Diagnosing Obesity is not a difficult task but it is important for the physician to determine what has caused the obesity in the given patient and what are the corrective measures for the same. The health history of the patient and the BMI measurement make the diagnosis clear. BMI additionally gives a measure of the stage of your obesity.

Measuring the waist circumference (fat stored around the waist) is another way to determine your risk of developing complications such as diabetes and heart disease. Women with a waist measurement of more than 35 inches and men with a waist measurement of more than 40 inches have more health risks as compared to people with smaller waist measurements.

In addition, the physician makes use of the following for determining the probable causes of obesity:

Complete blood count (CBC)

Cholesterol and triglyceride levels - complete lipid profile

Thyroid function tests

Liver function tests

Fasting and post prandial glucose - to rule out diabetes

ECG - Electrocardiogram to assess the cardiac functions and rule out coronary artery disease