Healthy Weight, Nutrition, and Physical Activity

Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight includes healthy eating, physical activity, optimal sleep, and stress reduction. Several other factors may also affect weight gain.

Healthy eating features a variety of healthy foods. Fad diets may promise fast results, but such diets limit your nutritional intake, can be unhealthy, and tend to fail in the long run.

How much physical activity you need depends partly on whether you are trying to maintain your weight or lose weight. Walking is often a good way to add more physical activity to your lifestyle.

Managing your weight contributes to good health now and as you age. In contrast, people who have obesity, compared to those with a healthy weight, are at increased risk for many serious diseases and health conditions. See examples of programs that can help.

Helping people maintain a healthy weight is part of CDC’s work to achieve health equity.

A pitcher of fruit-infused water filling a glass.

Sugar is a main ingredient in many popular beverages. Learn how to Rethink Your Drink.

Recursos en Español
Recursos en Español

Spanish language resources for healthy weight, nutrition, and physical activity.

Assessing Your Weight

Photo: Girl on a  scale
Find out if you are at a healthy weight with the body mass index (BMI) calculator and your waist circumference.

Finding a Balance

Photo: Salad
How to balance the calories you consume with the calories your body uses; also includes a video.

Connect with Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity