Clinical guidance
Healthy Weight Management
Published January 1, 2022
Eating for health
With so many diet trends, it can be confusing to know what’s really best to fuel your body. MyPlate gives you a straightforward way to think about your meals. Make half your plate fruits and vegetables. Split the other half equally between grains and lean protein. That’s it! Get tips and tools you can really use from the team at MyPlate.
One other helpful rule is to get at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Learn more from the American Heart Association.
Physical activity
Aim to get at least 150 minutes of activity throughout the week. If that sounds like a lot, don’t worry. You can start small and work your way up. We’ll help you get there. Find out what counts as physical activity and learn tips for getting started.
Stress, sleep, and medications
Weight management can involve more than your eating and exercise patterns. Your stress level, sleep quality, medications, and other factors can play a role too. We’ll look at all of these things together.
SMART goals
Goals are very important in weight loss, but not all goals are created equally. We like to use SMART goals because they set you up for success. SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound.
Keep in mind that your SMART goal doesn’t have to be a number. It could be about reducing joint pain, building muscle tone, feeling more confident, or fitting into certain clothes. So ask yourself, what do you want from this?
If you are a numbers person, losing 1-2 pounds a week is safe and sustainable. Consider setting a goal to lose 5 percent of your body weight — this can lower your risk for certain chronic diseases.