Health & Weight Management

Maintaining a healthy weight is an important part of lifelong well-being, but it can be challenging to find the right balance and navigate all of the myths and false promises out there about diet and weight loss. Being either underweight or overweight carries certain health risks, but they are just a part of the overall equation, which also must include activity level, nutrition, lifestyle and other health conditions.

Dieting & Weight Management

For many, following a diet can help them lose weight and maintain a healthy weight over time. Not all diets are equal, however, and many fad diets or extreme calorie restriction plans can actually have a negative impact on your health and lead to more weight gain in the future. The National Institutes of Health recommends modifying your habits or choosing diets that promote:

• Making healthy food choices, like eating more fruits and vegetables,
• Eating smaller portions by adhering to serving sizes for your meals,
• Adding activity to your daily life and getting between 150 – 300 minutes of activity each week.

Many diet plans will build these healthy habits into your plan, and it’s important to choose a plan that takes a life-long perspective on weight management and overall health.

Eating Healthy

With so much fad-science out there and new discoveries being made daily, it’s difficult to keep up with health eating guidelines and make sure you’re taking care of yourself. How much salt is too much salt? Are grains healthy and what is an appropriate portion size? Is a diet soda better than a regular soda?

Our recipes and articles are here to help you keep up with the latest updates and know how to follow a healthy eating plan.

Staying Active

How much exercise should you get and what kind? We are here to help you keep up-to-date with the latest guidelines on aerobic exercise and strength training. The National Institutes of Health recommend at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week in addition to 2 strength training sessions per week.

Learn more about the benefits of staying active and different activities you can do through our articles.

When Diets Don’t Work

For some, genetics, lifestyle or other health conditions may render dieting and activity ineffective over the long term as a weight loss technique. While healthy eating habits and staying active are important for your health no matter what, for some taking other measures to lose weight may become necessary if they have tried traditional routes without success.

Weight loss surgery, or bariatrics, is the only proven, long-term treatment for obesity. For those that are eligible, the weight loss is more substantial and more sustainable than other methods. Learn more about Bariatric surgery, whether you are eligible and Piedmont Augusta’s program.