Experts are increasingly urging people to know their BMI, a figure that takes into account not just weight but also height to indicate body fat.

Healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Not all bodies are made to be thin. For some people, a healthy weight is higher or lower than the average weight listed on weight charts.

Midlife weight gain may put you at risk for serious health conditions, such as diabetes.

There is an epidemic of obesity in this country, health experts say. But what is obesity? How is it measured?

If you’re starving most of the time or can’t imagine staying on a particular diet past a perceived deadline, you’re on the wrong track.

We've all heard warnings, yet many of us keep gaining weight. More than half of American adults are overweight or obese, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Some diet advice is just plain wrong—and some can be dangerous to your health.

Using body mass index (BMI), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) puts the definition of overweight at 25 to 29.9 BMI. A BMI of 30 and above qualifies a person as obese. A person with a BMI of 30 is about 30 pounds overweight, the equivalent of 221 pounds for a person who is 6 feet tall, or 186 pounds for someone who is 5-foot-6.

Whether you're trying to lose excess pounds or maintain a healthy weight, eating out in restaurants can sabotage your goals.

At any given time, millions of people in the U.S. are trying to lose weight. They spend billions of dollars each year on weight-loss products and services. Learn more about diets and weight loss by taking this quiz.

You're as likely to keep children from eating fast food as you are to get them to stop playing computer games. Fast food is part of Americans' lifestyle.

Whether you’re trying to maintain a healthy weight or improve your health, junk food can sabotage a worthy effort.

Your diet needs Fats for energy, Proteins for body strength and Carbs for making your organs function efficiently. Strive for this balance.

When you think of fat, you probably think of greasy things like salad dressing and butter. But there's fat in almost all foods.

So, you watch what you eat -- but do you really pay attention?

Change your approach from a negative one—what can’t I eat—to a positive one—what can I eat—to make my diet more healthy.

Even with some basic knowledge about how to accomplish weight-loss goals, 66 percent of us are still overweight.

Research clearly shows that most diets don’t work. Even those of us who lose weight on a diet generally regain most or all of the weight within a couple of years.

Moderately intense activities, such as walking briskly from your parked car to the mall entrance and taking your dog for a quick jog after dinner, can help you achieve and maintain a healthful weight and improve your overall fitness level.

You can't walk across a room without huffing and puffing. Your arms get tired unpacking a bag of groceries. You're carrying more and more excess body weight. And you can't remember the last time you got any real exercise.

You know it's important to stay active but still find yourself falling back on old habits. What can you do? Planning for exercise isn't hard if you make it a priority.

One reason for passing up regular exercise may be that plenty of misconceptions about getting fit still exist.

If you've tried a dozen diets but the pounds always sneak back, you may be able to lose them for good by making strength-training an integral part of your weight-loss program.

Reaching for your toes instead of the remote is one key to better health.

Walking is easy because you can do it almost anywhere and at any time. It also offers a range of health benefits.

Out of the millions Americans who are overweight and go on a diet each year, many regain all or a part of the weight they lose within five years.

Experts say the long-term success at weight loss requires a balance between diet and physical activity.

Most people consider losing weight a difficult proposition. Few folks have the time or interest to count calories or fat grams. Others have no patience for restrictive diets or complex dietary regimens.

Research shows that if you are overweight or obese, a little weight loss goes a long way toward reducing your risk for disease and protecting your health.

America has a weight problem. More than half of us are classified as overweight, say officials at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

True or false? Most overweight people got that way because they're self-indulgent weaklings without the will power to say no to super-sized french fries and fudge-slathered ice cream.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common type of heart disease. It is the leading cause of death in the United States in both men and women. Determine your risk for developing CAD using this assessment tool.

More than 14 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes and almost seven million more have diabetes but don't realize it, according to the CDC. Yet diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

A Swedish study, over 29 years, finds 33 percent more cases of cancer among obese people than in the general population.

High blood cholesterol is one of the major risk factors for heart attack, the leading cause of death in America.

Diabetes occurs when there are high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood. All three types of diabetes involve problems with insulin, a hormone that removes glucose from the blood and allows it to enter the body's cells. (The cells use it for energy.) If your body is unable to make or use insulin properly, you have a high blood glucose level.

Your risk of heart disease increases if you're more than 30 percent overweight. Obesity raises cholesterol, blood pressure, and can lead to diabetes, another risk factor for heart disease. You can reduce your risk for heart disease by losing as few as 10 pounds if you are overweight.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is the most common chronic adult illness in the United States. There is no cure for high blood pressure, but it can be controlled.

The American Diabetes Association estimates at least 20.1 million people in the United States have pre-diabetes. Pre-diabetes means having a blood sugar level that is higher than normal, but not yet persistently high enough to be considered type 2 diabetes. By taking steps to control your blood sugar, you can delay or prevent type 2 diabetes from developing.