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Why do you do a height and weight at doctor visits?

  • Your weight is a measure of health.
  • Your doctor wants to know if you are steady or gaining or losing weight.
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Am I a healthy weight?

  • A healthy weight is a balance of:
    • weight for your height.
    • weight from bones and muscles and fat stores.
    • what you eat and what activity you do.
    • metabolism (how your body turns food into energy to do its work).

BMI stands for Body Mass Index.

It is a measure of how your weight compares to your height.

An adult is usually at a healthy weight with a BMI between 18.5 to 25.

  • Under 18.5 is underweight.
  • Over 25 is overweight.

Growth curves are used to measure healthy weight for children under age 18.

Click for the Growth Charts link

Growth charts use a percent BMI to check health weight in children.

  • Under 5% is underweight.
  • Over 85% is overweight.

It is usually healthy to have lower fat stores.

  • If you are an athlete or body builder you might weigh more, but still be in a healthy zone. You may have more muscle than fat.
  • Older people sometimes lose muscle and bone. Sometimes they replace it with fat.

Fat around your middle can cause health problems.

You can check your waist size. Tell your doctor if you waist size is:

  • Over 35 inches for an adult woman.
  • Over 40 inches for an adult man.
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Why should I keep a healthy weight?

Most people feel better at a healthy weight.

Most bodies work better at a healthy weight.

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How do I keep a healthy weight?

Keep a balance. You need to eat the right foods, eat the right amounts of food and be active.

  • If you change what you eat, you may need to change your activity.
  • When you change your activity, you may also need to change your eating.
  • At different ages, you may need to change your eating and activity.
  • If you have an illness or need medicine, this may change your weight.
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Check your weight.

Make a weight goal with your doctor to decide what is healthy for you. Keep track of your goal and your weight.

  • It may be a good idea to weigh yourself at home. You can pick a time once a week. Many people pick the morning.
  • If you don't have a scale, find a place where you can get a weight once a month. One idea may be at a local drug store or your doctor's office.
  • Some people get upset or worried when they check their weight. If you have this problem, stop checking and talk to your doctor about a different plan.

If your goal is to stay steady, that means you don't want to gain or lose weight.

If your goal is to gain or lose, you can see if you are moving toward your goal.

Remember that changes in weight takes time. Be patient. Work on building good habits.

What do I do if it is hard to reach my goal?

You may need help with learning what types of food can help you gain the weight you need. You may need to change when and what you eat. You may need medicine or special drinks.

You may need help learning ways to change your eating and your activity. You may need to change when and what you eat. You may need to work on new habits. Some people may be able to get help from medicine or even surgery.

Some people have trouble eating all types of healthy foods. If you are fussy about which foods you eat, you may need help. If you don't eat certain foods, like fruits and veggies you may have trouble getting too few vitamins. If you skip eating foods with iron, you may have trouble with a low blood count, or anemia. You may need to work on learning to eat new things. You may need vitamins or extra minerals like iron.

Extra Help for Caregivers

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Download our extra help for caregivers handout on picky eating.

Picky Eating Handout

The first place to start on healthy weight is with your primary care team. They may suggest that you need other help. Here is the team of others who can help you:

Tap to flip the cards.

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Dietician

Dieticians ask you all about what you eat. 

Then they give ideas about how to do better. They may talk to your doctor about ideas for medicines or drinks.

Ask if you need a referral from your doctor.

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Health Coach or Trainer

A trained person to help you pick how you will work on being healthy.

They help you make changes, even when it is hard to do.

Some insurance pays for coaches or trainers. Ask your doctor.

Tap to flip the cards.

female senior doctor

Doctor and Medicine

There are some medicines that might help some people lose or gain weight.

You must still work on being healthy even if you start a medicine.

Some insurance pays for these. Ask your doctor.

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Surgery Doctor

There are types of surgeries to help some people lose weight.

They make you change how you eat.

There are insurance rules about the steps to take before surgery.

Most plans make you work with a dietician firs.