The vast majority of people find it almost impossible to lose substantial weight and keep it off. Medicine no longer sees this as a personal failing. In recent years, faced with reams of scientific evidence, the medical community has begun to stop blaming patients for not losing weight. Still, there's a lot at stake. The risk for about 200 diseases – including heart disease, diabetes and many types of cancer – rises with obesity. Even for COVID-19, carrying extra weight triples the likelihood of severe disease. And to add on, social, racial and economic inequities show why the nation's obesity epidemic is so challenging. Swipe to learn more, and click our link in bio to explore USA TODAY’s six-part series on “Rethinking Obesity” and shifting the perception on how we look at weight and health.