Watch Your Weight When is watching your weight necessary? According to the CDC, more than 68 percent of U.S. adults older than 20 are either overweight or obese. Extra weight is a concern because it may cause new health issues or worsen already existing health problems. To help you determine if your weight is within a normal range, you can use this BMI calculator . Maintaining a healthy weight is especially important if you have or have had any of the following conditions: Heart disease Type 2 diabetes ...

Strategies to Fight Holiday Weight Gain The average American gains several pounds in the six weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. This seemingly inevitable weight gain is avoidable; you can fend off added pounds during the holidays without becoming a dietary Scrooge. One way to do that is to eat healthier foods that are low in fat and calories. You can still fill your plate at a holiday buffet, but fill it with fresh fruits and vegetables instead of fried chicken fingers or cheese sticks. You ...

A Healthy Weight for Life Staying at or reaching a healthy weight is important for many reasons. Not only will you feel better about yourself and have more energy, but you'll also help to reduce your risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. The "secret" to maintaining a healthy weight is not found in any magic diet or weight loss system. In fact, it's no secret at all. You just need to take in about the same amount of calories that your body uses up. It'...

5 Food Fallacies When it comes to food, dieting, and weight loss, separating facts from fiction can be hard. It's easy to be misled, especially when you read about a new fad diet or see a commercial for a new miracle food. Here are five common food fallacies to avoid if you want long-term success. Myth: Skipping breakfast helps you lose weight. Reality: At first, this might seem like an easy way to cut down on calories. But skipping the important first meal of the day can backfire. Instead of helping yo...

The Science of Weight Loss The science behind weight loss is actually quite simple. If you want to lose weight, you have to use up more calories than you eat. On paper, losing weight is simple math. One pound of fat equals about 3,500 calories. If your goal is to lose one pound of fat, your body has to burn off 3,500 calories. If you cut back your caloric intake and/or increase exercise each day to create a deficit of 500 calories, you can lose one pound every seven days. In real life, however, it's mor...

Could Medication Be Causing Your Weight Gain? Eating too much and not exercising enough are the main reasons people put on extra pounds. However, some prescription and over-the-counter medications also can cause weight gain. You might gain as much as a pound a week. If you feel your pants getting tighter and you haven't changed your exercise and diet regimen, ask your doctor about your medications. The most common prescription medications to cause weight gain include drugs that treat depression, heartbu...

Losing Weight at Work Losing weight may be tricky when you have a challenging career. Consider the many potential saboteurs: having little time to exercise, eating out frequently for business events, and facing the constant temptation of cookie trays. Your weight is controlled by the number of calories you eat balanced against the number of calories you use. To lose weight, you must use more calories than you eat. The first step? Keep a food and exercise diary for about two weeks. Record when, what, and...

In Midlife, Keep Your Weight Under Control Call it love handles, a beer belly, middle-age spread, or a spare tire. They all refer to unwanted weight that creeps on over the years, especially after age 40. You may be tempted to accept that weight gain as an inevitable part of getting older. It's important to avoid those extra pounds, though. Midlife weight gain may put you at risk for serious health conditions, such as diabetes. Out of balance Why do so many of us put on extra pounds as we get older? For...

Choosing a Safe Weight-Loss Program The not-so-secret secret to weight loss is to burn more calories than you eat. This can be done safely and effectively by eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly, according to the Weight-Control Information Network, part of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Although many people can lose weight on their own, others believe they'll be more successful if they enroll in a weight-loss program that provides support, information and...

Managing Midlife Weight Gain Between the late 30s and late 40s, it's not uncommon for both men and women to gain 10 pounds. The gain may come on relatively suddenly, or more gradually, at a general rate of one pound a year, even though you haven't made any major changes to your diet or exercise routine. With age, both men and women gradually lose muscle mass. The loss of muscle mass at midlife is even more pronounced in men because of the loss of testosterone, a male hormone that regulates muscle mass a...