Nearly two-thirds of the United States population is overweight. There are many ways to determine if a person is overweight, but experts believe that a person's body mass index (BMI) is the best way to assess an adult's weight in relation to their height.

• A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal.
• Adults with a BMI between 25 and 29.9 are considered overweight. There are exceptions. For example, an athlete may have a higher BMI but not be overweight.
• Adults with a BMI greater than 30 are considered obese.
• Adults with a BMI greater than or equal to 40 are considered extremely obese.
• Anyone more than 100 pounds overweight is considered morbidly obese.

A person with a high BMI may have a normal amount of body fat is they have a lot of muscles.

For information on calculating your BMI, see: Body mass index

Related topics:

• Exercise and weight loss
• Losing weight
• Obesity
• Unintentional weight gain
• Weight management
• Weight problems and children

Jensen MD. Obesity. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 239.