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You do not have to stop eating chocolate cake or
start running marathons to improve your health.
Making small but steady changes in your eating and
physical activity habits—over time—may
help you lose weight if you need to, feel better,
and improve your health. The information below can
help you start to change your physical activity and
eating habits. When you make changes to improve
your health, you may also move your friends and
family to do the same.
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What if I think I look
fine?
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Even if you are overweight
according to charts and measures, you may like the
size and shape of your body and not want to lose
weight. Your friends and family may think you look
great too.
But the health benefits of getting
fit and eating well are clear. Once you decide to
lose weight, your loved ones may want to join you
on your journey to better health.
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Am I risking my health by
being overweight?
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Being overweight can be dangerous to your
health. If you are overweight or obese, you are
more likely to develop:
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type 2 diabetes
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high blood pressure
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heart disease
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certain forms of cancer
You can help lower your risk for many health
problems by losing weight. Losing 5 to 10 percent
of your body weight can help improve your health.
For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, losing 10 to
20 pounds may help lower your blood pressure and
cholesterol level. Slow and steady weight loss of
1/2 to 2 pounds per week is the safest way to lose
weight.
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How do I start to lose
weight and improve my health?
If you are a man
and over age 40 or a woman and over age 50, or have
chronic health problems such as heart disease, high
blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, or obesity,
talk to your health care provider before starting a
vigorous physical activity program.
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To start towards a healthy weight and improve
your health, try to:
Be More Physically
Active
Regular moderate-intensity physical activity can
be fun and help you feel great. When you share
physical activity with your friends and family, it
can also be a social event. Make it your goal to
try to do at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity
physical activity on most, or better yet, all days
of the week. You may need to be physically active
for more than 30 minutes a day to help you lose and
keep off extra weight.
What is
moderate-intensity activity?
Sometimes starting and sticking with a physical
activity program can be a challenge. Figuring out
how to beat your physical activity roadblocks may
make it easier for you to get and stay active.
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Beat your physical activity
roadblocks!
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| If you . .
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Then try . . . |
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Sharing physical activities
such as walking, biking, or playing tag
with your child each day.
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Do not have time or are too busy to
be physically active.
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Doing 10 minutes of
moderate-intensity physical activity three
times a day, or putting more energy than
normal into activities like housework, yard
work, and playing with the kids.
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Do not like or do not
want to exercise.
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Doing something you enjoy
like dancing to the radio, or planning
active outings with a friend, family
member, or group.
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safe being physically active in your
neighborhood. |
Forming a group of people to walk, jog,
or bike together, working out with videos
in your home, or walking in a shopping
mall.
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Tips for Active
Women
You can be active and still
keep your hairstyle. Talk to your hairstylist about
a hair care routine and style that fit your active
life. You might try wearing:
- A natural
hairstyle.
- A style that can be
wrapped or pulled back.
- A short haircut.
- Braids, twists, or
locs.
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Eat Healthier
When you begin to change your eating habits to
improve your health, try to:
Make Healthier Food
Choices
A healthy eating plan includes a variety of
foods from every food group.
In January 2005, the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture jointly released the 2005 Dietary
Guidelines for Americans. These new guidelines
outline recommendations to promote health and
reduce the risk of chronic disease through
nutritious eating and physical activity.
The new guidelines encourage Americans over 2
years of age to eat a variety of nutrient-dense
foods. Recommended items include fruits,
vegetables, fat-free or low-fat milk and milk
products, lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs,
nuts, and whole grains such as brown rice and
whole-wheat bread. The guidelines also recommend a
diet low in saturated fats, trans fats,
cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.
*For more information about recommended daily
intakes from various food groups, visit www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines.
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Eat Just Enough for
You
To lose weight,
learn to eat fewer calories. Do this by selecting
foods that are lower in fat and calories from each
food group.
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A healthy eating plan calls for making
healthy food choices and eating just enough for
you. Larger amounts of food have more calories.
Eating more calories than your body needs may lead
to weight gain.
Learning about the serving sizes of foods can
help you eat just enough for you. Try to
measure your food for a few days. This can help you
learn to recognize what one serving of a food, such
as 1/2 cup of rice, looks like on your plate.
To lose weight, learn to eat fewer
calories. Do this by selecting
foods that are lower in fat and calories from each
food group. For example, choose low-fat cheese and
extra lean meat. Also, choose plenty of vegetables.
They are lower in calories and fat than other foods
and can help you feel full.
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Lower Fat Versions of
Favorite Foods
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Instead of This
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Try This
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Fried chicken
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Baked, roasted, broiled,
grilled, or oven-fried chicken with the
skin removed.
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Ham hocks, salt pork, or
fatback to flavor vegetables
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Onions, garlic, low-sodium
chicken broth or bouillon, smoked turkey,
turkey bacon, or turkey ham. (These meats
are high in salt, so use just a little
bit.)
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Regular ground
beef
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Extra lean ground beef or lean ground
turkey breast.
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French fries
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Mashed potatoes made with
fat-free milk, a baked potato topped with a
vegetable or fruit salsa, or a salad.
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Sour cream
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Low-fat or fat-free sour cream or plain
yogurt, or low-fat cream cheese.
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Salt
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Spices, herbs, lemon, lime, or vinegar.
(Salt is not fattening, but it may
contribute to high blood pressure in some
people.)
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Do I need to drink
milk?
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A healthy eating plan includes a
variety of foods that provides all of the nutrients
the body needs. Milk is a good source of calcium.
If you cannot digest lactose (the sugar found in
milk), there are many ways you can get the calcium
that milk offers, without drinking regular
milk.
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Drink low-fat or fat-free
“lactose-reduced” milk, or
calcium-fortified soy-based beverages.
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Choose low-fat yogurt or reduced-fat hard
cheeses like low-fat cheddar.
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Eat dark leafy vegetables like collard
greens or kale.
- Eat canned fish with soft bones like
salmon.
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Remember, sensible eating and
physical activity habits, followed over time, are
key to a healthy body, mind, and spirit!
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The path to improving your eating
and physical activity habits is not easy. But do
not give up. Remember, sensible eating and physical
activity habits, followed over time, are key to a
healthy body, mind, and spirit!
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Weight-control Information Network
1 WIN Way
Bethesda, MD 20892-3665
Phone: (202) 828-1025
Toll-free number: 1-877-946-4627
FAX: (202) 828-1028
Email: WIN@info.niddk.nih.gov
The Weight-control Information
Network (WIN) is a national information service of
the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive
and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the National
Institutes of Health, which is the Federal
Government’s lead agency responsible for
biomedical research on nutrition and obesity.
Authorized by Congress (Public Law 103-43), WIN
provides the general public, health professionals,
the media, and Congress with up-to-date,
science-based health information on weight control,
obesity, physical activity, and related nutritional
issues.
Publications produced by WIN are
reviewed by both NIDDK scientists and outside
experts. This publication was also reviewed by
Shiriki Kumanyika, Ph.D., M.P.H., Professor of
Epidemiology and Associate Dean for Health
Promotion and Disease Prevention, University of
Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and Gladys Gary
Vaughn, Ph.D., National Program Leader, Cooperative
Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
This publication is not
copyrighted. WIN encourages users of this brochure
to duplicate and distribute as many copies as
desired.
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
NIH Publication No. 04-3494
August 2004
Revised July 2006
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