You don't have to stop eating chocolate cake or start running marathons to improve your health. Making steady changes in your eating and physical activity habits—over time—will help you lose weight, feel better, and improve your overall health. This booklet offers tips to help you improve your health by eating better and being more active.
What do you weigh?
To see if you are overweight, use the weight-for-height chart below. Find your height in the left-hand column of the chart. Then move across the row to find your weight. Check to see if your weight falls in the healthy weight, moderate overweight, or severe overweight shaded areas. A healthy weight is different for everybody. That’s why the chart shows a range of weights. Weights above the healthy weight range may mean you need to improve your eating and exercise habits.
* Without shoes
**Without clothes. The higher weights apply to people with more muscle and bone, such as many men.
Source: Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 1995, pages 23-24.
If the chart shows that you are overweight, don’t be alarmed—there are steps and tips you can follow that can help you improve your health.
