Carrying around too much weight feels uncomfortable, and it can also damage your health. According the Centers of Disease Control and PreventionTrusted Source (CDC), obesity rates have skyrocketed in the United States in recent years. As of 2010, more than one-third of American adults have obesity, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. Body mass is derived by dividing weight in pounds by height in inches squared, and then multiplying the result by 703 (weight (lb) / [height (in)] 2 x 703). You can calculate your body mass by following these three steps:

Multiply your weight in pounds by 703.Calculate your height in inches squared.Divide the resulting number from step 1 by the resulting number in step 3.

Obesity can lead to a number of serious health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and some types of cancer.

One method that can help a person lose weight is to limit the number of calories taken in through their diet. The other way is to burn extra calories with exercise.