Far too many Americans are obese and it is shortening their life expectancy. The prevalence of obesity in the United States is now over 42%. This is a stunning growth rate from a 30% prevalence rate in 1999.

Major health conditions like heart disease, stroke, and diabetes are directly related to obesity. Obesity also is a significant risk factor in your ability to fight off Covid-19.

The good news is that it is not too late to start losing weight. Read on to learn how to maintain a healthy weight. Explore the best ways to maintain a healthy weight with this comprehensive guide.

1. Eat a Healthy Diet

Medical studies show that eating a healthy diet is the most important factor in maintaining an ideal weight. While exercising is also important, it does contribute to an increased appetite. Some of the benefits of exercise for weight loss purposes are offset by increased caloric intake.

One of the best ways to maintain a healthy weight is to consistently eat a healthy diet. For beverages, drink at least eight glasses of water per day. Drinking a lot of water curbs your appetite and also minimizes the intake of sugar.

As far as diet goes, start by reducing the size of your portions. Also, you want to replace unhealthy snacks with vegetables such as celery or carrots.

Another dietary tip is to cut back on beef and other meats that are high in fat. Instead, try to get your body’s protein needs through other sources such as nuts and beans.

2. Exercise

Exercise is one of the key steps to any weight loss tips checklist. Routine exercise allows you to maintain a healthy weight and keep progress moving in the right direction. You also build muscle and improve your physical appearance.

There are many health benefits to routine exercise. For example, getting 75 to 150 minutes of exercise per week reduces the risk of heart disease.

It is important to differentiate between lifting weights and cardiovascular exercise. Lifting weights helps you build muscle but this activity alone may result in gaining pounds.

Cardiovascular exercise helps you burn calories. It also increases your heart rate which yields many of the medical benefits of rigorous exercise.

3. Medical Intervention

Some people cannot keep the pounds off without medical intervention. It is not uncommon for obese people to receive physician assisted weight loss techniques. This is reserved for when dietary changes and exercise are unsuccessful.

There are surgical techniques like gastric bypass or banding. Also, there are FDA-approved medications used to curb appetite. In some cases, patients are asked to lose weight before receiving approval for surgery.

Your Guide to How to Maintain a Healthy Weight

Maintaining a healthy weight requires dedication and long-term commitment. A healthy diet and routine exercise are two critical pillars to weight loss.

In the most extreme circumstances, doctors may intervene with approved medication and surgical techniques. If you enjoyed this article about how to maintain a healthy weight, check out our blog for more great content.