Track your progress with MyHealth

Want to lose weight and keep it off? Experts say the most successful way to do so is by making a series of small lifestyle changes. These changes will make a big difference in helping you achieve a healthier weight and maintaining it over time. Let MyHealth OnLine help you make changes — use our tools to track your weight, food intake, and physical activity.

Weekly weight check
Most experts recommend a weekly weight check. Paying attention to the scale too frequently can distract you from the behaviors that will help you lose weight. On the other hand, weighing in less often means you might miss valuable feedback that will help keep you on track.

Tracking your food intake
Seeing what you eat each day gives you the information you need to set small realistic goals to improve your eating habits. One easy way to do this is to use an electronic food diary. Looking at a week’s record of your eating behavior can help you to see habits and problem areas and note opportunities for improvement. This will help you make reasonable changes that are easier to maintain. Small changes maintained over time add up to big successes.

Tracking your activity
The activity log illustrates your true activity level and can motivate you to get up and get moving. Start out by wearing a pedometer and tracking your daily steps in the activity log. Then, find ways to add more steps to your day. Consider parking farther away from your workplace, grocery store, or shopping mall. You could also try taking the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible.

To use the trackers, go to upmchealthplan.com and log in to MyHealth OnLine. Then select “MyHealth Trackers.” Remember, a few small steps each week can add up to a lifetime of good health.