increases. It's as simple as that.

Nowadays the average diet contains too many calories in the form of sugar and fat, and as a nation we've become more inactive. For example, many men spend their time sitting and watching sport when in the past they would have been actively taking part.

Jobs have become more sedentary too, with many men now sitting in front of a computer whereas in the past jobs would have been more physically demanding.

If you're not overweight and eat roughly the same number of calories as you burn up daily then you shouldn't become overweight.

If you're already overweight the first thing to acknowledge is that there's no quick fix. To lose some weight you need to burn more calories than you're consuming. For most men the solution is to:

• always eat breakfast
• eat meals that contain more starchy foods (such as pasta, rice, bread, potatoes) and less sugar and fat
• drink less alcohol
• snack on fruit rather than chocolate or crisps, for example
• reduce daily calorie intake by about 500 calories
• exercise for at least 30 minutes on a minimum of five days in the week (such as brisk walking, swimming, cycling, running)

A realistic goal is to lose 1lb to 2lb each week.

If despite these measures the weight isn't falling off, then some advice from the doctor, practice nurse or dietician may help.

In some cases doctors are able to prescribe medication to help achieve weight loss as part of a weight reduction programme.

Many doctors are also able to refer men to an exercise-on-prescription scheme at their local leisure centre, where a course of exercise can be provided to help them lose weight.

This article was last medically reviewed by Dr Rob Hicks in December 2006.
First published in April 2001.