Healthy Weight

Understanding the Energy EquationWhether you want to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, it’s important to understand the connection between the calories your body takes in (through the foods you eat and the beverages you drink) and the calories your body uses (through normal body functions, daily activities, and physical activity). Want to find out if you are at a healthy weight? Use our Body Mass Index (BMI) calculator. Getting the Most Nutrition out of Your CaloriesThere is a right number of calories for you to eat each day. This number depends on your age, activity level, and whether you are trying to gain, maintain, or lose weight. You could use up the entire amount on a few high-calorie foods, but chances are, you won’t get the full range of vitamins and nutrients your body needs to be healthy. Choose the most nutritionally rich foods you can from each food group each day – those packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients, but lower in calories. Pick foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products more often. For more information about food choices and appropriate calories, visit the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 and My Pyramid. gov. Finding Your Balance between Food and Physical ActivityBecoming a healthier you isn’t just about eating healthy – it’s also about physical activity. Regular physical activity is important for your overall health and fitness. It also helps you control body weight by increasing the calories you expend each day. Be physically active, at a moderate intensity for at least 30 minutes most
days of the week. Increasing the intensity or the amount of time that you are physically active can have even greater health benefits and may be needed to control body weight. About 60 minutes a day may be needed to prevent weight gain. Children and teenagers should be physically active 60 minutes every day, or most every day. Whether you want to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, it’s important to understand the connection between the calories your body takes in (through the foods you eat and the beverages you drink) and the calories your body uses (through normal body functions, daily activities, and physical activity).