Foods to eat if you plan to lose weight

If your BMI is in the overweight or obese category, talk with your doctor or a registered dietitian about the best way for you to reach a healthy weight. In general, you want to stick with the MyPyramid plan and eat a variety of healthy foods so that you get all the nutrients your body needs. Aim to:

• Eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
• Cut back on meats high in fat (like burgers and hot dogs), greasy fried foods, and sweets
• Drink more water instead of sugary drinks like sodas
• Be more physically active

The MyPyramid Plan web site can give you tips on how much of each type of food to eat and how much physical activity you should get in order to reach a healthy BMI.

Don't fall for fad diets that make you eat large or small amounts of a certain nutrient, such as no-carb diets or high-protein diets. Although you may lose weight, you'll probably gain it back as soon as you start eating normally again. In the meantime, you may not be getting all the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients your body needs.

For people who are severely obese (BMI greater than 40) and cannot seem to lose weight by changing their eating and physical activity patterns, weight loss surgery may be an option. The most common type of weight loss surgery limits the amount of food that your stomach can hold. As a result, you can only eat a small amount of food at one time. Many people who have the surgery lose weight quickly. But you still need to adopt healthy eating and physical activity habits in order to keep the weight off. Also, like all surgeries, weight loss surgery has risks and may involve complications.