Obesity

Obesity can affect your physical health, mental health and quality of life. At Atrium Health Floyd and Harbin Clinic, our bariatric and weight management experts customize treatment plans that meet your unique needs. We partner with you to help you safely achieve and maintain a healthier weight.

What is obesity?

Obesity is a chronic disease that occurs when you have more body fat than what is healthy for your height. This serious medical condition puts you at risk for other life-threatening conditions like heart disease and stroke.

Causes of obesity

Obesity occurs over time when you eat more calories than your body can use. How many calories a person needs, and how much they use, is different for everyone.

Health conditions, medications, behaviors or lifestyles – or a combination of these things – can lead to obesity. Some people have gene changes that make them more prone to obesity.

Obesity symptoms

While obesity is a disease, it doesn’t directly cause symptoms. But it can increase your risk of other conditions, like heart disease and sleep apnea, that do cause symptoms.

Types of obesity

Health care providers use a body mass index (BMI) formula to place obesity into certain classes or types. Your BMI is an estimate of body fat based on your height and weight. This information helps your provider develop the most effective treatment plan to help you lose weight.

Obesity classes include:

• Overweight (not obese): BMI between 25 and 29.9
• Class 1 (low-risk) obesity: BMI between 30 and 34.9
• Class 2 (moderate-risk) obesity: BMI between 35 and 39.9
• Class 3 (high-risk) obesity: BMI equal to or greater than 40

Obesity diagnosis

Health care providers use BMI and other measures to diagnose obesity. BMI can be a helpful screening tool to determine whether you’re at a healthy weight. But people come in all body shapes and sizes, so your provider will also consider other factors.

Your provider may measure the distance around your waist (circumference). Having a large amount of abdominal (visceral) fat stored around your waist increases your risk of other conditions like diabetes and heart disease.

An unhealthy waist circumference is greater than:

• 35 inches (89 centimeters) for people assigned female at birth
• 40 inches (102 centimeters) for people assigned male at birth

Obesity risk factors

Obesity can affect anyone. Factors that can increase your risk of obesity include:

• Eating habits, such as a diet high in processed foods, sugar and saturated fats
• Environmental factors, such as lack of access to healthy foods, parks and safe sidewalks
• Genetic makeup and family history of obesity
• Health conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), anxiety and depression
• Inactivity or sedentary lifestyle
• Lack of quality sleep
• Medications that cause weight gain
• Physical disabilities or developmental delays
• Stress

Complications of obesity

Certain health conditions are more likely to occur with obesity. These conditions, called comorbidities, can negatively affect your quality of life and how long you live. Common complications or comorbidities of obesity include: 

• Arthritis, including osteoarthritis
• Cancer
• Coronary heart disease
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Gallstones
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• High cholesterol
• Infertility
• Sleep apnea
• Stroke
• Urine leakage when you put pressure on your bladder (stress urinary incontinence)

Obesity prevention

Certain actions and lifestyle habits may help lower your risk of obesity. These include:

• Eating more fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains, while limiting high-fat, sugary and processed foods
• Finding healthy ways to cope with stress
• Getting regular physical activity, including strength-training exercises
• Improving your sleep habits
• Seeking medical care for both physical and mental health conditions

Obesity treatments

In some cases, if lifestyle changes do not lead to enough weight loss to improve your health, doctors may recommend additional treatment, including weight-loss medication. You may also be a candidate for bariatric surgery, which can help you safely lose weight. Combined with lifestyle and diet changes, treating obesity with weight loss surgery also improves health conditions related to obesity.

We offer several types of minimally invasive weight loss surgery. All of them make your stomach smaller, helping you to feel full longer with less food. Your provider will discuss the best weight loss surgery for you and tailor your treatment and recovery plan to your needs.

Bariatric surgery options include:

• Gastric bypass surgery (also called Roux-en-Y surgery), which reduces the size of your stomach pouch and shortens your small intestine. This changes how food moves through your digestive system.
• Lap band surgery, in which a surgeon places a silicone band around your stomach. The stomach then holds less food, and digestion slows down.
• Sleeve gastrectomy surgery, which removes a section of your stomach. What's left is a narrow sleeve that holds less food and releases fewer hunger hormones.