Weight Control

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Summary

Keeping a healthy weight is crucial. If you are underweight or overweight, or have obesity, you may have a higher risk of certain health problems.

About two thirds of adults in the U.S. are overweight or have obesity. Achieving a healthy weight can help you control your cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar. It might also help you prevent weight-related diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and some cancers.

Eating too much or not being physically active enough will make you overweight. To maintain your weight, the calories you eat must equal the energy you burn. To lose weight, you must use more calories than you eat. A weight-control strategy might include:

Choosing low-fat, low-calorie foods
Eating smaller portions
Drinking water instead of sugary drinks
Being physically active

Eating extra calories within a well-balanced diet can help to add weight.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Start Here

Basics of Weight Control (Department of Veterans Affairs) - PDF
Choosing a Safe and Successful Weight-Loss Program (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
Health Tips for Adults (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
Healthy Weight (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Weight Management (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Diagnosis and Tests

Assessing Your Weight and Health Risk (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
Obesity Screening (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

7 Tips: Know the Facts about Supplements Marketed for Weight Loss (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
Bitter Orange (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss (National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements) - PDF
Ephedra (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
Hoodia (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
Over-the-Counter Weight-Loss Pills: Do They Work? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Living With

Daily Food and Activity Diary (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
Eat More, Weigh Less? (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
Just Enough for You: About Food Portions (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
Nutrition: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Some Myths about Nutrition and Physical Activity (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
Weight-Loss Readiness (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Weight-Loss: Gain Control of Emotional Eating (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Related Issues

Sample Menus to Eat Right and Lose Weight (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Specifics

Changing Your Habits: Steps to Better Health (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
Diets: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Guide to Behavior Change (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
Guide to Physical Activity (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
How to Handle Food Cravings (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
Metabolism and Weight Loss: How You Burn Calories (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Prescription Weight-Loss Drugs: Can They Help You? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Selecting a Weight-Loss Program (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
Weight Management and Healthy Living Tips (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Health Check Tools

Calculate Your Body Mass Index (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
Calorie Counter (American Cancer Society)

Games

Portion Distortion! Do You Know How Food Portions Have Changed in 20 Years? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Statistics and Research

Cancer and Obesity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Body Mass Index (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Weight Loss (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Weight Reduction Programs (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Reference Desk

Definitions of Health Terms: Nutrition (National Library of Medicine)

Find an Expert

Find a Nutrition Expert (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Children

Keeping Portions Under Control (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

5 Ways to Reach (and Maintain!) a Healthy Weight (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Take Charge of Your Health: A Guide for Teenagers (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Women

Menopause Weight Gain: Stop the Middle Age Spread (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

14 ways to burn more calories every day (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Body mass index (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Can you boost your metabolism? (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Diet for rapid weight loss (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Losing weight after pregnancy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Managing your weight with healthy eating (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Portion size (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Snacks for adults (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Weight loss and alcohol (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Weight-loss medications (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

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