Prevention for Obesity
Control Your Weight
Changing the way you approach weight loss can help you be more successful at weight management. Most people who are trying to lose weight focus on just the goal of weight loss. However, setting the right goals and focusing on lifestyle changes such as following a healthy eating plan, watching portion sizes, being physically active, and reducing sedentary time are much more effective.
Eat Right
To lose weight, it's important to make lifestyle changes with a focus on reducing calories from food and beverages, a healthy eating plan, and portion control. A healthy eating plan gives your body the nutrients it needs every day while staying within your daily calorie goal for weight loss. A healthy eating plan also will lower your risk for heart disease and other health conditions.
A healthy eating plan:
- Emphasizes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products
- Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts
- Limits saturated and trans fats, sodium, and added sugars
- Controls portion sizes
Calories
To lose weight, most people need to reduce the number of calories they get from food and beverages (energy IN) and increase their physical activity (energy OUT).
For a weight loss of 1–1 ½ pounds per week, daily intake should be reduced by 500 to 750 calories. In general:
- Eating plans that contain 1,200–1,500 calories each day will help most women lose weight safely
- Eating plans that contain 1,500–1,800 calories each day are suitable for men and for women who weigh more or who exercise regularly
Very low calorie diets of fewer than 800 calories per day should not be used unless you are being monitored by your doctor.
Be Physically Active
Being physically active and eating fewer calories will help you lose weight and keep the weight off over time.
While people vary quite a bit in the amount of physical activity they need for weight control, many can maintain their weight by doing 150 to 300 minutes (2 ½ to 5 hours) a week of moderate-intensity activity such as brisk walking.
People who want to lose a large amount of weight (more than 5 percent of their body weight)—and people who want to keep off the weight that they’ve lost—may need to be physically active for more than 300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week.
