How does weight affect your breathing rate?

Answer 1

Being overweight increases the mass of tissue that has to be moved by the inhaled air as the diaphragm pulls down. This can make it harder to breathe and at the same time limits the volume of air that enters. So one must breathe faster to get the same amount of oxygen, even as the greater mass of the body requires even more oxygen. So generally, breathing rate goes up with additional weight.