Obesity in adults and children

Average rating:

Obesity is becoming more and more of a problem in the UK, as 1 in 5 adults are now obese. And it's affecting kids too - 1 in 3 10-year-olds are overweight or obese.

Here we've put together all our information on obesity including its causes and why you shouldn't ignore it. We've also gathered the best diet and exercise advice to help you lose weight if you need to and you'll also find our obesity-related news stories.

Am I obese?

The easiest way to work out if you need to lose weight is by working out your BMI. This stands for body mass index and is a way of checking if you're a healthy weight in relation to your height. Work out your BMI using our calculator.

A BMI of under 18.5 is underweight
18.5 - 24.9 is healthy
25. - 29.9 is overweight
30 and over is obese.

Note: Remember that BMI doesn't work if you're pregnant, breastfeeding, over 60 or for people who do weight-training or have long-term health conditions. It also doesn't work for kids.

Your waist measurement can also indicate if you're likely to develop health problems. Find out how to check your waist here

What is obesity?

These medical leaflets from patient UK will give you a better understanding of obesity, its causes and the benefits of losing weight.

Obesity in adults
Obesity in children

Why should I be worried?

Being obese isn't just about how you look - it can have a serious effect on your health too. Obesity is linked to diseases such as cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease

Get more information on the health risks of obesity

What can I do about it?

Eating sensibly and getting exercise is the way to tackle obesity. Try our healthy eating recipes and our healthy family recipes.

You could also choose to follow one of our diets, we've got over 80!

Don't let the thought of vigorous exercise put you off - whatever your fitness levels are now, you can start slowly with our easy exercise ideas. And if you spend all day sat at a desk, try these 10 ways to keep fit at work.

Some people who are extremely obese might consider other weight-loss options, such as surgery. Get the facts on gastric bands and find out if one could help you.

Helping kids to lose weight is a bit different to helping adults, so we've created another page specifically on how to tackle obesity in kids, including fun ways to get fit as a family, lunchbox tips, dealing with fussy eaters and loads more.