We live in fattening times. Everything in our environment conspires to make us gain weight: inexpensive processed foods, modern conveniences that make physical exertion unnecessary and TV and computers that keep us sedentary for long periods of time. With our environment and culture working against us, it’s becoming harder and harder to heed the experts' advice to maintain a healthy weight throughout life.

 

Weight gain can sneak up on you quickly. In fact, if you consume just 100 calories more than you burn each day, you’ll put on a pound in a little more than a month, and almost 30 pounds in three years.

Once your bathroom scale starts inching upward or your clothes start to fit more snugly it’s time to take action. Losing five or six pounds as soon as they appear is much easier than taking off 30 or 40 pounds down the road.

 

To help prevent weight gain, those people who are a currently in the healthy weight range now should reshape their meals to include a higher proportion oflow-energy-dense foods and commit themselves to greater physical activity.