In England in 2008, 66% of men and 57% of women had a BMI >25 kg/m²; within this 24% of men and 25% of women were obese with a BMI >30 kg/m². The relative risk of diabetes in overweight men is 2.40 and in obese men 6.74 compared with men with a BMI in the normal range. The respective relative risks in women are 3.92 and 12.41.There is a 40% increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease for every 5 kg/m² increase in BMI above 25 kg/m². While trying to tackle obesity may seem like very hard work for little gain, having a structured approach to dealing with overweight and obese patients will make it easier to broach the subject and enable evidence-based advice to be given that will be helpful to all patients.