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Maintain a Healthy Weight

 

There are two tried-and-true ways to lose weight, which may help prevent heart attack or stroke: follow a healthy diet and exercise more.

Lose weight gradually

If you are overweight, loss of 5% to 15% of your body weight may improve your health, ability to function, and quality of life and may help prevent heart attack or stroke. Aim to lose about 10% of your weight over about 6 months. This would be 20 pounds of weight loss for someone who weighs 200 pounds. Loss of ½ to 2 pounds per week is usually safe. Even if you have regained weight in the past, it’s worthwhile to try again. To help prevent heart attack or stroke, get your doctor’s recommendations—your doctor can give you advice that puts weight loss in the context of your whole health picture.

Weight-loss programs

Each day we see several ads for commercial weight-loss programs. If you feel that a program is right for you, the National Institutes of Health suggests some criteria you might want to consider.

Does the program...
  • Reduce calories but not rule out specific foods or food groups?
  • Include regular physical activity and/or exercise instruction?
  • Give tips on healthy behavior changes that also consider your cultural needs?
  • Advocate a slow and steady weight loss of about ¾ to 2 pounds per week and not more than 3 pounds per week?
  • Incorporate a plan to keep the weight off after you have lost it?

Other factors to consider are cost (the total cost of the program and products/food), the qualifications of the staff (if applicable), the availability of expert counselors, oversight of the program by a medical professional, and willingness to work with your personal health-care provider.

Here are some tips that may help you lose weight:
  1. Gradual changes in eating habits have a better chance of leading to permanent lifestyle change, which may help prevent heart attack or stroke.
  2. If you’re eating out, choose small portion sizes, share an entree with a friend, or take part of the food home (if you can chill it right away).
  3. Limit fat intake, especially saturated fat—it’s the worst kind for your body.
  4. Know what you are eating. Read the nutrition facts label on all the packaged food you buy.
  5. Check product labels to learn how much food is considered to be a serving, and how many calories and grams of fat are in it. You might be surprised at what counts as a full serving!
  6. Be especially careful to limit portion size of foods high in calories, such as cookies, cakes, other sweets, french fries, fats, oils, and spreads.
  7. Losing as little as 5% of your body weight may reduce your health risk if you are overweight and may help prevent a heart attack or stroke.

Remember, your doctor is the single best source of information to help prevent heart attack or stroke. Please consult your doctor if you have any questions about your health or your medicines, or before starting any diet program.

What to do next: Quit smoking

PLAVIX is a prescription medicine recommended for people who have suffered from a recent heart attack or recent stroke or have been diagnosed with Peripheral Artery Disease, or P.A.D. (also known as poor circulation in the legs).

Did You Know?

Research shows that people who have P.A.D. face a 4 times greater risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke than the general population and a 2 times greater risk of having a stroke than the general population.

Important Safety Information: If you have a stomach ulcer or other condition that causes bleeding you should not use PLAVIX. Taking PLAVIX alone or with some other medicines including aspirin may increase bleeding risk. Tell your doctor before planning surgery or taking aspirin or other medicines with PLAVIX, especially if you've had a stroke. Some medicines that are used to treat heartburn or stomach ulcers, like Prilosec, may affect how PLAVIX works, so tell your doctor if you are taking other medicines. If fever, unexplained weakness or confusion develops, tell your doctor promptly. These may be signs of TTP, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition, reported sometimes less than 2 weeks after starting PLAVIX. Other rare but serious side effects may occur.

Click here for full prescribing information.

Remember, your doctor is the single best source of information regarding your health.
Please consult your doctor if you have any questions about your health or your medicine.

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Please note:

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Squibb/Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Partnership site.

The Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Partnership does not review the information on this Web site and/or database for content, accuracy or completeness. Use of and access to this information is subject to the terms, limitations and conditions set by the Web site and/or database producer.

The Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Partnership makes no representation as to the accuracy or any other aspect of the information contained on such Web site and/or database, nor does Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Partnership necessarily endorse such Web site and/or database.

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