Talking about weight
Medically reviewed · Updated July 2026 · VIVUS-supported resource.
Understanding your weight: where to begin?
About wheight
General obesity and overweight section. Answer your questions in one place.
BMI
Calculate your BMI with our BMI calculator.
Talk to a doctor
Doctor map of where to find a clinic.
Blog
Practical, evidence-based reads on weight, food, movement and everyday health.
Get your doctor discussion guide
A printable guide that helps you prepare what to say, what to ask and what to bring so your appointment works for you.
There is no judgement here, and no single “right” body.
Whatever brought you to this page,
you’re welcome.
DEFINITIONS
What is the difference between overweight and obesity?
Healthy Weight
BMI 18,5 – 24,9 kg/m2
Weight in a range associated with lower risk of weight-related health conditions.
Overweight
25-29,9
Excess body weight relative to height. May increase risk for some health conditions.
Obesity
35-39,9
A chronic, complex disease. Not a personal failing. Medical support is beneficial.

Understanding Obesity
Obesity is a chronic disease — not a choice.
For decades, weight was framed as a matter of personal discipline. Emerging science tells a different story. Obesity involves disruptions to hormonal signalling, genetic predispositions, neurological regulation of appetite, and environmental factors that are largely outside individual control.
Recognising obesity as a medical condition — not a moral one — is the first step toward effective, compassionate care.
Common Questions
Answers you can trust
It is genuinely a medical condition. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), obesity is a chronic complex disease defined by excessive adiposity that impairs health. When this system becomes dysregulated, the body actively defends a higher weight, which is one reason “just eat less” so rarely works on its own.2
This matters because it changes the question from “What’s wrong with me?” to “What is happening in my body, and what support exists?” Understanding the biology is the first step away from blame.
Carrying excess body fat especially around the abdomen gradually adds strain to the heart, blood vessels and metabolism. Over time this raises the risk of conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep apnoea and joint problems.1,2
The encouraging part: risk is not fixed. Even modest changes in fitness and waist size can meaningfully lower these risks, often before the number on the scale moves much at all.2
You are far from alone. Drawing on [Poland’s] National Health Programme data, excess body weight (a BMI above 25) is estimated to affect roughly [56% of Polish] adults, and abdominal obesity is especially common in women over 55.3
In other words, [more than half] the adults around you are somewhere on this same spectrum. It’s one of the most ordinary health topics there is — which is exactly why it deserves calm, factual information rather than shame.
Rererences
- European Parliament (n.d.). Obesity in the EU: An Ongoing Epidemic. Retrieved Feb 13, 2025, from https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2025/769510/EPRS_ATA(2025)769510_EN.pdf
- European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (25.09.2025). A Blueprint for Action to address Obesity in the European Union. Retrieved Feb 13, 2025, from https://www.efpia.eu/media/lubdy3n4/a-blueprint-for-action-to-address-obesity-in-the-european-union.pdf
- Stoś K, et al. Prevalence of Overweight, Obesity, and Abdominal Obesity in Polish Adults (2016–2020 National Health Programme). Nutrients. 2024;16(23):4248. doi:10.3390/nu16234248