Obesity increases the risk of heart disease. Maintaining a healthy weight, or losing as little as 5-10 percent of your current weight if you are overweight, may lower your risk for heart disease and diabetes.

Figuring out how to eat just enough calories to support a healthy weight can be tricky. Consider visiting a registered dietitian to develop a flexible meal plan for your personal weight goals. Usually this involves taking a look at your eating behaviors and making small changes you can live with. In the meantime, you may want to get a head start by reading SecondsCount’s tips for Setting Goals and Starting an Eating Plan.  And of course, regular physical activity plays a key role in balancing what we eat.

Suggestions for Getting Started

Don’t get lost in the numbers though. If you want to lose weight, try these easy suggestions to get started:

• The simplest way to cut back on calories is by making your portions smaller than usual at each meal. 
• Try to avoid having second helpings. Or at least wait 20 minutes until you decide if you’re still hungry enough to eat more.
• Drink water, unsweetened tea or coffee with meals instead of high-calorie beverages such as soda, juices or sweet tea.
• Limit snacking between meals, and try one of these Sensible Snack Ideas instead of traditional high-fat snack foods full of sodium.