Obesity is a medical condition where a human being has excessive body fat, which might have a negative effect on his/her health. In general, if a person’s total bodyweight is 20 percent more than what it should be normally, he/she may be regarded as ‘obese’. However, obesity is often confused with being overweight, which is a misconception. A person is overweight when he/she weighs more than what should be his/her normal weight as per his/her height. Obesity occurs when a person consumes more calories than what his/her body is able to burn, at which time the body stores the unused calories as fat. A number of factors are responsible for obesity, such as excessive consumption of alcohol, eating more than sufficient food and lack of enough exercise. Medical problems such as thyroid condition and use of birth control pills may also lead to obesity in some cases. Physicians determine obesity levels through measurement of Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist measurement of patients. A healthy lifestyle with plenty of exercise and a healthy diet can go a long way towards controlling obesity in a person. Hide this