Weight Control

​Maintaining healthy eating habits will help you:

• Manage transition-related stress
• Prevent unwanted post-retirement weight gain
• Improve your performance and quality of life as you age
• Reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and other debilitating diseases
• Protect your immune system

It’s never too late to practice healthy eating. Aim to improve your eating habits by controlling your portions, choosing nutrient-dense foods, planning, and preparing meals ahead of time, and snacking smart.

As a service member, meeting body composition standards is a job requirement. Beyond that, maintaining a healthy body fat percentage is critical for optimal performance and good overall health. Managing weight is more than going on a diet or upping the amount of physical activity. Weight loss and weight loss maintenance is a bit more complicated and requires behavior modification and commitment to a lifestyle change.

Note: Only intensive counseling has been effective in achieving long-term weight control. Intensive counseling is defined as multiple face-to-face (virtual or in-person) sessions over a period of time.

General weight loss tips

• Set reasonable, achievable and measurable goals. Write them down and post them where you see them every day.
  
• Weigh yourself at least once a couple times a week. Weigh the same time each day, preferably first thing in the morning, and use the same scale. Track your progress.
  
• Replace junk food in your diet with healthier foods—whole grains, fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats from foods like nuts and seeds.
  
• Don’t skip meals and keep healthy snacks like fruits and vegetables handy.
  
• Drink 2 cups of water right before a meal. This helps you feel full and may help reduce caloric intake.
  
• Listen to your body. Eat when you feel the first pangs of hunger. Stop as soon as you start to feel satisfied (neither full nor hunger).
  
• Eat slowly. Taking at least 20 minutes to eat gives your “fullness signal” a chance to kick in.
  
• Reduce the number of times you eat foods prepared away from home. Pack your lunch and cook dinner at home.
  
• Reduce calories by decreasing portions a little at each meal. Decrease high calorie food and increase lower calorie foods like vegetables. Try eating on a 10-inch plate or smaller.
  
• Learn how to read and interpret food labels.

FIT for Performance! Powered by Performance Triad

A scientifically based lifestyle and behavior modification program designed to help Soldiers:

• Lose weight and/or meet their body fat standard as outlined in AR 600-9, Army Body Composition Program
  
• Maximize military readiness and job performance
  
• Lower risk of weight-related disease
  
• Look and feel better
  
• Find more information at Army Public Health Center - Fit for Performance 
  

How to maintain weight loss

• Balance the number of calories that you eat and drink with your activity level.
• Avoid extreme diets or drastic weight loss. Rapid weight loss often leads to a loss of lean muscle mass, a slower metabolism and poor health.
• Eat better while eating less - limit portion sizes to control calorie intake.
• Be as physically active as you can be.
• Talk to your health care provider or registered dietitian if you have concerns about your weight.
• Keep your eating patterns consistent. Try to eat meals and snacks at roughly the same time each day.
• Eat breakfast every day.
• Don’t skip meals. Plan ahead and keep healthy snacks handy.
• Build exercise into your daily routine. Regular exercise helps prevent weight re-gain.
• Weigh yourself a couple of times a week
  
• Keep a food diary. Evaluate your calorie intake at least once every two weeks.
• Stay committed to a healthy diet. Use your food diary to evaluate your daily nutrition choices.
• Minimize screen time. This promotes sitting and inactivity. Commit to moving more and sitting less throughout the day.
• Exercise at least an hour a day, almost every day. Spice it up by trying different activities.
• Watch your calorie intake because as your body becomes smaller, it burns fewer calories. Reassess calorie needs every few months.
• Eat a variety of foods from all the food groups to get the nutrients you need. A well-balanced diet will help keep you healthy and your weight in check. Try and choose foods from at least 3–4 food groups at each meal and snack.