How can I improve my eating habits?
" Clean out your cupboards and refrigerators. Remove foods that are not part of your new lifestyle and replace them with healthier foods.
" Avoid eating in between meals.
" If you snack, choose healthier, low-calorie, high-fiber foods.
" Slow down as you eat your meals and chew your food well.
" Avoid fast food restaurants.
" Plan and cook healthy meals with friends.

How to control hunger if your appetite has increased
" Take a walk when you are hungry; the energy used by your digestive system will be transferred to your muscles so you won't feel hungry.
" Eat slowly to give your stomach time to tell your brain that you've had enough food.
" Drink a glass of water or other sugar free beverage.
" Eat a rice cake or half a cup of raw vegetables when you snack.
" Chew sugar-free gum or suck on sugar-free mints.
" Know when boredom is causing you to eat instead of genuine hunger.
" Don't take over-the-counter diet pills or appetite suppressants unless your doctor recommends them.

Eating wisely on a limited budget
" Purchase fruits and vegetables in season.
" Buy larger packages; Use coupons.
" Use freezer storage so that you can buy more of items that are on sale.
" Purchase foods in bulk and store in airtight containers.
" Buy store brands or generic products.
" Watch the pricing between small and large quantities of the same item.
" Have dinner with friends.

Balance the food you eat with physical activity
" Food has calories, which your body uses as energy.
" If you eat more than your body burns the extra calories may be stored as fat.
" If you want to keep the same weight the calories you eat must equal the calories you burn.
" To lose weight, the calories you burn must be more than the calories you eat.

" You can only burn calories with physical activity and exercise.

" Calories In = Calorie Out " : == ' Same Weight '
" Calories In > Calorie Out " : == ' Gain Weight '
" Calories In < Calorie Out " : == ' Lose Weight '

Bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Whether or not a person is overweight depends on their height, body frame and how much they weigh. To help find out whether or not you are over weight, use the following general formulas. Your doctor can help specify a healthy target weight for you.

Women: 100 pounds for the first 5 feet of height. Then, for every inch above that: add 5 pounds. For example: if you are 5'4" tall, your target weight will be about: [100 + 4x5 lb =]: 120 pounds.

Men: 106 pounds for the first 5 feet of height. For every inch above that, add 6 pounds. For Example: if you are 5'11" tall your target weight will probably be about: [106 + 11x6 lb =]: 172 pounds.

If you are large framed, you can add about 10% of total pounds or 12 pounds for women's and 17 pounds for men's examples above. If you are small framed, you can subtract about 10% of the above.

Underweight = Less than 18.5
Normal weight = 18.5 to 24.9
Overweight = 25 - 29.9
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater