A

Adipose tissue

Body tissue that stores energy as fat and participates in hormonal and inflammatory signaling.

Anti-obesity medication

A prescription or approved over-the-counter therapy used to support weight management in eligible patients.

B

Basal metabolic rate

The energy used by the body at rest to maintain essential functions.

Bariatric surgery

Metabolic operations such as sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass used to treat severe obesity.

Body composition

The relative amount of fat mass, lean mass, bone and water in the body.

Body mass index (BMI)

Weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared; a screening measure that does not directly measure body fat.

C

Calorie deficit

A state in which energy intake is lower than energy expenditure over time.

Central obesity

Excess fat around the abdomen, often assessed using waist circumference.

Comorbidity

A health condition occurring with another condition; examples linked with obesity include hypertension and sleep apnea.

E

Emotional eating

Eating influenced by emotions rather than physical hunger alone.

Energy balance

The relationship between calories consumed and energy used.

F

Food noise

An informal term for frequent, intrusive thoughts about food, eating or cravings.

G

GLP-1 receptor agonist

A medication class that activates the GLP-1 receptor and can affect glucose, appetite, satiety and digestion.

GIP

Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, an incretin hormone and medication target.

I

Insulin resistance

Reduced responsiveness to insulin, often associated with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes and central obesity.

L

Lean body mass

Body mass excluding fat; it includes muscle, organs, bone and body water.

M

Maintenance therapy

The long-term phase intended to preserve weight and health improvements after initial loss.

Metabolic adaptation

Physiological changes in energy expenditure and appetite that may resist continued loss or favor regain.

Metabolic syndrome

A cluster of abdominal obesity, abnormal glucose, blood pressure and lipid findings that increases cardiometabolic risk.

O

Obesity

A chronic, relapsing disease involving excess or dysfunctional adiposity that can impair health.

P

Plateau

A period when body weight changes little despite continued efforts or treatment.

R

Resistance training

Exercise in which muscles work against load; important for strength and lean-mass preservation.

S

Satiety

The feeling of fullness that persists after eating.

Subcutaneous injection

An injection delivered into fatty tissue beneath the skin.

T

Titration

Planned dose adjustment over time to balance effectiveness and tolerability.

V

Visceral fat

Fat stored around internal abdominal organs and associated with metabolic risk.

W

Waist circumference

A practical measure of abdominal size and central adiposity.

Weight cycling

Repeated loss and regain of body weight, sometimes called yo-yo dieting.