Sometimes, "obesity" and "overweight" are tossed around as if they were interchangeable words. In fact, obesity refers to excess body fat. You're overweight if you're heavier than you need to be. Obesity has become a widespread problem in the United States. In 2000, no state had an obesity rate of 30 percent. In comparison, nine states had reached or passed that mark by 2009. Avoiding obesity reduces your risk of heart attack, diabetes and other health problems. If you're on a weight-loss journey, track your percentage of pounds lost to see your progress.
Step 1
Step on a scale and make note of your weight before you begin to lose pounds.
Step 2
Weigh yourself again at regular intervals after you begin to try to lose weight. After you've lost some pounds, calculate what percentage of your original weight you've shed.
Step 3
Subtract your new weight from your original weight to find out how many pounds you lost. Make a note of the result.
Step 4
Divide the result you got in Step 3 by your original weight. If you used to weigh 200 lbs., but you lost 15 lbs., divide 15 by 200. You get 0.075.
Step 5
Multiply the decimal number from Step 4 by 100. The result is the percentage of your original weight that you've lost. In the example, multiply 0.075 times 100. The percentage is 7.5 percent.
Things You'll Need
- Scale
- Pen
- Paper
- Calculator
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