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Watch Your Weight

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The Basics

To stay at a healthy weight, you need to balance the calories you eat with the calories you use up (or burn). To lose weight, you need to use more calories than you eat. A healthy diet and physical activity can help you reach your goal.

How do I know if I'm eating the right number of calories?
Use this calculator to find out the number of calories your body needs each day. This is the number of calories you need to maintain your current weight.

How do I know if I'm overweight?
Finding out your body mass index (BMI) is the best way to learn if you are overweight or obese.

Enter your height and weight into this Body Mass Index (BMI) calculator External Links Disclaimer Logo to find out your BMI number and what it means for you.

What can losing weight do for me?
If you are overweight or obese, losing just 10 pounds may lower your risk of:

  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Heart disease
  • High blood pressure
  • Early death

Plus, eating healthy and being physically active can give you more energy throughout the day. Getting active and eating healthy foods can also help you:

  • Lower your blood pressure
  • Lower your blood sugar
  • Raise your "good" cholesterol
  • Lower your "bad" cholesterol
  • Prevent heart and blood flow problems that can lead to heart disease and nerve damage

Take Action!

Make a promise to eat well, move more, and get support from family and friends. If you need to lose weight, do it slowly over time. Try losing 1 to 2 pounds a week.

Remember: To lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than you burn.

Talk to a doctor.
If you or a loved one is planning to lose weight, talk to a doctor. Your doctor will explain your options, like joining a weight loss program. Here are some questions you might want to ask your doctor about losing weight.

Keep a weight diary.
Write down:

  • What you eat
  • When you eat
  • How much you eat
  • Your physical activity
  • Your weight

Use this weight–loss log [PDF – 2.3 KB] or make your own. When you know your habits, it's easier to make changes.

Make healthy eating easy.
Choose low–fat or non–fat versions of your favorite foods. Try this menu planner to make eating healthy easier.

Get active.
Keep physically active to balance the calories you take in with the calories you use.

  • Aim for 2 hours and 30 minutes of activity a week.
  • Try to be active for 30 minutes 5 times a week.
  • If you don't have time for 30 minutes of exercise, get moving for shorter 10–minute periods throughout the day. Walking for 10 minutes burns about 50 calories.
  • Use this exercise calculator External Links Disclaimer Logo to find out how many calories your activity will burn.
  • Check out these tips for being active for every size body.

Eat smaller portions.
Eating healthy food is important. But you also need to pay attention to how much food you eat. Take this Portion Distortion Quiz to test your knowledge.

Here are some tips:

  • Eat small, healthy snacks during the day. This will keep you from over–eating at mealtimes.
  • Put a small amount of food in a bowl instead of eating out of the bag or package.
  • Serve food on plates and leave the main dish on the stove. You will be less tempted to go back for seconds.
  • If you are eating out, only eat half of your meal. Take the other half home with you.
  • Read the label to find out how many servings are in a package. There may be more than one!
  • Eat slowly – this will give you time to feel full.
  • Don't eat in front of the TV. It's harder to keep track of how much you are eating.


Learn how losing weight can help lower your risk of heart disease; overweight and obesity; and some cancers such as colorectal cancer.

What do you want to do today?

  • Look at the nutrition label on your favorite cereal box. Compare the serving size listed to what you usually eat.
  • Try one of these External Links Disclaimer Logo family–friendly healthy recipes.
  • Print out this weight–loss log [PDF – 3 KB] to keep track of how much you eat.
  • Watch this video External Links Disclaimer Logo for healthy eating tips.
  • Find out the number of calories you need to eat each day.
  • Get active. Take a 20 minute walk around your neighborhood. You will burn about 100 calories.
  • Send an e–card to encourage a friend or family member to stay healthy.
  • Find a local farmers market to buy fruits and vegetables.


  • Note:  Documents in PDF format require the Adobe Acrobat ReaderĀ®.
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    National Health Information Center

    P.O. Box 1133, Washington, DC 20013-1133
    healthfinder@nhic.org