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• Nearly two-thirds of men and over half of all women in the UK are now overweight

• One in five of us is obese – at least 2–3 stones overweight

• Two-thirds of adults over 45 are overweight or obese

• Almost 1 in 10 6-year-olds and almost 1 in 6 15-year-olds is obese

• Obesity is linked to around 30,000 deaths a year through heart disease, strokes and diabetes

As you can see, obesity is a huge problem in the UK, and it’s on the increase all over the world. The level of obesity has gone up three times in the past 20 years, and it’s still rising. At this rate, one in four adults will be obese by 2010 and one in three by 2020. Just imagine it – as you sit with two of your friends or family members, one of you will be not just overweight but obese.

But excess weight doesn’t just mean not being able to fit into the clothes you want – it can seriously affect your health, too. Among other things, it puts us at greater risk of diabetes, osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stroke and some cancers. In fact, recent reports suggest that obesity may soon overtake cigarette smoking as a serious health risk. The International Obesity Task Force estimates that 1.7 billion people across the world may be at risk of weight-related health problems.

The standard measurement for weight is the body mass index (BMI), which is weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared:

For example, if you weigh 10 stone and you are 5 feet 6 inches tall, you would work out your BMI by finding your weight in kilos (63kg) and your height in metres (1.68m):

Overweight is a BMI of 25–30 while obese is 30–40. So, for example, someone 5 feet 6 inches tall (1.68m) becomes obese at 13 stone 4 pounds (84kg) and morbidly obese at 17 stones 7 pounds (110kg). Obesity becomes ‘morbid’ when it significantly increases the risk of one or more obesity-related health conditions or serious diseases.

A simpler way of measuring your health, however, is by your waistline. The World Health Organization recommends a limit for waist circumference of 102cm and 88cm in men and women respectively. Want to know how to measure yourself and what this means? Visit the National Obesity Forum’s Waist Watch Action Campaign website at www.nationalobesityforum.org.uk and visit the Public Info area.