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Medicine LibreTexts

5: Weight Management

  • Page ID
    151532
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    By Lisa Jellum

    Learning Objectives
    • Discuss how to manage weight through diet
    • Provide steps for starting a weight loss plan
    • Reinforce the importance of physical activity in weight management
    • Explain how to keep the weight off

    The majority of Americans are unhappy with their current weight. Almost everyone would like to lose at least 5 pounds. A growing percentage of Americans are carrying enough excess weight to put them at risk for many diseases and even death. Few people, however, know enough about their own bodies to successfully manage their weight. Anyone planning to start a weight loss program should begin by carefully considering the following factors:

    • How many calories are being consumed daily?
    • How many calories are being expended?
    • How much fluids are being consumed?
    • How well are electrolytes being managed?

    • 5.1: Weight Management Through Diet
      This page outlines strategies for achieving ideal weight, emphasizing the importance of understanding diet, calories, and macronutrients. A 10-day nutritional analysis can aid in managing intake, and healthy weight loss should occur at a rate of 1-2 pounds per week. It highlights the effectiveness of combining diet changes with exercise, setting realistic goals, seeking support, and celebrating non-food-related achievements to stay motivated on the path to better health.
    • 5.2: The Importance of Physical Activity in Maintaining a Healthy Weight
      This page highlights the importance of physical activity for weight loss and maintenance, recommending 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise weekly for adults. Regular exercise not only aids in burning calories but also lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It defines moderate and vigorous activities, offering examples and calorie expenditure estimates. Ultimately, effective weight management relies on a combination of physical activity and a healthy diet.
    • 5.3: Keeping the Weight Off
      This page outlines the CDC's guidelines for achieving lasting weight loss through sustainable changes in eating habits. Key strategies include using food diaries to identify triggers for unhealthy eating, recognizing emotional cues, and replacing unhelpful habits with healthier ones. Emphasizing the importance of meal planning, slow eating, and self-compassion, the page stresses that developing new habits takes time and requires gradual, mindful adjustments for long-term success.
    • 5.4: Health Risks of Being Underweight
      This page covers the prevalence and impact of underweight conditions and eating disorders in the U.S., highlighting findings from the 2003–2006 NHANES. It discusses nutritional deficiencies linked to underweight, particularly iron-deficiency anemia, and their effects on growth and health issues. Anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge-eating disorder are analyzed as psychiatric conditions with serious health implications.
    • 5.5: References


    This page titled 5: Weight Management is shared under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Scott Flynn, Jonathan Howard, Lisa Jellum, and Althea Moser (GALILEO Open Learning Materials) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.