What are some suggestions for losing weight?

Most experts recommend that someone attempting to lose a large amount of weight consult with a personal physician or health care professional before beginning a weight-loss program. The following are some general recommendations:

1) Aim for a healthy weight. People who need to lose weight should do so gradually,
at a rate of one-half to two pounds per week.

2) Be active. The safest and most effective way to lose weight is to reduce calories
and increase physical activity.

3) Eat well. Select sensible portion sizes and follow the Dietary Guidelines available in most hospitals or Health minitries in most countries.

Physical activity, along with a healthy diet, plays an important role in the prevention of overweight and obesity. In order to maintain a stable weight, a person needs to expend the same amount of calories as he or she consumes.

Although the body burns calories for everyday functions such as breathing, digestion, and routine daily activities, many people consume more calories than they need for these functions each day. A good way to burn off extra calories and prevent weight gain is to engage in regular physical activity beyond routine activities.

The Energy Balance is like a scale. To remain in balance, the calories consumed (from foods) must be balanced by the calories used (in physical activity).

If you eat 100 more food calories a day than you burn, you'll gain about 1 pound in a month. That's about 10 pounds in a year. The bottom line is that to lose weight, it's important to reduce calories and increase physical activity.