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The 2005 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (ASDA0 and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) advise people to balance calories and incorporate physical activity as two key strategies for weight control.  The guidelines note, "When it comes to body weight control, it is calories that count - not the proportions of fat, carbohydrates and protein in the diet. Successful and sustainable weight loss and weight maintenance strategies require attention to both sides of the energy balance equation (i.e., caloric intake and energy expenditure)."

The Guidelines also note, "Since many adults gain weight slowly over time, even small decreases in calorie intake can help avoid weight gain, especially if accompanied by increased physical activity. For example, for most adults a reduction of 50 to 100 calories per day may prevent gradual weight gain, whereas a reduction of 500 calories or more per day is a common initial goal in weight-loss programs."

Eat Well and Lighten Up
Making lifestyle changes that you can live with over the long-term is key to healthy weight loss and maintenance. Although some diets work over the short term, you must find strategies that you can live with so you can not only lose the weight, but keep it off, too. The following are just a few tips that can easily be incorporated into almost anyone's lifestyle and could result in a weight loss of almost 40 pounds over the course of a year.

Use skim or reduced-fat milk in place of whole (saves 30 calories/day or 3 pounds/year) Instead of parking close to the office building, park farther away and take the stairs (burns 51 calories/day or 5 pounds/year) Use a sugar substitute (1 Tbsp.) in place of sugar (1 Tbsp.) (saves 48 calories/day or 5 pounds/year) Use "light" potato chips (1 oz.) in place of regular chips (saves 80 calories/day or 8 pounds/year) Get up 15 minutes early and take a quick walk (burns 74 calories/day or 7.5 pounds) Use sugar-free lemonade (8 oz.) in place of full-calorie lemonade (8 oz.) (saves 98 calories/day or 10 pounds/year)

(Note: the chart above assumes that the substitutions are made on a daily basis and the diet is not compensated with additional calories.)

The guidelines also recommend the following (based on a 1,600 calorie diet):

• 7-8 servings of fruits and vegetables
• 6 servings of grains (with half of the recommended servings coming from whole grains)
• 2-3 servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy foods
• 1-2 servings of meat, poultry or fish
• 3-4 servings of nuts, seeds or legumes
• 2 servings per week of fats and oils

For more information on ways to eat light and cut calories, check out the Winning By Losing section of the site. If you're baffled as to how to cook lighter, take a look at the Recipes section.

Let's Get Moving!
In addition to nutrition recommendations, the Guidelines also offer recommendations on physical activity. Below are the key recommendations on exercise, fitness and physical activity outlined by the USDA and HHS:

• Engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, above usual activity, at work or home on most days of the week to reduce the risk of chronic disease in adulthood.
• Engage in approximately 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity activity on most days of the week while not exceeding caloric intake requirements to help maintain or manage body weight and prevent gradual, unhealthy body weight gain in adulthood,
• At least 60 to 90 minutes of daily moderate-intensity physical activity may be necessary (while not exceeding caloric intake requirements) to sustain weight loss in adulthood
• Achieve physical fitness by including cardiovascular conditioning stretching exercises for flexibility, and resistance exercises or calisthenics for muscle strength and endurance.

The USDA and HHS note that physical activity can be accumulated through three to six 10-minute segments over the course of a day. For many people, fitting 30-60 minutes of exercise into their day may be tough, so consider breaking up the activity. For example, get up a little earlier in the morning and take a 10-minute walk around your neighborhood. During your lunch break, grab a co-worker and take a 10-minute walk around your office building or neighborhood. And while dinner is in the oven later in the evening, take a 10-minute walk outside, or walk in place for 10 minutes while watching your favorite TV show. Confused about what "moderate" or "vigorous" actually means? Check out the examples below:

Examples of moderate activity include:

• hiking
• dancing
• bicycling (less than 10 miles/hour)
• walking (3.5 miles/hour)
• weight lifting (general light workout)

Examples of vigorous activity include:

• running/jogging (5 miles/hour)
• bicycling (more than 10 miles/hour)
• swimming (slow, moderate or fast paced laps)
• aerobics
• walking (at least 4 miles/hour)
• heavy weight lifting

For more information on exercise and activity, visit the Let's Get Physical section of the site. To find out how many calories you are burning doing various activities, check out the site's Get Moving Calculator.

To read the Dietary Guidelines from the USDA and HHS, visit www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines.

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