Aim for a Healthy Weight

Being at a healthy weight can help lower your risk for serious health conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.

Eating a mix of healthy foods and getting physical activity can help you control your weight — and has many other health benefits as well!

What’s a healthy weight?
Finding out your body mass index (BMI) is one way to learn if you’re at a healthy weight. You can use a BMI calculator to find out your BMI.

You can also talk to your doctor or nurse or a registered dietitian about what’s a healthy weight for you. They can help you make a plan for getting to and staying at a healthy weight.

• If you have overweight and have risk factors for heart disease (like high blood pressure or high cholesterol), or if you have obesity, losing weight may improve your health. 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.

What’s the right number of calories?
Balancing the calories you eat and drink with the calories you use for energy helps you stay at a healthy weight.

Use the MyPlate Plan 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’re eating the right number of calories to maintain your weight.
• To lose weight, try eating 500 to 750 fewer calories each day.

Health Benefits

What are the benefits of losing weight?
Getting to a weight that’s healthy for you can:

• Lower your blood pressure
• Lower your blood sugar
• Raise your HDL (“good”) cholesterol
• Lower your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol

And if you have overweight or obesity, getting to a weight that’s healthy for you can help lower your risk of serious health conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers.

You may get 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.

Losing weight can be challenging – but with time, commitment, and the right support, it’s possible! Start by making a promise to eat well, move more, and get support from family and friends.