During pregnancy your body is changing in ways you may have never imagined it could change. One of these changes is an increase in your metabolic rate. During pregnancy, you and your growing baby are relying on the nutrients that you consume for health and energy.

To lose weight you need to eat less, so skipping meals or eating little or nothing for a day may seem like a good idea. But not eating intensifies your hunger, and regularly eating too little or skipping meals can slow your metabolism.

While you can hardly turn on the television or open a magazine without reading about the dangers of obesity, your body fat percentage -- the amount of your weight that comes from fat vs. lean mass -- is actually a better look at your disease risk.

Defining "normal" in a man's height and weight is not easy; age, body composition and physical type all affect what's normal. "Normal" can sometimes mean "average,"

Body mass index measures if you have a healthy level of fatness using an equation that involves the relationship of your height to your weight. Although body mass index, or BMI, is a good measure for much of the population, it's not infallible.

When you go for a checkup, your doctor may measure your height and weight to determine your BMI -- or body mass index. This gives him an idea of your body's level of fatness and whether you're at a healthy size.

The more lean body mass you have, the higher your metabolism is likely to be. Having a healthy percentage of lean body mass may make you less likely to become sick or to develop health problems such as heart disease or diabetes.

Losing extra pounds is important to decreasing risk for disease, such as cancer, gallbladder disease and coronary heart disease, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. If you need to lose weight quickly and can’t exercise, it’s possible with healthy lifestyle changes.

Adolescent obesity poses a public health risk and, as of 2012, more than 20 percent of teenagers were obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, some teenage girls may suffer from body image problems and believe they are overweight, even if they're not.

Approximately one-third of Americans are obese, according to the "Journal of the American Medical Association." Many variables likely have contributed to the rise of obesity in the United States, including the availability of fast foods, a lack of exercise and even food additives.

Ashley Graham's recent Instagram post sheds light on a very common aspect of women's bodies: cellulite.

The number of calories your body burns each day simply existing depends on myriad factors including body fat, muscle mass, gender, age, hormones and overall health. This number can be calculated and is called basal metabolic rate, or BMR.