I Will…Maintain A Healthy Weight
Understanding the Energy Equation
Whether you want to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, it’s important to understand the connection between the energy your body takes in (through the foods you eat and the beverages you drink) and the energy your body uses (through the activities you do).
To lose weight, you need to use more calories than you take in. To maintain a healthy weight, you need to balance the calories you use with those you take in. No matter which results you want, eating a healthy diet and being physically active can help you reach your goal.
Getting the Most Nutrition out of Your Calories
There is a “right” number of calories to eat each day. This number depends on age, activity level and whether you are trying to gain, maintain or lose weight. You could use up the entire amount on a few high-calorie foods, but chances are you won’t get the full range of vitamins and nutrients your body needs to be healthy.
Choose the most nutritionally rich foods you can from each food group each day – those packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients, but lower in calories. Pick foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products more often.
Finding Your Balance between Food and Physical Activity
Maintaining a healthy weight isn’t just about eating healthy – it’s also about physical activity. Regular physical activity is important for your overall health and fitness. It helps you control body weight by balancing the calories you take in as food with the calories you expend each day.
- Be physically active, at a moderate intensity for at least 30 minutes most days of the week
- Increasing the intensity or the amount of time that you are physically active can have even greater health benefits and may be needed to control body weight. About 60 minutes a day may be needed to prevent weight gain.
- Children and teenagers should be physically active 60 minutes every day.
Additional Tips:
Make healthy choices a habit. This leads to a healthy lifestyle. Make a commitment to eat well, move more, and surround yourself with family and friends who are supportive of your efforts.
- Eat enough servings of vegetables and fruits per day. The amount you should eat depends on your age, gender, and activity level. If you're adding fruits and vegetables to your diet, try substituting them for higher calorie, less nutritious foods.
- Prepare and eat meals and snacks at home. This is a great way to save money, eat healthy, and spend time with your family. When preparing meals, choose low-fat/low-calorie versions of your favorite ingredients and experiment with how easy it can be to make healthy substitutions.
- Take your time. Eat only when you are hungry and enjoy the taste, texture, and smell of your meal as you eat it. Remember, it takes approximately 15 minutes for your stomach to signal your brain that you are full.
- Forgive yourself. If you occasionally make mistakes, don’t give up. Eat an extra healthy lunch and dinner if you had a high-calorie, high-fat breakfast.
Medtronic Foundation Sponsors Raising Healthy Kids Free Publication
Raising Healthy Kids, a free 16-page publication, is part of the Medtronic Foundation’s intentional and targeted effort to encourage life-long healthy habits in children. Research tells us that children with good eating and exercise habits grow up to have fewer health problems and even do better in school. Raising Healthy Kids outlines helpful tips that can get families on the path to good health.
Download a copy of Raising Healthy Kids.
Translations
Raising Healthy Kids is available in a four-page translated version for parents whose first language is not English. You will need Acrobat Reader to view these documents. These translated versions of Raising Healthy Kids may be photocopied as needed.
Source: Centers for Disease Control. Information was adapted from: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005. 6th Edition, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, January 2005. and Finding Your Way to a Healthier You: Based on Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
