Obesity increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and strokes. Losing 5% of your body weight can improve heart disease risk factors, namely blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and obstructive sleep apnea.
The plan should include smoking cessation, increasing physical activity and overall daily steps while eating a healthy diet. Choose to eat nutrient dense foods over ultra-processed foods. Choose monounsaturated fats or polyunsaturated fats while avoiding saturated and trans fats. Plan ahead and create daily menus.
Heart healthy lifestyle behaviors that are important for promoting cardiovascular health are the same lifestyle behaviors important for maintaining a healthy weight.
