An overhaul of how obesity is diagnosed could be on the way. 

The Global Commission on Clinical Obesity has made recommendations that diagnosis is focused on measures of total body fat, not just BMI. 

The paper says current practices rely too heavily on body-mass indexes. 

Endocrinologist Rinki Murphy told Tim Beveridge it won't mean people can just diagnose obesity by standing in front of the mirror. 

She says it becomes unhealthy when fat goes into organs, and it's not able to be seen by the bare eye.  

The Global Commission on Clinical Obesity also recommends recognising two categories of obesity. 

Clinical obesity would be used for cases where excess body fat is negatively affecting body functions, while pre-obesity is where a patient has excess fat but it's not having consequences yet. 

Murphy says BMI will still need to be used for population data. 

She says it's required for monitoring, while the two categories can be used on an individual level. 

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