Keeping a food diary can give you a better understanding of the number of calories you're consuming each day. Estimate your portions so you can use nutritional information to determine how many calories are included in each of your meals.Keep your food diary for at least a week so you can get a daily average.
Take note of days that seem out of the ordinary and try to figure out why you were consuming so much more (or so much less) on that day than on others. This can help you identify triggers that cause you to overeat.;
, As with your food, it might also be helpful to keep a physical activity diary for a period of at least one week. This can help you determine your average level of physical activity during the day.Be sure to include daily activities as well as dedicated exercise times. For example, if you routinely walk up three flights of stairs to get to your office each morning, this should be included as physical activity. Cleaning the house or walking the dog also are daily physical activities.
You also need to calculate the period of time when you are not active. For example, if you spend four hours a day sitting at your desk at work, this should be included in your physical activity diary.
 Your daily calorie needs depend on your age, sex, and physical activity level. Use your physical activity diary to determine which general category you fall into: sedentary, moderately active, or active.Look for tables or calculators online that will enable you to estimate your daily calorie needs. For example, you can find a table in the dietary guidelines established by the U.S. government, available at https://health.gov/.
Finding a general category will not give you an exact number of calories you must consume each day to maintain a healthy weight, but it will give you a good estimate.
If you find that you are gaining weight despite using this estimate, you can adjust downward by 200 calories until you find the right balance.
 While your goal may be to maintain a healthy weight, your weight may fluctuate between 5 and 10 pounds regularly for a number of different reasons that are unrelated to your eating or physical activity level, such as hormones or stress.The key to maintaining a healthy weight is finding the right balance between the calories you're consuming and the calories your body is burning for fuel. You may not be able to maintain your weight simply by consuming the same amount of calories all the time.
Revisit your calorie calculations once a month or so and make adjustments as necessary. If you find you're gaining or losing weight, you may want to keep a food and physical activity diary for a week. Compare the week's entries to previous weeks you've done and see if you can identify the differences that are causing weight gain or loss.
 Your BMI looks at your percentage of body fat rather than simply your weight, which makes it a better way to gauge whether your weight is in a healthy range for you. If your BMI is too high or too low, you should focus on eating and exercising to gain or lose weight, not to maintain your current weight.The easiest way to calculate your BMI is by using an online chart.Make sure you have accurate height and weight measurements before you begin.
 Even if your BMI is in a relatively healthy range, your waist circumference may be too large. Carrying excess abdominal fat puts you at risk of developing obesity-related conditions such as Type 2 Diabetes and high blood pressure.If your waist circumference is too high, you should diet and exercise to lose more weight around your midsection.


Wrap a tape measure around your waist, just above your hips, while standing. The tape measure should be tight, but not squeezing or pressing into your skin. Make sure it's straight and horizontal around your waist.
Take a deep breath in, then exhale and place your finger on the larger number where the end of the tape reaches. This is your waist circumference. You are at risk for developing obesity-related health conditions if you are a man and your waist circumference is larger than 40 inches (about 101 cm), or if you are a non-pregnant woman and your waist circumference is larger than 35 inches (about 89 cm).
Keep a food diary.
Assess your level of physical activity.
Determine your daily calorie needs.
Adjust your caloric intake as needed.
Calculate your body mass index (BMI).
Measure your waist circumference.
{"src": "wikihow-all_validation", "title": "How to Maintain a Healthy Weight1"}