If You're Overweight, Lose Weight for Better Health
Overweight people have an increased risk of high blood
pressure, heart disease, and other illnesses. Weight loss
reduces the risk. This brochure tells you how to lose weight
safely.
Ask Your Doctor About Sensible Goals to Lose Weight
Your doctor or other health worker can help you set up a proper diet plan with sensible
goals based on a proper weight for your height, build and age.
Men and very active women may need up to 2,500 calories daily.
Other women and inactive men need only about 2,000 calories daily.
A safe diet plan is to eat 300 to 500 fewer calories a day to lose 1 to
2 pounds a week.
Exercise 30 Minutes to Lose Weight
Do at least 30 minutes of exercise to lose weight, like brisk walking, most
days of the week.
The idea is to use up more calories than you eat. You need to
use up the day's calories and some of the calories stored in your
body fat.
Eat Less Fat and Sugar to Lose Weight
This will help you cut calories and lose weight. Fried foods and fatty desserts
can quickly use up a day's calories. A diet plan with these foods may not
provide the other nutrients you need.
Tips for Cutting Calories and Fat to Lose Weight
- Eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, and grain products like
bread and rice in your diet plan.
- Eat only small, single servings of foods high in fat or
calories in your diet plan.
- Eat less sugar and fewer sweets in your diet plan.
- Drink less alcohol or no alcohol in your diet plan.
- Choose foods whose labels say low fat, light fat or
reduced fat to describe calories or fat in your diet plan.
- Choose 1 percent or skim milk products and reduced fat
cheeses in your diet plan.
- Replace ice cream with fat-free frozen yogurt in your diet plan.
- Replace sour cream with fat-free or low-fat plain yogurt in your diet plan.
- Make sure fish, poultry and meat are lean in your diet plan. Trim skin and
fat.
- Broil, roast or steam foods in your diet plan.
Eat a Favorite Rich Food, Sometimes, to Lose Weight
That may keep you from craving it. But eat only a small
amount in your diet plan.
Make sure your other foods that day are low in fat and
calories in your diet plan.
Eat a Wide Variety Of Foods to Lose Weight
Variety in the diet plan helps you get all the vitamins and other
nutrients you need.
Watch Out for Promises of Quick And Easy Weight Loss
A fad diet plan isn't good because a fad diet plan often calls for too much or
too little of one type of food. As a result, you may not get
important nutrients you need daily in your diet plan.
Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably
isn't true.
What About Diet Pills to Lose Weight?
Diet pills you buy without a prescription won't make a big
difference in how much you lose each week or how long you keep the
weight off. If you do use them, read the label carefully. Because
of possible side effects, like high blood pressure, never take
more than the listed dose to lose weight.
Also, be careful about taking cough or cold medicines with diet
pills you buy without a prescription in your diet plan. These medicines may contain
the same drug used in diet pills, or a similar drug with the same
effects. If you take both products together, you may get too much
of the same type drug. This can hurt you.
Before taking a cough or cold medicine while using diet
pills, ask your pharmacist if it's OK.
Prescription diet pills may help some people. If you use them,
follow the doctor's directions carefully to lose weight.
Before Signing Up For a Weight Loss Program to Lose Weight, Ask Questions
Does the Company:
- Explain possible health risks from weight loss?
- Explain all costs to lose weight?
- Include a sensible diet plan?
- Have proof of success, not just praise by other people?
- Give a clear, truthful statement of how you're going to lose
weight, including how much and how fast?
- Teach how to eat healthfully and exercise more to lose weight?
Do you have more questions about weight loss? Ask your doctor.
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