Complications of Being Overweight

Legacy Pain and Regenerative Medicine Blog Complications of Being Overweight
Complications of Being Overweight

Your body weight is one of the tools we use to assess overall health and risk of disease. Being overweight isn’t the same as being obese. However, being overweight may put you at risk of developing more serious health complications.

At Legacy Pain and Regenerative Medicine, Dr. Trace Alexander — who is both a chiropractor and a nurse practitioner — takes a holistic approach to care, focusing on your whole-body health. He sees firsthand the effects weight has on patients’ bodies and health. 

Here, we want to share with you some of the complications you may face being overweight and how we can help. 

Am I overweight?

Being overweight means your weight is higher than what’s thought of as healthy for your height. One-third of adults in the United States are overweight. 

We use a mathematical formula that compares your weight to your height to determine your body mass index (BMI). This number helps us determine if you’re overweight or not.

BMI chart:

Having a BMI that places you in the overweight category can be misleading. Some people have a higher-than-normal BMI because they have more muscle or bone mass. 

But in general, most people who are overweight carry extra body fat. This type of extra weight increases risk of health complications. In fact, being overweight is as risky to your health as being obese. 

Complications of being overweight

Being overweight affects your physical and emotional well-being. Carrying extra body weight physically stresses your body and joints, increasing your risk of developing osteoarthritis and other degenerative conditions that lead to chronic pain.

It also increases the workload on your heart, putting you at risk of developing high blood pressure or heart disease. Being overweight also means you’re at greater risk of getting other chronic health conditions such as:

There is also “weight bias” you may experience, causing feelings of shame, rejection, and guilt that might prevent you from getting the help you need. 

Taking charge of your weight

Your current weight might indicate you’re at risk of developing health complications, but you can change your weight and your health. Losing as little as 5% of your current weight may improve blood cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar numbers.

Dr. Alexander is certified in clinical nutrition and specializes in weight loss. He understands that no single diet or weight-loss plan works for all people. Taking a holistic, whole-body approach to your health and wellness, he creates an individual weight-loss plan that makes it easy for you to reach your weight goals.

For our weight-loss patients, we provide:

We may also suggest hormone replacement therapy (HRT). As you get older, your declining sex hormones may make it harder for you to maintain lean body mass and lose weight. HRT restores hormone balance, which may support your weight-loss goals. 

Being overweight affects your health. Losing weight can be hard. Let us help you reach your weight goals and improve your health. 

Make an appointment today by calling the office most convenient to you — in Plano or Addison, Texas — or clicking the “book online” button.

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