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MARQUETTE -- Two-thirds of Americans are now officially categorized as being overweight or obese.  That's a little scary.  But a common misconception is that being overweight and obese are the same thing.  They aren't.

Here in the U.P., sadly, a third of us are now classified as obese.

Bariatric surgeon at M.G.H., Dr. Wayne English said, "This is the first generation of people where there will be a high likelihood that you will not outlive your parents.  That's what we need to try to change."

For some people, genetics play a large part.  But choosing not to exercise or eating unhealthy foods can push a person over the edge.

So what is the difference between being overweight and obese?  Doctors at Marquette General Hospital say the easiest way to define the difference between the two is by using the body mass index equation.  The body mass index, or B.M.I., is a ratio of your height to your weight.  For example, a six-foot tall man weighing 220 pounds would be obese, with a B.M.I of 30.  A six-foot tall man who weighs 200 pounds would have a B.M.I. of 27, making him overweight.

But if that same six-foot tall man weighed 180 pounds, his B.M.I. would be 24, and that's a healthy weight.

Kristen Ahlstrom used to have a B.M.I. of 29.

"I was so tired all the time," said Ahlstrom, "so it makes it easy to just eat.  You're tired, you eat.  Sleep deprived, you want a Hershey bar and a can of Coke, and after living like that for three years, that was just it."

She was concerned with her health, so last June she met with Dr. Erica Griffin, a bariatritian at Marquette General.

Dr. Griffin said, "In the past six months, she lost 54 pounds without the use of surgery, and her headaches have gone away, her cholesterol has normalized, and her B.M.I. is now in a normal range."

About losing the weight, Ahlstrom said, "It changes your life.  I was really on the cusp of being sick with; my blood sugar was high, my cholesterol was really high, and I was really shocked because I've always been so healthy.  So getting that right back down to where it should be is a huge improvement.  I'm really happy."

So how did she do it?  By completely changing her diet and walking with friends at the Harlow Park Cemetery in Marquette, three or four times a week.

But what about us as a society?  What should we be doing to address this epidemic?  First and foremost, we need to be better parents, we need to start early with our kids.

Dr. Griffin said, "That is where we need to focus a lot of our energy is on preventing childhood obesity so that we don't have this epidemic that is continuing to go on."

The good news?  By making a lifestyle change, researchers tell us we can add 9 to 15 years to our lives.  Not only that, but our lives, as Kristen Ahlstrom has found out, will be better.