Body Weight

What is body weight?

Body weight is the total mass of your body. Keeping track of your weight is one way to check for changes in your health, but it can't tell you the whole story. That's because your weight includes muscle, bone, fat, and water. Also, everyday factors can play a role in your weight, such as your:

• Diet
• Activity level
• Stress level
• Sleep habits
• Family history and genetics
• Age

A healthy weight is more than just a number on the scale. It's about feeling good, having energy, and lowering your risk of disease. Your health care provider can help you determine a healthy body weight based on several factors. These include your:

• Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is a measure of how much you weigh compared to how tall you are. The higher your BMI, the higher your risk for certain diseases. BMI does not distinguish between fat, muscle, and bone mass. It also may overestimate body fat in athletes or those with a muscular build, or underestimate body fat in older persons or others who have lost muscle.
• Waist circumference. If most of your body fat is around your abdomen (belly) rather than your hips, you may be at a higher risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
• Health history. Your health care provider will likely consider your risk factors for diseases and health conditions, such as having high cholesterol, in determining your healthy body weight.

Having a healthy body weight may lower your chance of developing certain health problems. Carrying too much or too little weight can affect your health. Ranges of body weight include:

• Underweight. Your weight is lower than it should be for your health.
• Normal. Your weight is within a healthy range.
• Overweight. Your weight is greater than it should be for your health.
• Obese. Your body fat is greater than it should be for your health.

Body weight needs can be different at different ages. For children, weight and growth are tracked over time based on their age. For older adults, keeping muscle and strength is key, and sudden weight loss should always be checked by your provider.

Talk to your provider if you're losing or gaining weight without trying. A sudden, unexpected change in weight can be a sign of a medical problem.

Causes for sudden weight loss can include:

• Thyroid problems
• Cancer
• Infectious diseases
• Digestive diseases
• Certain medicines

Causes for sudden weight gain can include:

• Certain medicines
• Thyroid problems
• Heart failure
• Kidney disease
• Liver disease

Maintaining a healthy body weight can improve energy, sleep, and overall wellbeing. Talk to your provider about what a healthy weight would be for you. If they recommend that you gain or lose weight, they might refer you to a dietician for support. A dietician is a professional who has special training to help you learn the best way to eat.

• Good nutrition and exercise can help in losing weight. Even a small change in weight can lower your risk of developing certain diseases.
• Eating extra calories within a well-balanced diet and treating any underlying medical problems can help you gain weight.

Focus on your health, not just the number on the scale. With daily healthy habits and self-compassion, you can support lasting improvements in your overall wellbeing.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Bowel Incontinence

Bowel incontinence is the inability to control your bowels. When you feel the urge to have a bowel movement, you may not be able to hold it until you get to a toilet. Millions of Americans have this problem. It affects people of all ages - children and adults. It is more common in women and older adults. It is not a normal part of aging.

Causes include:

• Constipation
• Damage to muscles or nerves of the anus and rectum
• Diarrhea
• Pelvic floor disorders

Treatments include changes in diet, medicines, bowel training, or surgery.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Bowel Movement

A bowel movement is the last stop in the movement of food through your digestive tract. Your stool passes out of your body through the rectum and anus. Another name for stool is feces. It is made of what is left after your digestive system (stomach, small intestine, and colon) absorbs nutrients and fluids from what you eat and drink.

Sometimes a bowel movement isn't normal. Diarrhea happens when stool passes through the large intestine too quickly. Constipation occurs when stool passes through the large intestine too slowly. Bowel incontinence is a problem controlling your bowel movements. Other abnormalities with bowel movements may be a sign of a digestive problem.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Child Nutrition

A healthy diet helps children grow and learn. It also helps prevent obesity and weight-related diseases, such as diabetes. To give your child a nutritious diet:

• Make half of what is on your child's plate fruits and vegetables
• Choose healthy sources of protein, such as lean meat, nuts, and eggs
• Serve whole-grain breads and cereals because they are high in fiber. Reduce refined grains.
• Broil, grill, or steam foods instead of frying them
• Limit fast food and junk food
• Offer water or milk instead of sugary fruit drinks and sodas

Learn about your children's nutrient requirements. Some of them, such as the requirements for iron and calcium, change as your child ages.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver. Scar tissue forms because of injury or long-term disease. Scar tissue cannot do what healthy liver tissue does - make protein, help fight infections, clean the blood, help digest food and store energy. Cirrhosis can lead to :

• Easy bruising or bleeding, or nosebleeds
• Swelling of the abdomen or legs
• Extra sensitivity to medicines
• High blood pressure in the vein entering the liver
• Enlarged veins called varices in the esophagus and stomach. Varices can bleed suddenly.
• Kidney failure
• Jaundice
• Severe itching
• Gallstones

A small number of people with cirrhosis get liver cancer.

Your doctor will diagnose cirrhosis with blood tests, imaging tests, or a biopsy.

Cirrhosis has many causes. In the United States, the most common causes are chronic alcoholism and hepatitis. Nothing will make the scar tissue disappear, but treating the cause can keep it from getting worse. If too much scar tissue forms, you may need to consider a liver transplant.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases