Maintaining desirable weight
It is best to maintain desirable weight for one’s height at all ages, even during childhood. Here are two principles that you can use—
• Reduce food intake as you become less active. Exercise and activity use up energy—or calories. If you cut down activity but not food, you are providing more energy than the body needs. The excess is stored as fat.
• Reduce food intake as you—as an adult—get older. As adults grow older, less energy is needed to keep the body functioning.
To reduce food intake without shortchanging the body of essential nutrients, follow the pattern of choices suggested by the Daily Food Guide. Weight watchers need the same types of food for health as everyone else. Crash diets and food fads are not the answer and may be dangerous to health.
Cut down on food, but don’t cut out any important kinds of foods.
Snacks are counted as a part of the day’s total food. Sensible snacking can help meet nutritional needs, but indiscriminate eating between meals usually leads to more calories than are wanted, less of some nutrients than are needed.
Specific information on controlling weight is given in Home and Garden Bulletin 74, “Food and Your Weight.” It includes basic weight-control facts, suggestions for reducing or gaining weight, meals and menus, and calorie values of common foods.