Weight Management is a subject I have read about many times, but that was it, I read it. I have decided it is time that I put all those lessons to good use. You have to make up your mind and gradually acquire your goals. Try to make exercise a daily part of your life and follow a healthy diet.

Examine your lifestyle, are you not getting enough exercise or are you eating out at fast food places that can impact your weight. Replace this with eating out at places that you can control what you consume, and take that flight of stairs for a change instead of taking the elevator. Before you start on any weight management avenue, please get your doctor's advice about how 'you' can become healthy.

Once you have figured out what you need to do, think about all the benefits to your health. First and foremost you will live longer, by lowering your risk of many health conditions. You will have more energy and this makes exercise more enjoyable. Your whole outlook will change and you will feel so much better about your own self. This feeling of greater self-worth will begin to instill positive examples to your family and friends.

Your body takes its energy from food which is calories. To lose or gain weight simply depends on how many calories you take in compared to how many calories your body burns. A pound of body fat is made up of 3,500 calories. So for every 3,500 unused calories, you gain 1 pound.

Let me explain how you lose weight, this is quite simple if you consume fewer calories than your body uses. Your body will then burn that stubborn accumulation of fat.. A safe weight loss per week is 2 pounds. Trying to lose over this amount could cause you to lose lean muscle and body water, not fat. This can be very dangerous for your body and your health. That being said, to gain weight you do just the opposite by eating more calories than your body can use.

Your doctor and you can set a goal of healthy weight by figuring your BMI (body mass index). This is simple to figure by using the examples below:

Example: Female, 5 foot 6 inches (66 inches), 179 lbs.

1. Multiply your weight by 703.

Example: 179 x 703= 125,837

2. Divide that number by your height in inches ( 1 foot = 12 inches).

Example: 125,837 divided by 66 = 1,907

3. Divide that number by your height (in inches) again.

Example: 1,907 divided by 66 = 28.8

4. This number equals your BMI.

Example: BMI = 28.8

What your BMI means? Underweight is less than 18.5. Healthy weight is 18.5 to 24.9. Overweight is 25 to 29.9. Obese is 30 or higher.

Your BMI is not a direct reflection of your overall health. Obtain a waist measurement by using a measuring tape and put it around your waist this being just above your naval. The ultimate healthy waist is: 32 inches or less for women, and 40 inches or less for men. I am determined now to take control of my weight. I intend to take small steps to reach my weight management goals, that my doctor and myself have set.