Have children's heights and weights checked regularly by a health professional. Many Americans gain weight as adults and put themselves at risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, certain types of cancer, arthritis, breathing problems, and other illnesses. If you are overweight and have one of these problems, try to lose weight, or at the very least, maintain weight. If you are uncertain about your risk for developing a problem associated with overweight, consult a health professional. In order to stay at the same body weight, balance the amount of calories consumed with the amount of calories used.
Physical activity is an important way to use food energy.
Most Americans spend much of their working day and leisure time in activities that require little energy. Healthy weight ranges for adult men and women of all ages are shown in Figure 2. Higher weights in the healthy weight range apply to people with more muscle and bone. Weights above the healthy weight range are less healthy for most people. The further you are above the healthy weight range for your height, the higher your weight-related risk.