It’s no secret that obesity affects people of every age and in every community across the United States. It’s easy to look at statistics and come to the conclusion that all it takes is a little willpower, and that just dieting and exercising consistently is the best and only way to lose weight.. However, it’s not quite that simple.
Our families tend to have the biggest influence on us, especially when it comes to our habits. That’s why parents tend to pass down obesity to their children—making obesity just as much of a family issue as an individual one. Even if someone within the family tries to lose weight, it can prove challenging if everyone else isn’t fully on-board.
With September being National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, the staff at Forum Health wants to spotlight this disease. In this blog, we’ll take a look at obesity and how it happens within families, how it impacts them, and how obesity treatment in Rochester Hills can help. Read on to learn more!
When Is Someone Considered Obese?
Obesity is a problem that affects nearly 20 percent of children and over 40 percent of all people across the United States. Just about everybody knows what obesity is at a base level—i.e. an abnormal or excessive amount of fat accumulated on the body. But at what point does a person cross the threshold from overweight to obese?
The most well-known metric used by medical professionals to determine your weight status is Body Mass Index—or BMI. The BMI calculation uses a person’s weight and height and gives it a numerical value, which then falls into one of the 4 categories shown below
| Underweight | Below 18.5 |
| Healthy Weight | Between 18.5 and 24.9 |
| Overweight | Between 25.0 and 29.9 |
| Obese | 30.0 and above |
*Note: you can calculate your BMI at home using this equation: (weight in pounds x 703) / (height in inches x height in inches).
Before you put too much consideration towards this metric, just know that BMI isn’t always an accurate measure for individual health. It’s just one tool that medical professionals use to determine whether or not a person is overweight.
For instance, some people increase their weight through muscle mass, which has more density than fat. Someone could be 5 feet 10 inches, weigh 180 pounds, and have a muscular build—but BMI will measure them as overweight.
That’s why at Forum Health, we use in-depth weight analysis to get a far more accurate picture of a person’s current situation. In addition to BMI, we calculate a person’s weight, body fat, muscle mass, and body water percentage. These calculations help us determine your true current weight status and whether obesity treatment in Rochester Hills, Michigan will be the right approach for your needs.
How Does Obesity Happen?
Most people who qualify as obese aren’t lazy or proud of it—they likely have tried on several occasions to control their weight. In fact, many patients we see for obesity treatment in Rochester Hills have tried to lose weight, but haven’t found a plan that sticks.
Obesity is a complex disease, and more goes into it than just poor eating and drinking habits or a lack of exercise. For many people, one of the largest contributing factors to obesity is the influence of those closest to them.
Family Factors
A child or adult’s family situation can play a huge factor in more ways than one. There’s a genetic component that goes into it, as your genes can impact your body’s fat distribution, the amount of fat it stores, and your ability to burn calories.
Families also have tremendous influence on one another. Obesity can run in families not just because of genetics, but due to the habits of the people around them.
If someone’s parents consistently practice eating habits and lifestyle choices that result in obesity, then their children likely will too. And because that way of life was considered normal growing up, those children have a higher likelihood of passing these problems down to their children. In many ways, obesity can be a generations-long cycle.
A family’s living situation and economic status can also have major influences on weight. Some families live in food deserts that have little access to healthy food options. Others have financial circumstances that make fast food and quick meals some of their only options. This can coincide with living in an unsafe area, which makes walking or exercising dangerous.
Other common factors that contribute to obesity include:
- Age
- Medications
- Stress
- Hormone imbalances
- Misinformation
Effects of Obesity on Children & Adults
Obesity can have devastating effects on both the bodies and minds of children and adults alike. The symptoms listed below can all significantly worsen without lifestyle changes—making it crucial to seek obesity treatment in Rochester Hills sooner rather than later.
Physical Complications
From a physical standpoint, obesity has the potential to debilitate every aspect of your health. Hypertension, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes are some of the most common issues. These complications tend to build up and worsen over time, which can cause a fatal health event such as heart attack or stroke. Heart disease and certain cancers can also develop as ongoing complications later in life.
Obesity can also lead to noticeable problems in your everyday life as well. Every time you walk, your body has to exert a certain amount of force that requires body weight to do so. The more weight a person carries, the harder their joints have to work to perform basic functions. Due to this, children and adults with obesity are more likely to suffer from joint problems—particularly in the knees and hips..
Children and adults may also experience problems with both sleeping and breathing due to obesity—possibly at the same time. Children with obesity are more likely to develop asthma, and people of all ages may experience sleep apnea—which is when your breath stops and starts repeatedly while asleep.
Emotional Problems
As we’ve mentioned, most people with weight problems are painfully aware of their issues. As much as we try to be happy in our own skin, it can be hard if you don’t like what you see in the mirror.
It doesn’t help when other people remind you of that fact. While adults aren’t immune to it, children especially can face bullying and teasing from weight issues—causing damage to their self-esteem.
This may lead to an increased risk of anxiety, depression, shame, and social isolation. Not only can this affect relationships, but it may also hurt a person’s ability to perform school or work tasks. This can have a spiraling effect. People feel anxious or depressed about one thing—which leads to problems in another area of life—and those problems then feed back into those previous emotional issues.
Family Obesity Treatment at Forum Health
Family has a major impact on the health and habits of one another. A common problem that families run into is that they want to exercise and eat healthier, but have trouble getting the whole family on-board.
The Forum Health Weight Loss Method and its trained professionals know the challenges families face. Some may deal with significant stress, while others may have busy work schedules. Budget constraints and lack of food accessibility may very well tie into these obstacles. Regardless of your family’s challenges or goals, our highly knowledgeable team can help build a custom plan that works for everyone in your family.
Our expertise makes us leaders throughout the area when it comes to obesity treatment. Offering clinics in Rochester Hills, Novi, Clarkston, Shelby, and West Bloomfield, we’ve helped our patients reach and maintain their health goals for over 18 years.
The key to our success lies in our physician-developed weight loss plans—which we tailor based on your measurements, current lifestyle, and long-term goals. Each of these plans offers medical supervision, nutritional guidance and support, and maintenance tips that ensure you and your family sustain your results.
National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
With September being National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, now is the perfect time to get the whole family involved and work toward your goals together. For one, losing weight becomes much more sustainable when you have people who hold each other accountable.
But, if you still need convincing, we offer a half-price initial consultation for people that schedule with their family at the same time—as well as 15% off treatment plans for you and your family member.
We understand the struggles and obstacles that our patients face when it comes to losing weight with family. Parents following a specialty diet may eat differently than the rest of the family. Tantrum-prone toddlers may refuse to eat at mealtimes while crossing their arms in disgust. Teenagers might stop at the drive-through on their way home from school and skip the family dinner.
While it can feel overwhelming, we’re here to support you and the people you love! With the guidance of our team and a willingness to be flexible, it’s possible to get your family on the same page with healthier habits.
Get the Whole Family Thin at Forum Health!
Forum Health is at the forefront of the latest weight loss advancements. If you and your family are searching for obesity treatment in Rochester Hills, Novi, Shelby, Clarkston, or West Bloomfield, our team can help!
We offer a dedicated staff of medical professionals who care about your health and wellness, and will work tirelessly to assist you in finding long-term solutions. We are highly trained, highly experienced, and we want to help you! Reach out to us today and our team will happily go over all of your options, and answer any questions regarding your health and potential treatments.
Contact us to schedule an appointment or let us know more about your concerns using our virtual consultation tool!
