Maintaining a healthy weight is important to well-being. It benefits mental health, energy levels, and sleep quality. It can help slow or prevent joint pain and movement issues. It can also lessen the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and some cancers.
Still, more than 4 in 10 adults in the United States ages 20 and older are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More than 7 in 10 are overweight or obese.
If you’re carrying extra pounds, adopting healthy habits can help you manage your weight. In fact, by losing just 5 to 10 percent of your body weight, you can improve your health and significantly lower your risk of many chronic conditions.
These habits include getting regular physical activity and eating a nutritious diet full of lean proteins, whole grains, healthy fats (like avocado and olive oil), and lots of fruits and vegetables. They can also include setting specific and realistic weight goals and monitoring your progress as you go along.
How tracking supports weight management
Multiple studies have found that using digital tracking tools can help people lose weight and aid in maintaining that loss. Among these tools are websites, wearable devices, mobile apps, and digital scales.
For example, a 2021 analysis published in the journal Obesity looked at 39 studies and found that the closer people tracked their weight management progress using digital health tools, the more weight they tended to lose. Participants typically kept records of their weight, their diets, their physical activity, or some combination of the three.
Why are digital tools effective? Experts believe that seeing data-backed links between healthy behaviors and results helps to reinforce those behaviors. In other words, if taking a 30-minute walk each day corresponds with a healthier weight, a person is more likely to keep taking that walk.
Start with an app
Are you ready to begin tracking? Grab a journal and pen or reach for your smartphone. Sharecare, available for iOS and Android, features a weight tracker. By logging your weight regularly, you can keep an eye on your progress and work towards achieving your weight management goals.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Preventi... + 8
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Healthy Weight and Growth: Steps for Losing Weight. January 17, 2025.
- Ryan DH, Yockey SR. Weight Loss and Improvement in Comorbidity: Differences at 5%, 10%, 15%, and Over. Curr Obes Rep. 2017 Jun;6(2):187-194.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Healthy Weight and Growth: How Overweight and Obesity Impacts Your Health. January 4, 2024.
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention: Strive for a Healthy Weight.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Obesity: Adult Obesity Facts. May 14, 2024.
- Xu R, Bannor R, Cardel MI, Foster GD, Pagoto S. How much food tracking during a digital weight-management program is enough to produce clinically significant weight loss? Obesity (Silver Spring). 2023 Jul;31(7):1779-1786.
- Patel ML, Hopkins CM, et al. Comparing Self-Monitoring Strategies for Weight Loss in a Smartphone App: Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2019 Feb 28;7(2):e12209.
- Nunns M, Febrey S, et al. Evaluation of the Aspects of Digital Interventions That Successfully Support Weight Loss: Systematic Review With Component Network Meta-Analysis. J Med Internet Res. 2025 May 22;27:e65443.
- Mamalaki E, Poulimeneas D, et al. The effectiveness of technology-based interventions for weight loss maintenance: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials with meta-analysis. Obes Rev. 2022 Sep;23(9):e13483.
