Jump to content

  • Set Your Location
  • Sign in or Enroll
Set Your LocationSet Your Location
  • Sign in or Enroll
    • Open I want to choose my medical group or hospital
    • Clear my location
Change Location
Sutter Health
  • Video Visits
  • Find Doctors
  • Find Locations
  • Treatments & Services
    • Video Visits
    • Find Doctors
    • Find Locations
    • Treatments & Services
    • COVID-19 Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Symptom Checker
    • Get Care Today
    • Health & Wellness
    • Classes & Events
    • Research & Clinical Trials
    • For Patients
    • About Sutter Health
    • Giving
    • Volunteering
    • Careers
    • News
    • For Medical Professionals
    • Other Business Services
Close Search
  • Home
  • Ask an Expert
  • Where to Start in Losing Weight?
Content

Ask An Expert

Where to Start in Losing Weight?

Ask the Expert Team

Ask the Expert Team

Sutter Health

Question:

I am 51 years old and weigh 256 lbs. I have several medical problems, including knee pain. I also sit all day in my job and my long commute. I want to lose weight - where do I start?

Answer:

Losing weight and becoming more active are fantastic goals! If you are mostly sedentary and knee pain is an issue for you, then I would start exercising with simple walking. Research shows that just 30 minutes a day of walking can reduce the risk of premature death, heart disease and diabetes. Once you feel comfortable walking for thirty minutes, you can try to slowly increase the amount of time you walk or speed up the pace you walk.

I almost always recommend keeping a food diary when you are thinking of adjusting your diet. People tend to be more successful when they try to make one or two changes at a time. If you try to change too many things, it can become overwhelming and hard to stick with. When you do a food diary, you can see if there are some simple things to change or patterns you can work on. Food diaries can help point out, for example, if are you getting a lot of extra calories from beverages, or if it seems like you always want to snack before lunch or before bedtime. You can then take your food diary into your primary care doctor and you can confer about one or two goals for you to start working on.

Related Questions

Question
  • Metabolism and Weight Loss
    I have successfully lost weight this year (almost 60 pounds), but now the scale won't move anymore. It is like my metabolism has acclimated to the diet. what can I do?
  • Healthy Calorie Intake to Lose Weight
    How do I compute my basic healthy calorie intake? What are some basic facts about how many calories a person needs to burn to lose weight?
  • Weight Loss Plateau
    My body seems to have found its favorite weight and its hard to budge it from there. Do people have a normal weight for their body, despite media pressure to be thinner or heavier?
  • Weight Loss Plan to Lose 100 Lbs
    Can you recommend a weight loss program for someone who is 100 lbs overweight and has been unsuccessful many times?
  • Natural ways to lower blood pressure?
    I'm a 41-year-old woman who exercises regularly and eats healthy food. High cholesterol and high blood pressure run in my family. My blood pressure is borderline high. Are there natural ways to lower blood pressure without medications?

Back to Fitness

The Sutter Health Network of Care
Expertise to fit your needs
Primary Care

Check-ups, screenings and sick visits for adults and children.

Specialty Care

Expertise and advanced technologies in all areas of medicine.

Emergency Care

For serious accidents, injuries and conditions that require immediate medical care.

Urgent Care

After-hours, weekend and holiday services.

Walk-In Care

Convenient walk-in care clinics for your non-urgent health needs.

  • Contact Us
  • Find Doctors
  • Find Locations
  • Request Medical Records
  • Make a Gift
Sign in to My Health Online

Billing and Insurance

  • Pay a Bill
  • Accepted Health Plans
  • Estimate Costs
  • Medicare Advantage

About Sutter

  • About Our Network
  • Community Benefit
  • Annual Report
  • News

Our Team

  • For Employees
  • For Medical Professionals
  • For Vendors
  • For Volunteers

Careers

  • Jobs at Sutter
  • Physician Jobs
  • Graduate Medical Education

Copyright © 2023 Sutter Health. All rights reserved. Sutter Health is a registered trademark of Sutter Health ®, Reg. U.S. Patent & Trademark office.

  • ADA Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • LinkedIn Opens new window
  • YouTube Opens new window
  • Facebook Opens new window
  • Twitter Opens new window
  • Instagram Opens new window
  • Glassdoor Opens new window

Cookie Policy

We use cookies to give you the best possible user experience. By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Privacy Policy Cookie Preferences

Privacy Policy Cookie Preferences