It's important to remember that a healthy diet includes a variety of foods, and eliminating entire food groups, such as carbohydrates, can lead to deficiencies in vital nutrients. By limiting the variety of foods in your diet, you risk missing out on essential vitamins and minerals, and it may become difficult to sustain the diet in the long term.
To better understand your daily caloric intake, it is recommended that you keep a daily record of the foods and beverages you consume, including their calorie counts. Paying attention to portion sizes and checking nutrition facts labels for accurate serving sizes and calorie counts can also be helpful in achieving your health goals.
A healthy weight is vital for a healthy lifestyle. To gain a comprehensive understanding of this topic, it is highly recommended to visit the CDC website, which offers a plethora of information on healthy living.
CDC states that to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, it is crucial to focus on various elements such as healthy eating, physical activity, optimal sleep, and stress reduction. Additionally, other factors may also contribute to weight gain.
Healthy eating involves consuming a diverse range of nutritious foods. While fad diets may seem tempting with their promises of quick results, they often restrict essential nutrients, can be detrimental to health, and typically do not produce sustainable outcomes.
The amount of physical activity required depends on your weight management goals. Incorporating walking into your daily routine is an excellent way to increase physical activity levels.
Managing your weight not only benefits your health in the present but also has long-term advantages. In contrast, people who are overweight are at a higher risk of developing numerous severe diseases and health conditions compared to those with a healthy weight.
~~~~~~~~~~~~ Finding a Balance ~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Eating a balanced and nutritious diet is a proven and effective way to manage our weight and improve our overall well-being. Maintaining a healthy weight is essential for ensuring good health in the present and for preventing serious health conditions in the future. By contrast, individuals who are obese are at a higher risk of developing various severe health problems and diseases when compared to those who maintain a healthy weight. Therefore, adopting healthy eating habits is a crucial step towards leading a healthy and fulfilling life.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~ Counting Calories ~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Understanding your daily caloric needs is an important factor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. While constantly counting calories may not be necessary, it can be helpful to gain insight into how much energy your body requires on a daily basis.
One effective tool to accomplish this is My Plate Plan, which calculates your daily caloric requirements based on your age, sex, height, weight, and physical activity level. This tool also generates personalized recommendations for daily portions of fruits, vegetables, protein, dairy, and grains to ensure that you receive proper nutrition at your specific calorie level.
Here is the My Plate Plan Chart from the CDC. Once you find your age group, click on the calorie range you require, and it will provide you with the recommended amount of food to consume throughout the https://www.myplate.gov/myplate-plan
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It's important to remember that a healthy diet includes a variety of foods, and eliminating entire food groups, such as carbohydrates, can lead to deficiencies in vital nutrients. By limiting the variety of foods in your diet, you risk missing out on essential vitamins and minerals, and it may become difficult to sustain the diet in the long term.
To better understand your daily caloric intake, it is recommended that you keep a daily record of the foods and beverages you consume, including their calorie counts. Paying attention to portion sizes and checking nutrition facts labels for accurate serving sizes and calorie counts can also be helpful in achieving your health goals.
~~~~~~~~~~~~ Staying Active ~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Managing our weight is a crucial aspect of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and physical activity can play a significant role in achieving that goal. However, it's essential to keep in mind that the amount of physical activity needed varies depending on our age.
For preschool-aged children (ages 3 through 5 years) being physically active throughout the day is essential for their growth and development. Children and adolescents (ages 6 through 17 years) should participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity per day, which should include aerobic, muscle-strengthening, and bone-strengthening exercises to ensure their overall health.
Pregnant or postpartum women should engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, as recommended by their doctor. This can include brisk walking and should be spread throughout the week, with 30 minutes of exercise per day at least five times a week.
For adults, the recommended amount of physical activity is 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, which can be achieved by engaging in 30 minutes of exercise per day for five days a week. Alternatively, adults can choose 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity every week. Additionally, muscle-strengthening activities should be done at least two days a week to improve overall health.
For older adults (aged 65 and above) at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity like brisk walking per week, two days a week of activities that strengthen muscles, and activities to improve balance, such as standing on one foot, are recommended.
It's worth noting that being physically active alone is not enough to maintain a healthy weight. We must also watch our calorie intake and ensure that we are consuming proper nutrition to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~ Other Contributing Factors ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taking care of your body weight is essential for your overall well-being, and there are various ways to manage it. One of the most important methods is to ensure that you get enough sleep. However, there are several factors that can cause overweight and obesity, such as age, genetics, diseases, medications, and the environment.
As you grow older, your body composition changes, causing the proportion of muscle to decrease and the proportion of fat to increase. This change slows down your metabolism, which can lead to weight gain. In addition, aging often results in less physical activity, which further increases the risk of weight gain.
Although genetics can cause obesity in certain disorders such as Bardet-Biedl syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome, it's important to note that they don't always predict future health. In some cases, multiple genes may increase the susceptibility to obesity, but it doesn't occur without excess food or too little physical activity.
Certain illnesses like Cushing's disease and polycystic ovary syndrome may lead to obesity or weight gain. Similarly, some medications, such as steroids and antidepressants, can also cause weight gain. If you are struggling with weight gain, it's best to consult a doctor to determine whether an illness or medication is contributing to it or making weight loss difficult.
Environmental factors also play a significant role in weight management. A lack of sidewalks or bike lanes may prevent people from being physically active. Communities, homes, and workplaces can all influence people's health decisions. Therefore, it's crucial to create environments that encourage physical activity.
If you're looking to begin your weight loss journey, the CDC website offers a wealth of information and tips at CDC.gov.
By: Veronica Castro
Sources
“Healthy Weight, Nutrition, and Physical Activity.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 9 June 2023, www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/index.html.
“Balancing Food and Activity for Healthy Weight.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 28 June 2023, www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/calories/index.html.