There are many indicators of health, and weight is just one of them. That said, weight loss is a popular goal for many people trying to improve their health.

There are several benefits associated with losing a few pounds through healthy methods, like better blood sugar control, healthier blood pressure and lower chronic disease risk. And even though you've probably heard that good nutrition and physical activity can lead to weight loss, it's easier said than done.

Your whole lifestyle plays a part in getting to and maintaining a healthy weight. Diet and exercise go hand in hand; you can't only depend on one without the other.

But they might be more valuable at different times in your weight loss journey. So what's the best formula to lose weight and keep it off? We took a look at the research and spoke with weight loss dietitian, Lainey Younkin, M. Weight loss is often thought of as "calories in, calories out", but it's not quite that simple.

How many calories you need in a day is influenced by many factors, including age, activity level, body composition, illness, injury and more. The amount of energy aka calories our body uses each day is also known as our metabolism.

Aside from the calories we burn during exercise, there are three ways our body burns calories:. The vast majority of our body's energy is spent on our basal metabolic rate. Losing weight can actually slow down our metabolism a bit think: a smaller body requires less energy to heat than a larger one.

That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean you might need to be a little more strategic when trying to lose weight. Let's break down your primary focus for weight loss and weight maintenance, and how they differ.

There are many ways to lose weight, but one of the most common methods is establishing a calorie deficit, meaning consuming fewer calories than your body burns per day. A calorie deficit is required for weight loss, but studies show it is easier to create and maintain a calorie deficit through changing your diet rather than exercising ," advises Younkin.

So, when you're first starting out, try to focus on what's on your plate rather than constantly hitting the gym. Lucky for you, we have a variety of weight-loss meal plans that please any palate.

However, going on a restrictive diet is not a way to lose weight for good. Instead of drastically cutting calories and dropping a bunch of weight quickly, you want to create a small calorie deficit that you can keep up with over time," shares Younkin.

This is how you can permanently move your set point—the weight range your body likes to stay in—down over time," says Younkin. Still, maintaining weight loss is notoriously challenging.

In fact, a study in BioPsychoSocial Medicine found that nearly 70 percent of people were unsuccessful in maintaining a 10 percent weight loss for two years. This might make it seem like the odds are stacked against you, but actually, weight maintenance can be successful with a change in focus from weight loss habits.

Research has found that exercise might be more important than diet when maintaining a weight loss. The number one thing that people have in common who have lost weight and kept it off is daily moderate to vigorous exercise.

In fact, a study in the journal Obesity found that people who lost an average of 58 pounds and kept it off exercised for around 40 minutes per day. Public Health Service Nutrition Advisor, Division of Prevention Science Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

Kara Beckman, PhD ORISE Nutrition Policy Fellow Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Dana DeSilva ORISE Health Policy Fellow Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by ODPHP or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

MyHealthfinder Health Conditions Diabetes Watch Your Weight. Health Conditions Aim for a Healthy Weight. The Basics Take Action. The Basics Overview Being at a healthy weight can help lower your risk for serious health conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.

You can lose weight by getting more physical activity and eating fewer calories. Calories are a measure of the energy in the foods you eat. If you are at a healthy weight, take steps to stay at the same weight. You can stay at the same weight by getting regular physical activity and eating the right number of calories.

If you think you might be underweight, talk to your doctor or nurse about how to gain weight in a healthy way. To lose weight, try eating to fewer calories each day.

Health Benefits What can losing weight do for me? Take Action. Set realistic goals. Keep a food and activity diary. When you know your habits, it's easier to make changes. Get Active Get more physical activity. Aim for at least minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity a week.

For example, try going for a brisk walk several days a week. To get the most benefits, try to also do muscle-strengthening activities at least twice a week. You can lift weights, climb stairs, or work in the garden—anything that makes your muscles work harder than usual counts.

Check out these resources for more information: Staying Active at Any Size Physical Activity for a Healthy Weight. Eat Healthy Eat healthy. Here are a few healthy eating tips: Fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables. Choose whole grains, fat-free or low-fat dairy products, and a variety of foods with protein, like eggs and beans.

Drink water or fat-free milk instead of soda or other drinks with added sugars. It's about lifestyle changes in daily eating and exercise habits.

Skip directly to site content Skip directly to search. Español Other Languages. Healthy Weight, Nutrition, and Physical Activity. Español Spanish. Minus Related Pages. Assessing Your Weight Find out if you are at a healthy weight with the body mass index BMI calculator and your waist circumference.

Finding a Balance How to balance the calories you consume with the calories your body uses; also includes a video. gov Food Diary [PDF — 34KB] Physical Activity Diary [PDF — 52KB]. Connect with Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity. Last Reviewed: June 9, Source: Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity , National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

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Although it does not measure body fat or body composition directly, research has shown BMI to correlate closely with other methods that directly measure body fat. The Metropolitan Life Height-Weight tables were created by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in to estimate longevity using height and weight data from 4 million policy holders.

People from the ages of 25 to 59 whose weights fell within the listed ranges for sex men or women , frame small, medium, or large , and height were found to have the lowest mortality rates.

Though some health professionals and the general public still refer to the tables today as a guideline for optimal weight ranges, there are many criticisms about the tables such as not accounting for body composition e. muscle mass , data limited to mainly Caucasian Americans, and lack of information on causes of mortality e.

There are many reasons for weight gain including certain medications corticosteroids, antidepressants, beta-blockers, antipsychotics, insulin , pregnancy, chronic stress, chronically poor sleep, an excessive calorie intake, and lack of adequate exercise.

It is beneficial to keep a steady weight as much as possible and control excessive weight gain over time, which is strongly associated with health risks. Maintaining a healthy weight can lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, and many different cancers.

Your weight, waist size, and the amount of weight gained since your mids can have health implications. These factors may strongly influence your chances of developing the following diseases and conditions:. Most adults gain on average pounds each year.

Some studies have suggested that having overweight and obesity is associated with lower mortality than having normal weight. If you have gained more than 25 pounds in adulthood, losing that weight may seem daunting.

The number of health-related apps targeting behavior change has boomed, with more than , apps commercially available in For example, if a healthcare provider advises a patient to lose weight to improve a chronic health condition, a nutritional app can provide tracking, accountability, and interaction that engages the patient until the next healthcare provider visit.

Also, most of the studies were of short duration at less than 6 months. Still, health apps are worth a try for anyone starting a healthy lifestyle plan and for those who might not have easy access to other support systems.

The contents of this website are for educational purposes and are not intended to offer personal medical advice. You should seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

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Home Nutrition News What Should I Eat? What Is a Healthy Weight? How useful are the MET Life Height-Weight Tables? Does having overweight reduce mortality? There was no distinction made between these unhealthy normal weight people and lean healthy individuals.

The groups with overweight and obesity did appear to have a lower mortality rate than this mix of healthy and very unhealthy normal-weighted individuals, and this flaw led to false conclusions that overweight and obesity carry no risk and may offer reduced mortality.

Other large studies that accounted for this and other methodological issues have found that having overweight and obesity is associated with increased risk of mortality compared with having a normal weight.

The influence of our environments As important as individual choices are when it comes to health, no one person behaves in a vacuum. The physical and social environment in which people live plays a huge role in the food and activity choices they make.

And unfortunately, in the U. and increasingly around the globe, our environments are not optimized for healthy living. From the persistent marketing and availability of unhealthy foods and sugary drinks, to time and safety constraints for staying active, individuals are faced with a variety of challenges.

Obesity and its causes have, in many ways, become woven into the fabric of our society. To successfully disentangle them will take a multifaceted approach that not only gives people the skills to make healthier choices but also sets in place policy and infrastructure that support those choices.

Should I try a health and nutrition app? Smartphone or mobile health apps are self-monitoring easily-accessible tools people can use to track their weight and dietary intake.

Apps may provide a food database from which to search, a photo function to take pictures of meals, a scanning tool to find food products using barcodes, or food icons.

Other apps monitor eating behaviors such as stress-related or emotional eating, eating quickly or on-the-run, and overeating. A major benefit of these tools is increased awareness of types of foods eaten and eating behaviors that could be contributing to weight gain or changes in metabolic parameters such as high blood glucose or cholesterol.

References Komaroff M. For researchers on obesity: historical review of extra body weight definitions. Journal of obesity. Nuttall FQ. Body mass index: obesity, BMI, and health: a critical review.

Nutrition today. Hales CM, Gu Q, Ogden CL, Yanovski SZ. Use of prescription medications associated with weight gain among US adults, A nationally representative survey. Wharton S, Raiber L, Serodio KJ, Lee J, Christensen RA. Medications that cause weight gain and alternatives in Canada: a narrative review.

Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity: targets and therapy. Author disclosure: SW has previously received grants from CIHR and Mitacs, and has payment from Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, Janssen and Astra Zeneca for advisory work. SW and RAGC are currently working with Novo Nordisk for the completion of pharmaceutical manuscript s.

Find a good exercise program that includes both cardio and strength training. The benefits of daily exercise are more than just keeping your body weight in check; exercise also builds muscle, strengthens your heart and helps your body to function at its best.

Getting a good amount of sleep every night helps to reset your body, preparing it for the next day. Make time every day to get enough sleep. Doing so will help you function better throughout the day, and keep you from eating extra.

If you have trouble sleeping, find ways to relax your body like yoga, reading or stretching. To accomplish any goal, you need to know where you currently are.

Find out your Body Mass Index BMI and come up with a plan to stay in the healthy category. If you need some help, you can visit your family doctor or another healthcare provider for advice. It is better to start with small, short-term goals that you know you will be able to accomplish.

Doing so will help you to stay on track toward your long-term goals. February 12, February 6, February 5, February 2, This information is not intended to replace the advice of a medical professional. You should always consult your doctor before making decisions about your health.

Authored by JoannaRasmuson. Here are some tips to help you maintain a healthy weight: Watch your portion sizes Eating smaller portions can help you to avoid eating too much food and allow you to include more of the foods you love into your daily life. Eat good foods Foods high in sugar and calories lead to weight gain if you are not careful.

Drink more water Drinking water, along with eating good foods and exercising daily, can help you to maintain a healthy weight. Exercise daily Your body weight is affected by the amount of energy you take in and the amount you use.

Get more sleep Getting a good amount of sleep every night helps to reset your body, preparing it for the next day. Make a goal and stick to it To accomplish any goal, you need to know where you currently are.

The staff at the Wellness Institute offers a variety of services including exercise and nutrition education. Our providers can help you increase productivity, improve general health and manage chronic conditions.