Lifestyle Changes

Could a Nutrition Expert Help You?
If you need to change your eating habits for the sake of your health, have you considered talking with a registered dietitian (RD)?

A 7-Step Plan for Weight Loss
The latest studies conclude that a successful weight-loss plan is a mind/body undertaking that not only involves monitoring calorie intake and expenditure, but dealing with the psychological side of weight loss and habit change.

Maintaining Weight Loss
Keeping extra weight off requires effort and commitment, just as losing weight does.

Choosing a Safe Weight-Loss Program
The not-so-secret secret to weight loss is to burn more calories than you eat. This can be done safely and effectively by eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly.

Fight Back Against Fat
obesity increases the risk for illness from 30 serious medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease and several types of cancer.

Could Medication Be Causing Weight Gain?
The most common prescription medications to cause weight gain include drugs that treat depression, heartburn, bipolar disorder, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

The Science of Weight Loss
On paper, losing weight is simple math. One pound of fat equals about 3,500 calories. In real life, however, it’s more complex.

5 Food Fallacies
Should you skip breakfast if you want to lose weight? Is all fat bad for you? Find out the answers to these and other questions about food.

A Healthy Weight for Life
The “secret” to maintaining a healthy weight is not found in any magic diet or weight loss system. In fact, it’s no secret to it at all. You just need to take in about the same amount of calories that your body uses up.

Vegetarians and Weight Loss
Most people who follow a vegetarian diet are less likely to be overweight or obese than non-vegetarians. Even so, becoming a vegetarian is no guarantee you will attain or maintain a healthy weight.

Moving Beyond All-or-Nothing Thinking
When you lapse from your goals, remind yourself of all you've learned and how much you've accomplished.

Lifestyle Changes
Living a healthier lifestyle can help to prevent heart disease. This means eliminating all tobacco, following a heart-healthy diet, and getting regular exercise.

Preventing Obesity
Given the chronic diseases and conditions associated with obesity and the fact that obesity is difficult to treat, prevention is extremely important.

Choose My Plate Now Tailored to You
Many of us used the old Food Pyramid for years to help make sure we were following a balanced diet. Its replacement, Choose My Plate, was introduced in 2011.

A Guide to Healthier Eating
You should cut back on foods that have only limited nutritional value, that are overprocessed or that contain too much fat, salt, sugar and refined white flour.

What's in the Food You Eat?
Most food additives are safe and beneficial, experts say. What's more, they're everywhere.

Coping with Food Cravings
Some people experience food cravings only now and then, while others have them daily or weekly.

Calculating Calories and Fat Grams
Here's a formula to help you figure out how many calories and fat grams you need each day to maintain your current weight.

Cholesterol in the Blood
The cholesterol in your blood comes from the foods you eat and your liver—but your liver makes all of the cholesterol your body needs.

The Facts on Fat: What a Healthful Diet Should Include
News reports on the role fat should play in your diet can be confusing. Some new studies suggest the type of fat you consume is more important to your health than the amount of fat eaten. Other recent reports contradict these findings.

Components of Food
When trying to make heart-healthy changes to your lifestyle and diet, it is helpful to know some basics about nutrition.

'Choose My Plate' Quiz
How many cups of vegetables should you eat each day? How about milk? Meat? The My Plate eating plan can help you find out.

Exercise Goals for Healthy Living
You know it's important to stay active but still find yourself falling back on old habits. What can you do? Planning for exercise isn't hard if you make it a priority.

Exercise for the Seriously Unfit
You can't walk across a room without huffing and puffing. Your arms get tired unpacking a bag of groceries. You're carrying more and more excess body weight. And you can't remember the last time you got any real exercise.

Designing an Exercise Program
To improve your heart and lung fitness, aim for 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise three to four times a week.

Lifting Your Way to Weight Loss
If you've tried a dozen diets but the pounds always sneak back, you may be able to lose them for good by making strength-training an integral part of your weight-loss program.

Keep Moving to Manage Your Weight
You can lose weight by dieting, exercising, or a combination of both. Including exercise into your daily routine offers other benefits besides weight control.

How Much Exercise Is Enough?
A private advisory group's call for 60 minutes of physical activity each day are in line with the 2005 USDA Guidelines for exercise of 30 to 60 minutes. The new advice was meant to get people moving, but some experts are worried about recommending 60 minutes.

Using Dumbbells for a Fast and Effective Workout
Dumbbells, one of the most underrated and versatile types of exercise equipment, can help you build strength and muscular endurance.

Walking Works for Everyone
Walking is easy because you can do it almost anywhere and at any time. It also offers a range of health benefits.

Move to the Music: Dancing as Exercise
The benefits of dancing go well beyond heart health and physical fitness. Dancing, especially group dance activities, provides opportunities for people of all ages to be socially and mentally engaged, as well.