Obesity Resources for Patients

There are many factors that contribute to obesity, some that we can control and some that we can’t. Regardless, obesity can increase your risk for many other medical conditions, including cancer, type 2 diabetes, and depression.

How to Prevent Obesity

Change your diet⁷
- Limit unhealthy foods and beverages
Increase physical activity⁸
- This can range from walking to weight lifting, to group or solo sports
- Limit time sitting inform of a screen
Lifestyle changes⁹
- Improve sleep and make sure to get enough sleep
- Reduce stressors
Healthy living resources¹⁰

How to Diagnose Obesity

To diagnose obesity, a doctor may:

Discuss your health history
- Your doctor will discuss your medical and weight history with you and may review your family’s health history
Conduct a general physical exam
- This will likely include taking your vital signs, listening to your heart and lungs, and examining your abdomen
Calculate BMI
- A BMI of 30 or higher is considered obesity — you can also check your BMI on your own with this BMI calculator
Measure your waist circumference
- High waist measurements (35 inches for women and 40 inches for men) may indicate more health risks
Check for other health problems
- Examples include high blood pressure and diabetes and certain heart tests such as an electrocardiogram
Order blood tests
- These may include a cholesterol test, liver function tests, a fasting glucose, a thyroid test and others¹¹

How to Treat Obesity:

Dietary changes
- Reduce caloric intake
- Practice healthier eating habits
- Avoid drastic and unrealistic diet changes such as crash diets
Exercise and activity
- Try to get at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week
- Keep moving and avoid sitting still for long periods of time
- Try to reach 10,000 steps each day
Behavior changes
- Counseling or talking to a mental health professional
- Join support groups with others in a similar situation