Weight Management

What is weight management?

Weight management is a term used to describe a combination of nutrition and physical activity methods to maintain or achieve a healthy body weight. The team provides weight-management counseling, including education about nutrition, calorie requirements based on your height and activity level, and suggestions to increase your level of daily physical activity.

The provider takes into account your goals and personal experience with weight management to help you maintain a healthy body weight based on your BMI and waist circumference. She also educates you about healthy food choices, reading nutrition labels, and fitting in exercise.

Weight management is also important if you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant. During pregnancy, your body needs extra calories to support your growing baby, though you should aim to maintain a healthy diet and avoid highly processed or fattening foods. Becoming pregnant can be difficult if you are under or overweight, so the team recommends weight management strategies to help you get pregnant safely.

Why is excess body weight a problem?

Excess body weight is problematic not only because it can wreck your confidence and self-esteem but because it’s also dangerous to your health. Health problems associated with being overweight or obese include:

• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Kidney problems
• Back pain
• Certain types of cancer
• Heart attack

If you need to lose weight, the team helps you develop a plan to lose the weight safely and maintain your weight loss.

How can I lose weight safely?

Losing one to two pounds per week characterizes safe weight loss. Some diets and weight loss strategies advocate losing more weight per week, whether through a crash diet or excess exercise, though these can be dangerous and are more likely to be unsuccessful in the long term.

The team utilizes evidence-based methods to help you lose weight at a safe, steady pace while you make gradual changes to your diet and lifestyle. Depending on your starting point and end goal, the provider outlines a personalized plan for you to lose weight while incorporating foods and activities you enjoy. She also shares resources and ways to find support, which can be critical to the success of your weight loss journey.

If you need help with your weight, call or book an appointment online at Pflugerville OBGYN to get started.