The Weighty Matter of Diet and Exercise

meals

Step on a scale and weigh yourself. No judgement. Just find out how much you weigh. It’s a starting point. And the more you’re aware of what you weigh, the more likely you’ll be to make smart diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices to keep your weight in check.

Here’s an example. In a recent study, researchers looked at daily-weigh-in data from 47 people over a six-month period. They found that people who weighed in daily achieved greater weight loss results or did a better job at maintaining a healthy weight than those who didn’t weigh in regularly.

Does stepping on a scale magically help you burn calories? No. But researchers found that the people who weighed in seven days a week were more likely to increase weight-control activities to lose weight or avoid tipping the scale in the wrong direction.

The combination of smart food choices and regular exercise helped reduce or burn 500 to 1,000 calories per day. Some of the weight-control activities that made the biggest difference included: 

  • Eating fewer snacks between meals
  • Limiting fast food and restaurant meals
  • Reducing portion sizes of dessert
  • Adopting positive lifestyle habits like drinking more water and getting adequate sleep
  • Cutting back on sedentary activities like watching TV
  • Exercising 30 minutes or more per day
  • Getting rid of unhealthy snacks at home or work
  • Working on achieving a daily steps goal to increase physical activity

Daily calories needed range from 1,600 to 2,400 calories per day for adult women and 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day for adult men, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. But many people eat more than that, and only 23 percent of adults get enough exercise. Lack of exercise and poor eating habits is a recipe for weight gain.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can make exercise a regular part of your day. And you can choose to eat healthier foods. When you combine the two, you’re going to tip the scale in the right direction.

Want to improve your diet to manage your weight? Check out all the meal options made from fresh ingredients on the Portion-Control menu.