People trying to lose weight have plenty of company. The words obesity and overweight are generally used interchangeably. However, their technical meanings are not identical. Overweight refers to an excess of body weight that includes all tissues, such as fat, bone and muscle. Obesity refers specifically to an excess of body fat. It is possible to be overweight without being obese, as in the case of a body builder who has a substantial amount of muscle mass. It is possible to be obese without being overweight, as in the case of a very sedentary person who is within the desirable weight range but who nevertheless has an excess of body fat.



However, most overweight people are also obese and vice versa. Men with more than 25 percent and women with more than 30 percent body fat are considered to be obese and should lose weight. Many people who diet fail to lose weight or, if they do lose weight, fail to maintain the lower weight over a period of time. Obesity is a complex, multifactorial disease of appetite regulation and energy metabolism. Because many factors affect how much or how little food a person eats and how that food is metabolized, or processed, by the body, to lose weight is not simple. For example, recent studies suggest a role for genetic makeup in obesity. Many people persist in seeking to lose weight. Lured by fad diets or pills that promise a quick and easy path to thinness, they end up disappointed when they regain lost weight. We provide access to free information to Lose Weight.