Your weight has been important since the moment you were born. Maybe you even know what your birth weight was. Most babies weigh less than 10 pounds and sometimes as little as 3 or 4 pounds. But very quickly, a young baby gains weight and everyone is glad about that because it means the child is growing bigger and stronger.

As you get older, your weight is still important. It's something your parents and doctor will probably keep an eye on. When you go for a checkup, the doctor often will record your height and weight and compare it with what it was the last time you came in. The doctor wants to check that you are a healthy weight because weighing too much — or too little — can be a problem. But these days, being overweight is more common than being underweight.

In the last 30 years, a growing number of kids and teenagers have developed weight problems. Today, 1 out of 3 kids and teens between the ages of 2 and 19 are overweight or obese, which is a word that means very overweight. Many grown-ups understand what it's like to have weight problems. Two out of every 3 adults are overweight or obese.


What Does It Mean?
When people talk about being overweight or obese, they mean that someone has more body fat than is healthy. Everyone has some body fat, but when someone has excess fat, it can affect the person's health and ability to walk, run, and get around. It also affects the way they look and may cause them to be bigger and rounder than other people.

Why Do People Become Overweight or Obese?
Most of the time, people have too much body fat because the body gets more calories (from foods and drinks) than it burns through physical activity, such as playing soccer or walking to school. Extra calories are stored as fat. The more extra calories a person consumes, the more fat is stored.

This happens very easily in modern life. People spend more time in front of TVs or computers and less time exercising. We drive everywhere instead of walking or riding bikes. Fewer schools offer gym classes; more kids play video games than active ones like dodgeball. Even grown-ups spend more time sitting at desks and in cars than they once did. People also lead busier lives so they have less time to cook healthy meals. We eat more restaurant meals and ready-made food from a box.

Weight problems also can run in families, but don't let that discourage you from making changes that could help you reach a healthy weight. Your habits — what kind of food you eat and how much you exercise — can make a big difference. The biggest problem for most people is not getting enough activity and exercise.