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steps should you take to achieve these numbers? Experts recommend estab- lishing healthy eating and physical activity early in life. Lifelong habits are often formed during adolescence, so it’s never too early to start entrenching healthy lifestyle choices. For those who are already overweight or obese, the first thing to do is avoid gaining any additional weight. The next goal should be to shed some of the extra pounds. Although it’s not clear how much weight loss is needed to begin decreasing cancer risk, we have already learned that losing just five percent of body weight can provide significant health benefits. Losing weight is certainly difficult for many people. Numerous diets, programs, and products abound promising weight-loss mir- acles, but don’t be fooled. Most doctors agree that for the majority of people the most successful and healthiest road to weight loss is still a healthy diet and increased exercise. Discussing one’s weight-loss goals and options with a health professional is often the best first step to getting on the road to bet- ter health. Cancer is a scary thing. Most people tense at the mere mention of the “c” word. While experts cannot definitively say why being overweight or obese Research Project Think about different weight-loss diets, and then go online to see which are popular today. Are you noticing a lot of different fad diets, such as the cabbage soup diet? Write down the three diets that interest you the most. Then do some research and find out what experts, scientists, and doctors are saying about these diets. Do they work? Are they healthy? If the professionals do not agree with the diet, see if there are alternatives that they recommend.

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