According to the NationalInstitute of Health, in the United States, 35 percent of adults are obeseand 17 percent of children are affected by obesity. Obesitydescribes someone whose body weight, or more accurately body fat, is greaterthan what is considered healthy for a given height. Looking at body mass index (BMI)can help you estimate if youre at a healthy or unhealthy weight.
If you want to lose weight, then diet and exercise are key. Thefirst step is correcting your energy balance, or calories in versus caloriesout. Eating less and exercising more will result in weight loss. Exercise canbe as simple as walking 30 minutes a day, or may include a more intensetraining regimen.
Here are some beginner guidelines to keep in mind:
Keep reading to learn more about healthy diet and weightloss tools.
While some diets that promise fast weight loss may soundpromising, they are often unhealthy and involve strict rules that are hard tofollow. Some popular fad diets to avoid include the cabbage diet, thegrapefruit diet,and the MasterCleanse diet. Losing weight too quickly (more than three pounds a week) canalso increase your risk for gallstones.
But how can you tell the difference between a fad diet and asafe one? Signs of a fad diet include:
Following a diet with these guidelines can result in weightcycling, also known as yo-yo dieting. Repeatedly losing and gaining weight canactually increase your risk for cardiovascular diseases,even if youre not overweight.
A safe diet will focus on realistic expectations and balance.A safe diet will talk about portion size, eating more vegetables and other highvolume foods to feel full, and adding exerciseto your daily routine.
A few examples of healthy diets are:
Its also important to include foods that you enjoy eating -thats the secret to sticking with a diet.
Luckily, we live in an age where helpful hints for weightloss are all around us. Its important to remember that a healthy diet andexercise program are lifelong changes. Some steps you can take to incorporate ahealthy lifestyle include:
Various medications are only effective when paired with ahealthy diet and exercise. Make sure to contact your doctor to see if these areright for you.
While you can use your BMI to provide a general idea ofwhether youre over or underweight, relying on this measurement is not accuratefor specific groups of people. Athletes, for example, may be consideredoverweight by their BMI classification, but their weight is not due to fat.Therefore, theyre at a healthy weight. Other groups, such as older adults, mayhave a normal BMI, but still be considered overweight because theyve lost leanbody mass and fat makes up most of their weight. Calculating body fat requirescalipers or equipment for accuracy, but you can get an idea using this calculator.
Burning fewer calories than you eat is the most basicexplanation for weight gain. Its important to make sure that you are watchingboth your calorie intake as well as your dedication to burning off thosecalories. Not exercising regularly can also affect weight management.
Other factors of weight gain include:
Age: As we getolder, our metabolisms slow down and we burn calories at a slower rate.
Genes: Your genesand family history also play an important role in weight gain. Youre alsolikely to develop the same eating habits as your family.
Medical conditions:Pre-existing health conditions, such as an underactivethyroid, also make it harder to keep your weight down.
Lifestyle factors: Lackof sleep, certain medications, smoking, and stress contribute to weight gain.
The most common complications that develop due to obesityinclude:
Obesity also increases your risk for:
The good news is that starting a healthy journey towards aweight loss can start any day. The best way to ensure a safe weight lossjourney is to stay as informed about the process.
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Safe Diets and Healthful Weight Loss - healthline.com
