Is 200 Pounds Obese? If So, What Can I Do About It?
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Introduction
Not everyone who weighs 200 pounds is obese, or even overweight. Someone well above average height who weighs 200 pounds will have a lower BMI that places them into the healthy weight range. However, according to the CDC’s definition of obesity, anyone with a BMI of 30.0 or higher is considered obese.
Put simply, if you weigh 200 pounds or more and you’re shorter than 5′ 9” (175cm), you fall into the obese category – at least according to the BMI metric.
However, BMI has its limitations. A shorter individual with a large amount of muscle mass and relatively low body fat will be considered overweight, or even obese, according to BMI. But this may not be the case.
Limitations of BMI
BMI is a very blunt tool. It’s a reasonably useful metric for the average person – which is why official health authorities rely on it – but it is by no means suitable for everyone.
Its obvious shortcoming is that not everyone with the same BMI will have the same percentage of body fat. For example, a 5’ 9” bodybuilder who weighs 200 pounds isn’t comparable to a 5’ 9” couch potato who weighs 200 pounds.
Of course, the analogy doesn’t even have to be this extreme. Even a moderately active individual who participates in regular resistance training will likely have above average muscle mass which makes BMI less reliable.
Such a person may very well be overweight, but they’re not necessarily obese.
So if BMI isn’t a reliable way of determining whether or not someone is obese or not, what should we use instead?
Waist to height ratio
An alternative to BMI is the metric known as height-to-waist ratio. It simply involves dividing waist circumference by height (W ÷ H).
A healthy height-to-waist ratio falls in the range of 0.4 – 0.49. Anything above 0.49 is considered overweight.
To calculate your height-to-waist ratio, you’ll first need to get a measurement for your height and waist circumference.
Height
1. Use a book – or any flat object, such as a box, book or ruler
2. Stand with your back against the wall and place the book on top of your head while keeping it against the wall.
3. Mark the point on the wall where the object meets the top of your head with a pencil.
4. Measure from the floor to the pencil marking.
5. Repeat at least twice to ensure you get an accurate measurement.
Waist circumference
1. Pull a measuring tape tight around your waist, just above the belly button.
2. After an out-breath, take the measurement.
3. Repeat at least twice to ensure you get an accurate measurement.
Calculate waist-to-height ratio
Once you have your height and waist measurement, simply divide your waist circumference by your height.
If you would prefer, you can use the calculator below.
*The following calculator is provided for informational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for medical advice from a qualified professional.
How to lose weight slowly but surely
If you find that you’re overweight at 200 pounds, you may decide to start a diet and exercise program of some description. But where do you start?
To lose weight, you’ll need to induce a calorie deficit. This simply means burning more calories than you eat.
This can be achieved by eating less, moving more or a mixture of both. Here, we’ll outline a few simple suggestions that aim for 2 pounds of weight loss a week (within the generally recommended healthy range of 1 – 2 pounds of weight loss per week) through a 50/50 split of diet and exercise.
Diet
Assuming you’re aiming to achieve 50% of your calorie deficit through diet, you would need to eat 500 calories less than your daily caloric needs. According to Britain’s National health service, this is around 2500 calories a day for a male and 2000 calories a day for a female.
Of course, not everyone is the same. A number of factors contribute to the daily caloric requirements of each individual. If you would like an estimate based on your specific needs, you can use the calculator below. But bear in mind that it will only provide you with an estimate.
*The following calculator is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice from a licensed healthcare professional.
You may decide to create your own meal plan based on your specific needs, but if not, there’s no shortage of plans already online.
Simply subtract 500 calories from whatever your daily calorie requirements are and that should give you a rough idea of how much you’ll need to eat to achieve a deficit of 500 calories.
You should be able to find a meal plan that comes close to whatever this number happens to be.
Youtube is a goldmine for such plans. The following videos, for example, outline simple 1500 calorie and 2000 calorie meal plans respectively.
1500 calories a day creates a deficit of 500 calories for the average female, while 2000 calories a day creates a deficit of 500 calories for the average male.
1500 calorie meal plan
2000 calorie meal plan
Exercise
To achieve the rest of the calorie deficit, there is no shortage of exercise options. And it doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Even brisk walking is a good exercise option.
What exercises you can and can’t perform will ultimately depend on your health and fitness levels as well as your familiarity with different types of workouts.
Below is a chart that shows the estimated amount of calories burned by different exercises for a 185-pound individual (source: Harvard Health).
Exercise | Duration (in Minutes) | Calories burned (approximate based on a 185-pound individual) |
Brisk walking | 30 | 189 |
Cycling:16-19 mph | 30 | 504 |
Swimming | 30 | 252 |
Running/jogging | 30 | 525 |
Aerobics | 30 | 420 |
Weight lifting (General) | 30 | 126 |
As you can see above, a 185 pound individual can expect to burn 189 calories from just 30 minutes of walking. A 200 pound individual will likely burn more than this.
So 60 – 80 minutes of brisk walking will burn around 500 calories.
If walking outside isn’t an option for whatever reason, treadmills can be picked up for less than $200. A cheap non-motorized treadmill is all that’s needed, so no need to break the bank.
If walking for over an hour a day sounds like a massive chore, you can start off small. For example, you could do just 20 minutes of walking a day and gradually increase it over time.
How to help the process along
Although 1-2 pounds of weight loss per week is generally recommended as a healthy, sustainable rate, faster rates of weight loss are possible and commonly achieved.
Two of the most popular ways to achieve this are through the use of supplements and meal replacement shakes.
Supplements
Over-the-counter weight loss supplements usually consist of a proprietary blend of plants containing compounds associated with weight loss, such as catechins, a compound found in green tea, and caffeine.
Their effectiveness varies, and new products are always popping up on the market. So info overload is a problem here.
To avoid disappointment, those interested in using a weight loss supplement should opt for a tried and tested product.
Meal replacement shakes
Meal replacement shakes are another popular option for fast weight loss and have been around for decades. Slimfast is probably the most well known brand of meal replacement shake, but there are many others on the market.
Typically, they involve replacing one or more meals with a shake or smoothie that can either come in a powdered form or come ready-made. They may contain ingredients that speed up metabolism, but mainly achieve weight loss effect through calorie reduction, which is easier to achieve with meals in a liquid form.
An alternative to buying meal replacement shakes is to make them yourself from scratch. Smoothies often taste much nicer than pre-made shakes, so it’s well worth exploring this option.
However, it might involve a lot of trial and error to get it right. Alternatively, you can follow a tried and tested smoothie diet plan.
How to keep the weight off
Unfortunately, most people who lose weight put most or all of it back on. According to some estimates, 80-95% of dieters pile the pounds back on that they worked so hard to lose.
But this isn’t inevitable. A few simple lifestyle adjustments can help you avoid joining the ranks of the unprepared majority.
Keep well hydrated
Not only will water make you feel full, it can also help burn fat. So make sure to get enough water, which, according to the U.S Academies of Sciences, is around 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) for men and around 115 (2.7 liters) a day for women.
Eat satiating foods
Some foods are better at making you feel full, even when you consume relatively few calories. According to Sciencedirect.com, foods high in protein, for example, tend to be more satiating than high carb foods.
The following article gives a list of highly satiating foods you might want to add to your diet.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/15-incredibly-filling-foods
Cut down on or eliminate refined sugar from your diet
Standard modern diets are loaded with refined sugar. Not only is high sugar consumption associated with an increase in type 2 diabetes, but it can contribute to weight gain by interfering with the hormone that regulates hunger.
So you might want to consider reducing or even eliminating refined sugar consumption.
Make regular exercise a permanent part of your life
Sedentary lifestyles have long been associated with obesity. So to prevent piling the pounds back on, try to do at least 150 – 300 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity, as recommended by the American College of Cardiology.
Weigh yourself weekly
To stop yourself from falling off track, it’s a good idea to weigh yourself at least weekly. This way you’ll be able to notice any undesired weight gain and adjust your lifestyle accordingly.
Conclusion
So is 200 pounds obese?
The taller you are, the less likely you are to be overweight at 200 pounds, according to both body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-height ratio (WTHR).
If you are overweight, creating a calorie deficit of 1000 calories a day will help you achieve around 2 pounds of weight loss a week. Faster rates of weight loss are possible, but a rate of 1-2 pounds a week is generally recommended.
For those looking to help the process along, and perhaps achieve a faster rate of weight loss, supplements and meal replacement shakes (or smoothies) are popular options.
To keep the weight off and avoid becoming one of the estimated 80-95% of dieters who put some or all of the weight back on, there are a number of steps you can take. Permanent changes to your diet, such as reducing or eliminating sugar consumption, and cultivating an exercise habit should help you keep the weight off.
References
https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/english_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.html
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/216507991406200608
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/losing-weight-too-fast
https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/food-and-diet/what-should-my-daily-intake-of-calories-be
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17557985/
https://health.clevelandclinic..org/why-people-diet-lose-weight-and-gain-it-all-back/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322296
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0268005X1630340X