Obsesity results from an energy imbalance. This involves eating too many calories and not getting enough physical activity. Maintaining a healthy weight is all about balancing the number of calories you take in with the number you burn off through exercise.

What is a Healthy Diet?

A healthy diet:

• Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, cooked dry beans and peas, whole grains, nuts and seeds.
• Includes an increase in seafood, fat-free and low-fat milk products.
• Should include only moderate amounts of lean meats, poultry and eggs.
• Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.

Make Exercise A Part of Your Day – Every Day

Don’t think of exercise as a chore – make it fun. Fit it in your daily routine. It could be as simple as taking your dog on a walk – or parking at the opposite end of the parking lot at work. Join an exercise class or take a bike ride with a family member or friend. The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans offers some tips for the amount of exercise you need to keep your body healthy:

• Children and adolescents should do one hour (60 minutes) of physical activity each day.
• Adults need at least two hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) of moderately intensive aerobic activity each week and muscle-strengthening activities at least twice a week that involve all major muscle groups (abdomen, arms, chest, shoulders, legs, hips and back). Aerobic activity or “cardio” involves exercise that gets you breathing harder and your heart pumping faster.
• Don’t limit yourself! Think of 150 minutes as the length of a movie. You can break up your exercise throughout the day – just make sure you keep moving for at least 10 minutes at a time.

Additional Resources

More than one-third of U.S. adults are obese. Weight gain occurs when you consume more calories than your body uses. Maintaining a healthy weight will help you prevent and control many diseases. Check out the CDC video Finding Balance, for information on healthy eating and regular exercise.

Want to know how healthy your meals are? Use the Interactive tool Analyze My Plate from www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov to examine what you eat every day. Love a recipe, but want to make it healthier? Try Recipe Re-Mix to help you enjoy foods in a whole new way.

Take time to evaluate your food intake and physical activity. Go to MyPyramidTracker, sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The site will give you a detailed assessment and analysis of your current eating and physical activity habits. Just enter all the foods you’ve eaten and your physical activities for a day.