No one gains 25 pounds all of the sudden. There is a gradual weight gain during your growth period. But some people gain more rapidly than they should. Weigh yourself regularly, and look for bulges and flabbiness. Also compare your weight with your height and body type.

    If you find a difference of 2 or 3 pounds in weight from one morning to the next, don't panic. There is no need to go on a diet. On some days, your body tissue may hold more fluid than on others. On days when you exercise ,you may lose these 2 or 3 unwanted pounds of fluid. Staying at your best weight and looking attractive does not mean staying extremely thin. Some people think that they are overweight when they are not. As a result .they may not eat enough of the proper foods and get enough nutrients to stay healthy.

    It is easier to take off a little extra weight than to go on a yearlong diet to lose 10 to 515 pounds. Once you develop an eating habit that makes you gain weight, it becomes hard to break. If you are gaining too much weight or gaining too quickly, try to figure our why. Sometimes problems at home, at school, or with friends may make you eat or snack too much. You may not even be aware of the total number of calories you are taking in.

Overweight

Overweight refers to increased body weight in relation to height, when compared to some standard of acceptable or desirable weight (NRC p.114; Stunkard p.14). NOTE: Overweight may or may not be due to increases in body fat. It may also be due to an increase in lean muscle. For example, professional athletes may be very lean and muscular, with very little body fat, yet they may weigh more than others of the same height. While they may qualify as "overweight" due to their large muscle mass, they are not necessarily "over fat," regardless of BMI.

Desirable weight standards are derived in a number of ways:

• By using a mathematical formula known as Body Mass Index (BMI), which represents weight levels associated with the lowest overall risk to health. Desirable BMI levels may vary with age.
  
  
• By using actual heights and weights measured and collected on people who are representative of the U.S. population by the National Center for Health Statistics. Other desirable weight tables have been created by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, based on their client populations.

  Obesity

  	Individuals with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight, while individuals with a BMI of 30 or more are considered obese.

  Obesity is defined as an excessively high amount of body fat or adipose tissue in relation to lean body mass. (NRC p114; Stunkard p14) The amount of body fat (or adiposity) includes concern for both the distribution of fat throughout the body and the size of the adipose tissue deposits. Body fat distribution can be estimated by skinfold measures, waist-to-hip circumference ratios, or techniques such as ultrasound, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging.

  Overweight and Obesity Among Children and Adolescents

  • The percentage of children and adolescents who are defined as overweight has more than doubled since the early 1970s.
  • About 13 percent of children and adolescents are now seriously overweight.

  In spite of the public health impact of obesity and overweight, these conditions have not been a major public health priority in the past. Halting and reversing the upward trend of the obesity epidemic will require effective collaboration among government, voluntary, and private sectors, as well as a commitment to action by individuals and communities across the nation.

  Body Mass Index (BMI)

  BMI is a common measure expressing the relationship (or ratio) of weight-to-height. It is a mathematical formula in which a person's body weight in kilograms is divided by the square of his or her height in meters (i.e., wt/(ht)2. The BMI is more highly correlated with body fat than any other indicator of height and weight (NRC p563).

  Individuals with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight, while individuals with a BMI of 30 or more are considered obese.

  What BMI levels are risky?all adults (aged 18 years or older) who have a BMI of 25 or more are considered at risk for premature death and disability as a consequence of overweight and obesity. These health risks increase even more as the severity of an individual's obesity increases.

  Waist circumference

  	How to measure waist circumference: With a tape measure, comfortably measure the distance around the smallest area below the rib cage and above the umbilicus (belly button). How to measure hip circumference: With a tape measure, comfortably measure the distance around the largest extension of the buttocks.

  Waist circumference is a common measure used to assess abdominal fat content. The presence of excess body fat in the abdomen, when out of proportion to total body fat, is considered an independent predictor of risk factors and ailments associated with obesity.

  What waist size is risky? Undesirable waist circumferences differ for men and women.

  • Men are at risk who have a waist measurement greater than 40 inches (102 cm)
  • Women are at risk who have a waist measurement greater than 35 inches (88 cm)

  NOTE: If a person has short stature (under 5 feet in height) or has a BMI of 35 or above, waist circumference standards used for the general population may not apply.

  Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)

  Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is the ratio of a person's waist circumference to hip circumference, mathematically calculated as the waist circumference divided by the hip circumference. For most people, carrying extra weight around their middle increases health risks more than carrying extra weight around their hips or thighs. (NOTE: Overall obesity is still more risky than body fat storage locations or waist-to-hip ratio.)

  What is a good waist-to-hip ratio?
  For men, a ratio of .90 or less is considered safe.
  For women, a ratio of .80 or less is considered safe.
  
  

Diet for the overweight

Hundreds of how-to-diet books are written by different people. But what may work for them may be harmful for you. You may not need professional advice to lose 2 or 3 pounds. But before you try to lose 10 pounds or more, check with your doctor. Your doctor can recommend a reducing diet that will suit you. Remember, no matter what you weigh, your body needs the nutrients from balanced diet.

    Overeating is one of the major causes of being overweight. The number of calories consumes is greater than the number of calories consumed is greater than the number of calories burned. The following eating rules will help you eat fewer calories than you burned.

• Try to eat only at mealtimes when you are at the table.
• If you do snack, eat fruits or vegetables, not high-calorie foods.
• Let everyone know that you will not have second helpings during a meal. Eat smaller helpings.
• Instead of gulping down food, take small bites and rest between them. During the course of a meal, pause for a few minutes. Slowly increase the time it takes you to eat your meals.
• substitute exercise for snacking.

    A pound of body fat equals 3,500 calories. To lose 1 pound per week, you can eat 500 fewer calories per day than you burn. You can either reduce the calories in meals and snacks that you eat, or you can burn more calories through exercise.

Fad diets

Fasting diets, high-carbohydrate diets, liquid-protein diets, high-fat diets, grapefruit diets, low-carbohydrate diets, and many more untested fad diets come and go. Many of the fad diets can harm the body's metabolism. One of the most famous low-carbohydrate diets is known to cause feelings of tiredness-and it is high in fat and cholesterol. It also causes water loss,dizziness,and kidney trouble. Medical experts and nutritionists have all called the low-carbohydrate diets dangerous ones.

    It takes time to gain extra weight, so it makes sense that it will take time to lose it. Fad diets that promise quick weight loss are useless and can be harmful. With them, you may lose weight in fluids. But real tissue weight will not be lost. Many are not nutritionally balanced. In the long run, fad diets won't help you take off pounds permanently.