Weight management is the phrase used to describe both the techniques and underlying physiological processes that contribute to a person’s ability to attain and maintain a certain weight. Most weight management techniques encompass long-term lifestyle strategies that promote healthy eating and daily physical activity.
Because healthy people come in all shapes, sizes, and weights, many weight-management experts now avoid using the term ideal weight—a concept derived from the height-weight tables once used by insurance actuaries—and instead focus on body mass index and waist circumference (or waist-hip ratio). These measurements better represent the degree and/or location of body fat, which is most important in determining health risk.