Fat vs. Overweight — What's the Difference?

Body fat acts as an energy reserve.

Overweight status may not accurately reflect health.

Fat insulates the body and protects organs.

Being overweight is measured by BMI.

Excess body fat can be harmful.

Overweight individuals may face societal stigma.

Dietary fats are essential for hormone production.

Overweight can result from muscle, bone, or fat.

Adipose tissue stores vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Managing overweight often involves diet and exercise.

In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food.The term often refers specifically to triglycerides (triple esters of glycerol), that are the main components of vegetable oils and of fatty tissue in animals; or, even more narrowly, to triglycerides that are solid or semisolid at room temperature, thus excluding oils. The term may also be used more broadly as a synonym of lipid—any substance of biological relevance, composed of carbon, hydrogen, or oxygen, that is insoluble in water but soluble in non-polar solvents.

Being overweight or fat is having more body fat than is optimally healthy. Being overweight is especially common where food supplies are plentiful and lifestyles are sedentary.

A natural oily substance occurring in animal bodies, especially when deposited as a layer under the skin or around certain organs

Weighing more than is normal, necessary, or allowed, especially having more body weight than is considered normal or healthy for one's age or build.

Any of a group of natural esters of glycerol and various fatty acids, which are solid at room temperature and are the main constituents of animal and vegetable fat

More weight than is normal, necessary, or allowed.

(of a person or animal) having a large amount of excess flesh

Greater weight or importance; preponderance.

Large in bulk or circumference

To weigh down too heavily; overload.

Make or become fat

To give too much emphasis, importance, or consideration to.

The ester of glycerol and one, two, or three fatty acids.

(of a person) Having a higher weight, especially body fat, than what is generally considered healthy for a given body type and height.

Any of various soft, solid, or semisolid organic compounds constituting the esters of glycerol and fatty acids and their associated organic groups.

Weighing more than what is allowed for safety or legal commerce.

A mixture of such compounds occurring widely in organic tissue, especially in the adipose tissue of animals and in the seeds, nuts, and fruits of plants.

Having a portfolio relatively heavily invested in.

Animal tissue containing such substances.

An excess of weight.

A solidified animal or vegetable oil.

The condition of being overweight.

Obesity; corpulence

(countable) An overweight person.

Unnecessary excess

A security or class of securities in which one has a heavy concentration.

Having much or too much fat or flesh; plump or obese.

(transitive) To weigh down: to put too heavy a burden on.

Full of fat or oil; greasy.

(transitive) To place excessive weight or emphasis on; to overestimate the importance of.

Abounding in desirable elements

Weight over and above what is required by law or custom.

Fertile or productive; rich

Superabundance of weight; preponderance.

Having an abundance or amplitude; well-stocked

Overweighing; excessive.

Yielding profit or plenty; lucrative or rewarding

Having a weight in excess of what is normal, proper, or expected; as, the doctor recommends dieting to all his overweight patients; overweight luggage will incur an extra charge.

Prosperous; wealthy

The property of excessive fatness

Thick; large

Usually describes a large person who is fat but has a large frame to carry it

Puffed up; swollen

To make or become fat; fatten.

Carrying more fat than usual on one's body; plump; not lean or thin.

Thick; large.

Bulbous; rotund.

Bountiful.

Oily; greasy; unctuous; rich said of food.

(obsolete) Exhibiting the qualities of a fat animal; coarse; heavy; gross; dull; stupid.

Fertile; productive.

Rich; producing a large income; desirable.

Abounding in riches; affluent; fortunate.

Of a character which enables the compositor to make large wages; said of matter containing blank, cuts, or many leads, etc.

(golf) Being a shot in which the ground is struck before the ball.

(theatre) Of a role: significant; major; meaty.

Alternative form of phat

(uncountable) A specialized animal tissue with high lipid content, used for long-term storage of energy: fat tissue.

Such tissue as food: the fatty portion of (or trimmings from) meat cuts.

That part of an organization deemed wasteful.

(slang) An erection.

(golf) A poorly played shot where the ball is struck by the top part of the club head. (see also thin, shank, toe)

The best or richest productions; the best part.

Work containing much blank, or its equivalent, and therefore profitable to the compositor.

A fat person.

A beef cattle fattened for sale.

(obsolete) A large tub or vessel for water, wine, or other liquids; a cistern.

(obsolete) A dry measure, generally equal to nine bushels.

To make fat; to fatten.

To become fat; to fatten.

To hit a golf ball with a fat shot.

A large tub, cistern, or vessel; a vat.

A measure of quantity, differing for different commodities.

An oily liquid or greasy substance making up the main bulk of the adipose tissue of animals, and widely distributed in the seeds of plants. See Adipose tissue, under Adipose.

The best or richest productions; the best part; as, to live on the fat of the land.

Work. containing much blank, or its equivalent, and, therefore, profitable to the compositor.

Abounding with fat

Exhibiting the qualities of a fat animal; coarse; heavy; gross; dull; stupid.

Fertile; productive; as, a fat soil; a fat pasture.

Rich; producing a large income; desirable; as, a fat benefice; a fat office; a fat job.

Abounding in riches; affluent; fortunate.

Of a character which enables the compositor to make large wages; - said of matter containing blank, cuts, or many leads, etc.; as, a fat take; a fat page.

To make fat; to fatten; to make plump and fleshy with abundant food; as, to fat fowls or sheep.

To grow fat, plump, and fleshy.

A soft greasy substance occurring in organic tissue and consisting of a mixture of lipids (mostly triglycerides);

A kind of body tissue containing stored fat that serves as a source of energy; adipose tissue also cushions and insulates vital organs;

Excess bodily weight;

Make fat or plump;

Having much flesh (especially fat);

Having a relatively large diameter;

Containing or composed of fat;

Lucrative;

Marked by great fruitfulness;

A chubby body;

The ratio of fat to total body mass.

No, certain fats, like unsaturated fats, are beneficial for health.

Obesity is a more severe form of overweight, with a BMI of 30 or above.

Through diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes.

Exceeding the healthy weight range for one's height, as measured by BMI.

It serves vital functions like energy storage, insulation, and hormone production.

Yes, if excess weight is due to muscle, not fat, and no health conditions are present.

No, BMI does not differentiate between types of mass (fat, muscle, bone).

Yes, a condition known as "skinny fat," where someone has a high body fat percentage but normal weight.

High body fat can slow metabolism, leading to weight gain and health issues.

Yes, especially in cases of high muscle mass.

Techniques like DEXA scans and bioelectrical impedance analysis are more accurate than BMI.

Genetics can influence body fat distribution, metabolism, and risk of being overweight.

Not necessarily; health also depends on fat distribution, fitness, and overall lifestyle.

Diet plays a crucial role, but exercise and lifestyle changes are also important.