You know that you need to lose weight, but how much weight should you lose?

Unfortunately, there really is no hard and fast answer to that.  To a great extent, it's a matter of personal preference.  However, what you should weigh in order to be healthy is another story.

Obesity, or being overweight, can result in premature death and can contribute to many problems, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, breathing problems, arthritis, and problems with pregnancy, labor and delivery for women.

The first, and best, thing to do is to talk with your health care provider about your weight. Together, you can talk about what a healthy weight is for you, based on your height, build (bone size, amount of muscle) and age. You can also use a tool called the Body Mass Index (BMI) to give you a pound range for a healthy weight.

Check out my BMI Calculator in the Tools Section of this site.