Aim for a Healthy Weight (44 pgs) – Why Is a Healthy Weight Important? eaching and maintaining a healthy weight is good for your overall health and will help you prevent and control many diseases and conditions. We know that an increase in weight also increases a person’s risk for heart disease, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, gallbladder disease, gynecologic disorders, arthritis, some types of cancer, and even some lung problems (see Box 1). Maintaining a healthy weight has many benefits, including feeling good about yourself and having more energy to enjoy life. Stay Active and Feel Better (Bilingual) – Physical activity is good for your whole family. Do any of these situations sound like your life? “I always feel so tired and worn out.” “My whole family is putting on weight. I know we better do something soon.” “Walking up two flights of stairs leaves me out of breath.” “When my husband and I were first married, we would take long walks every day and go dancing. Now all we do is sit in front of the television.” “I don’t have an extra half hour every day to exercise…but I know it is good for my health.” Watch Your Weight (Bilingual) – Here are some of the changes Juan and Lupe made. These tips can work for you, too! Plan ahead… 1. Get up 15 minutes early in the morning. Eat breakfast at home. Include fruit, bread, and skim milk. 2. Prepare a healthy lunch the night before. Include grains, fruits, vegetables, and small portions of leftovers. 3. Take a piece of fruit to snack on in between jobs. Drink water instead of soda. 4. Eat smaller portions at dinner. Add a salad with low fat dressing and add vegetables. 5. Get active at work, at home, and in your spare time. Walk or use the stairs instead of the elevator. Active at any Size (24 pgs) – for very large people who T HERE may be special challenges are physically active. You may not be able to bend or move in the same way that other people can. It may be hard to find clothes and equipment for exercising. You may feel self-conscious being physically active around other people.Facing these challenges is hard—but it can be done! The information in this booklet may help you start being more active and healthier—no matter what your size! Binge Eating Disorder – How do I know if I have binge eating disorder? Most of us overeat from time to time, and some of us often feel we have eaten more than we should have. Eating a lot of food does not necessarily mean that you have binge eating disorder. Experts generally agree that most people with serious binge eating problems often eat an unusually large amount of food and feel their eating is out of control. People with binge eating disorder also may: ? eat much more quickly than usual during binge episodes ? eat until they are uncomfortably full ? eat large amounts of food even when they are not really hungry ? eat alone because they are embarrassed about the amount of food they eat ? feel disgusted, depressed, or guilty after overeating. Choosing a Safe and Successful Weight Loss Program – Choosing a weight-loss program may be a difficult task. You may not know what to look for in a weight-loss program or what questions to ask. This fact sheet can help you talk to your health care professional about weight loss and get the best information before choosing a program. Do You Know the Risks of Being Overweight? – Body mass index (BMI) is a tool that is often used to determine whether a person’s health is at risk due to his or her weight. BMI is a ratio of your weight to your height. A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered healthy; a BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight; and a BMI of 30 or more is considered obese. You can use the table on the following page to determine your BMI. Find your height in the left-hand column labeled “Height.” Move across to your weight. The number at the top of the column is the BMI for that height and weight. Pounds have been rounded off. Tips for Adults – Better Health and You – A balanced eating plan and regular physical activity are the building blocks of good health. Poor eating habits and physical inactivity may lead to overweight and related health problems. By eating right and being active, you may reach or maintain a healthy weight. You may also improve your physical health, mental well-being, and set an example for others. Weight Loss For Life – There are many ways to lose weight, but it is not always easy to keep the weight off. The key to successful weight loss is making changes in your eating and physical activity habits that you can keep up for the rest of your life. The information presented here may help put you on the road to healthy habits. Weight Loss and Nutrition Myths – Fact: Fad diets are not the best way to lose weight and keep it off. Fad diets often promise quick weight loss or tell you to cut certain foods out of your diet. You may lose weight at first on one of these diets. But diets that strictly limit calories or food choices are hard to follow. Most people quickly get tired of them and regain any lost weight. Physical Activity and Weight Control – Physical Activity and Weight ControlPhysical activity is important for physical health, emotional well-being, and achieving a healthy weight. Physical activity may help you control your weight by using excess calories that would otherwise be stored as fat. Most foods and many beverages you eat and drink contain calories, and everything you do uses calories. This includes sleeping, breathing, digesting food, and of course, moving around. Balancing the calories you eat with the calories you use through physical activity may help you maintain your current weight. Body Composition – What is it? Body composition refers to the constituents of your body – lean mass, fat mass, and water. Scales weigh total body mass. What the scale does not tell you is whether that weight is fat, lean (which includes bone, ligaments, and muscle) or water. Your body composition is more important than your weight in determining fitness and health. Eating Disorders – An eating disorder is an illness that affects one’s ability to realistically judge his/her own appearance and moderate his/her behavior around food and exercise. It is estimated that 10% of our population are actively eating disordered. Eating disorders are not about food or exercise: these are just the focus points of the disorder. People with extremely high expectations, compulsive personalities, need for control, or fearful of growing up are characteristically more likely to develop eating disorders.