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Eating well and moving more: what to eat more and less of, what can affect your weight, the two kinds of activity, how much, and getting started
For adults who want to eat better and move more, in a way that fits their life. It passes on, by name, what the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK, part of the NIH) says: the foods to have more and less of, easy snacks, what can affect your weight (the world around you, your family, medicines, emotions and sleep), tips for a healthy eating plan and a food diary, the two kinds of physical activity and how much, getting started when you have not moved in a while, fitting it into a busy day, and being good to yourself. It builds the words to say at your next visit, and prints a card. It is about your health, not the size of your body. Nothing is saved.
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Other guides on this site that go with this page
Free to read. We chose these ourselves; no professional did. Each guide was written with AI and has not been reviewed by a professional. They are general information, not advice.
- Eating well and staying active in pregnancy: gaining slowly, what to eat, what to avoid, moving safely, and after the baby: eating well and staying active in pregnancy: gaining weight slowly, what to eat and drink, folate and a prenatal vitamin, what to avoid, staying active safely, and after the baby.
- Helping your child eat well and move more: healthy habits, what to eat and drink, snacks, staying active, screen time, and weight: helping your child eat well and move more: healthy habits together, what to eat and drink, snacks and choking hazards, how much to move at each age, screen time, and loving your child at any weight.
- Food portions: portions and servings, how much is enough for you, reading the label, at home, eating out, and on a tight budget: food portions: the difference between a portion and a serving, servings per container, how much is enough for you, reading the Nutrition Facts label, and tips at home, eating out and when money is tight.
- Take charge of your health, for teens: what to eat and drink, what to have less of, moving more, sleep, and weight: NIDDK’s guide for teenagers: what to eat and drink at 14 to 18, what to have less of, 60 minutes of activity a day, screens, 8 to 10 hours of sleep, worries about weight and what never to try, and changing a habit.
- Myths about food and moving: favorite foods, grains, gluten-free, fats, dairy, eating vegetarian, short bursts of activity, and lifting weights: NIDDK’s eight myths about food and moving: favorite foods, grains, gluten-free, fats, dairy, eating vegetarian, short bursts of activity, and lifting weights, and what it says instead.
- Medicines for weight: who they are for, how they work, the seven medicines, side effects, how long, and cost: prescription medicines for weight, such as semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Zepbound): who they are for, how they work, NIDDK’s table of the seven medicines, side effects, how long to take one, and cost.
- Choosing a weight-loss program: what one is, what to look for, programs online, warning signs, and the questions to ask: choosing a weight-loss program: what a real program is, talking with a health care professional first, what to look for, what an online program should include, the warning signs, and NIDDK’s questions about studies, cost, staff, results and risks.
- Staying active at any size: staying safe, why move, walking, dancing, biking and water, strength and daily life, and getting past roadblocks: staying active at any size: who should check with a health care professional first, the signs to stop and seek help, why moving matters even if your weight doesn’t change, walking, dancing, biking, water workouts, strength, and NIDDK’s ways past the usual roadblocks.
- Weight-loss surgery: what it is, who it may be for, the types, before and after, side effects, and cost: weight-loss surgery: who it may be for, the questions to ask yourself, what it can do and what it can’t promise, the gastric sleeve, bypass, band and duodenal switch, before and after surgery, the side effects, and the cost.
This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). No doctor, nurse or dietitian has reviewed it. The facts were read on October 19, 2026 on NIDDK’s (NIH) page Health Tips for Adults (last reviewed September 2020) and its Spanish page Recomendaciones de salud para los adultos (September 2020), which say the same. The numbers (at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity, 2 ½ hours; at least 3 days a week; 300 minutes; muscle strengthening at least 2 days a week with at least 1 day of rest; 5 minutes at a time, several times a day, 5 to 6 days a week, building to 10 minutes 3 times a day; 10 minutes at a time) are NIDDK’s, and we add none. Ours: “chest pain or pressure that won’t stop, or if you believe it is an emergency, call 911” and 988 (NIDDK names neither on this page); that this page is about your health, not the size of your body; not to stop or change a medicine on your own; that not having enough food is not about your choices; never to skip meals to reach a number; that NIDDK’s activity numbers are a goal, not a test; the questions to ask; the links to our other pages; and the order of the steps. What we left out: NIDDK’s share of adults with obesity, its body mass index ranges and waist sizes, its weight loss goal in percent and pounds, and its advice to cut calories (NIDDK itself says to talk with your health care provider about what a healthy weight is for you); its sample diary and activity log, which we describe; its references; and its links to other sites, which we name. Nothing you tick or type here is saved or sent.