The Basics: Overview
To stay at a healthy weight, balance the calories you eat and drink with the calories you burn (use up). Calories are a measure of the energy in the foods you eat. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you eat.
A healthy diet and physical activity can help you control your weight. You burn more calories when you are physically active.
How do I know if I’m at a healthy weight?
Finding out your Body Mass Index (BMI) is an easy way to learn if you are at a healthy weight. Use this Body Mass Index (BMI) calculator to find out your BMI and what it means for you.
- If you are overweight and have heart disease risk factors like high blood pressure or high cholesterol, or if you are obese, try to lose weight. You can lose weight by eating fewer calories and getting more physical activity.
- If you are at a healthy weight, or if you are overweight but don’t have any heart disease risk factors, keep getting regular physical activity and eating the right number of calories to stay at the same weight.
- If you think you might be underweight, talk to your doctor or nurse about how to gain weight in a healthy way.
How do I know if I’m eating the right number of calories?
Use the MyPlate Daily Checklist calculator to get an idea of how many calories you need to maintain your current weight.
- If your weight stays the same for several months, you are eating the right number of calories to maintain your weight.
- To lose weight, try cutting back by 500 to 750 calories each day.
The Basics: Health Benefits
What can losing weight do for me?
Being overweight or obese can raise your risk for serious health conditions like:
- Type 2 diabetes
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
Losing weight can:
- Lower your blood pressure
- Lower your blood sugar
- Raise your HDL (good) cholesterol
- Lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol
You may start to see these health benefits by losing just 5 to 10 percent of your body weight. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, this would mean losing 10 to 20 pounds.
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