1. The average adult weight worldwide is 62.0kg (136.7lb). The US average is 80.7kg (177.9lb).
2. In the UK, the average figures are 83.6kg (13.16 stone) for men, 70.2kg (11 stone) for women.
3. The word obesity was not seen in English until 1611 and obese was first used in 1651, so neither is to be found in the works of Shakespeare.
4. A person is considered obese if their BMI (body mass index) is greater than 30.
5. BMI is calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in metres.
6. The blue whale, which can weigh up to 190 tons, is the heaviest animal ever seen on Earth, but the nine-ton titanosaurus was the heaviest to walk on land.
7. The heaviest man recorded was Jon Brower Minnoch (USA, 1941-83) who weighed 635kg (100 stone). His peak BMI was 185.5.
8. Jon Brower Minnoch also holds the record for weight loss having shed 66 stone when he embarked on a diet.
9. The average human eats 35 tons of food in a lifetime.
10. 27 per cent of people in Britain are reported to be obese, the worst rate in Western Europe.