Maintaining a healthy weight is a challenge for many Americans. According to the CDC (2016), “More than one-third (36.5%) of U.S. adults have obesity. The estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the U.S. was $147 billion in 2008 U.S. dollars; the medical costs for people who are obese were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight.”. Furthermore, childhood obesity is also a big concern in the U.S. Weight is affected by eating habits, lack of exercise, lifestyle, health issues, medications, and other factors. Some of these factors we can control and some we cannot, therefore, we need to focus on the factors we can control. Although maintaining a healthy weight is a challenge, there are simple lifestyle changes people can make to work toward reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, such as eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly. …show more content…
We are a country who consumes fast food and processed food excessively. These unhealthy foods are full of preservatives and calories with little nutritional value which results in gaining excess weight for many people. You can reduce the number of unhealthy meals you consume by cooking more meals at home and eating out less. Furthermore, when grocery shopping, there are simple changes in the choices you make at the grocery store that can help you reach and maintain a healthy weight. Simple changes you can make eat the grocery store are choosing to buy apples instead of a bag of chips, choosing oatmeal over a bag of sugary cereal, and buying fresh meats instead of processed meats. By substituting healthy choices for unhealthy choices, you can reduce the number of calories and unhealthy fats and increase the nutritional value of your food. These changes can help reduce weight and maintain a healthy weight. The food you consume along with exercise can make a significant change in your health and