Below is a table that shows the percentage of Americans that are overweight. The World Health Organization states that 300,000 Americans die prematurely every year due to obesity. Use this chart of multiply your weight in pounds by 705 and divide by the square of your height in inches. More recent studies have suggested that a person maintain a BMI between 18.5 and 25 for life. On average, those who had dieted did so 11 times.
Women tend to diet more but more men reached their target weights.
I can control my weight somewhat through exercise, but after 54 years with this body, I can clearly tell you it is what you eat that really makes the difference. As might be obvious obesity takes a greater toll on women due to the increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes. Additionally, a Nurses Health Study in 1997 found that women who had gained 44 pounds or more as adults had 2.5 times the chance of developing the most common forms of stroke. Such women who also had never used hormones also doubled their chance of breast cancer. And a Scandinavian study found that obesity was associated with a tenfold increased chance of diabetes.