Health and weight

Your weight is one of the most important things to consider when trying to improve your health and quality of life. Maintaining a healthy weight can significantly reduce your risk of developing cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

One way to work out whether you are a healthy weight is to calculate your body mass index (BMI), which tells you if you are the recommended weight for your height. You’ll need to know how much you weigh, and how tall you are.
• Calculate your BMI

Your BMI is then classified into one of the following groups:

 BMI less than 18.5  Underweight
 BMI 18.5 to 25  Normal
 BMI 25 to 30  Overweight
 BMI 30 to 40  Obese
 BMI greater than 40  Morbidly obese

People that have a BMI of over 30 are at a greater risk of developing a serious health problem such as:
• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Stroke
• Breast cancer
• Colon cancer

Effective weight loss can reduce these health risks considerably. It can also help patients who have already developed one or more health problems associated with being overweight or obese.
• Read more about how weight loss can help with health problems