Walking is free, low-impact and easy to fit into the day, which is why it’s one of the most effective activities for long-term weight management. On its own it leads to modest weight loss, but combined with changes to eating it makes a real difference, and it’s one of the strongest habits linked to keeping weight off.

How much should you walk?

• US guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes a week of moderate activity, such as 30 minutes of brisk walking on 5 days.
• For weight loss and keeping it off, more is better. Many people aim for 200 to 300 minutes a week.
• In step terms, research links around 7,000 to 10,000 steps a day with a lower risk of early death and heart disease. If you currently do 3,000, adding even 2,000 steps is worthwhile.

How many calories does walking burn?

As a rough guide, walking burns about 80 to 100 calories per mile, more if you weigh more or walk uphill. That’s why walking works best alongside eating changes: one muffin can cancel out a 3-mile walk.

Make your walks count

• Walk briskly: fast enough that you can talk but not sing.
• Add hills or stairs to increase the effort.
• Try intervals: alternate 2 minutes fast with 2 minutes at a normal pace.
• Walk after meals. A 10 to 15 minute walk after eating helps lower blood sugar spikes.
• Add strength exercises twice a week to protect muscle.

A simple 4-week plan to start

• Week 1: 10 minutes a day at a comfortable pace.
• Week 2: 15 to 20 minutes a day, a little faster.
• Week 3: 25 minutes a day, including some brisk stretches.
• Week 4: 30 minutes a day, most of it brisk.

Tips to keep going

• Use a phone or watch to track steps.
• Walk with a friend, or listen to podcasts.
• Build walking into your day: walk to the shops, take calls on foot, get off the bus a stop early.
• Wear comfortable, supportive shoes.

Check with a doctor first if

You have heart disease, chest pain on exertion, uncontrolled blood pressure, or joint problems that make walking painful. For sore knees, see our guide to diclofenac gel for joint pain.

See also: how to lose weight safely.

More in our Weight Management guide: all our articles on this topic in one place.

This article is for general information only and isn’t a substitute for advice from a doctor or pharmacist. Always read the label before using any medicine.

Protein is the most filling of the three main nutrients. Eating enough of it helps you feel satisfied on fewer calories and protects muscle while you lose weight, which matters for strength and long-term weight maintenance.

Why protein helps

• It keeps you fuller for longer, so you’re less likely to snack between meals.
• It protects muscle. When you eat less, the body can break down muscle as well as fat. Protein, together with strength exercise, limits this.
• It takes more energy to digest than carbohydrate or fat, although the effect is small.

How much do you need?

The basic recommendation for adults is 0.8 g of protein per kg of body weight a day (about 0.36 g per pound). Studies on weight loss often use higher amounts, around 1.2 to 1.6 g per kg, especially for older adults and people doing strength training.

A simpler approach for most people is to include a palm-sized portion of protein at every meal, roughly 25 to 30 g.

Spread it through the day

Many people eat little protein at breakfast and most of it at dinner. Spreading it evenly across meals helps with fullness and muscle. Swapping a pastry breakfast for eggs or Greek yogurt is an easy start.

Good sources

• Eggs: about 6 g per egg
• Greek yogurt: about 15 to 20 g per cup
• Chicken, turkey and lean meat: about 25 to 30 g per 100 g cooked
• Fish and canned tuna: about 20 to 25 g per 100 g
• Beans, lentils and chickpeas: about 15 g per cooked cup, plus fibre
• Tofu and tempeh: about 10 to 20 g per 100 g
• Cottage cheese: about 25 g per cup

Choose mostly lean and plant sources, and limit processed meats such as bacon and sausages.

What about protein shakes?

Shakes are convenient but not necessary. Whole foods are more filling and bring other nutrients. If you use one, check the label for added sugar.

Who should be careful

If you have kidney disease, talk to your doctor before increasing protein, as you may need to limit it.

See also: how to lose weight safely and getting past a weight-loss plateau.

More in our Weight Management guide: all our articles on this topic in one place.

This article is for general information only and isn’t a substitute for advice from a doctor or pharmacist. Always read the label before using any medicine.

Pinworms (threadworms) are the most common worm infection in the US. They’re especially common in children aged 5 to 10 and spread easily within families. They’re harmless in most cases and easy to treat, but reinfection is common unless everyone follows a few hygiene steps.

Symptoms

• An itchy bottom, especially at night, when female worms lay eggs around the anus.
• Disturbed sleep, restlessness and irritability.
• In girls, itching around the vagina.
• Small white thread-like worms, about the length of a staple, may be seen around the bottom or in stools.

Many people have no symptoms at all.

How it spreads

Scratching transfers tiny eggs to fingers and under nails, and from there to the mouth, food, toys, bedding and surfaces. Eggs can survive for up to 2 to 3 weeks indoors.

The tape test

A doctor may ask you to press clear sticky tape against the skin around the anus first thing in the morning, before washing or using the toilet, on 3 mornings in a row. The tape is then checked for eggs.

Over-the-counter treatment

• Pyrantel pamoate (sold as Pin-X and Reese’s Pinworm Medicine) is available without a prescription for adults and children aged 2 and over.
• It’s taken as a single dose based on body weight. Follow the dosing chart on the pack.
• A second dose 2 weeks later is often recommended, because the first dose doesn’t kill eggs.
• Ask a doctor before using it in children under 2 or weighing under 25 lb, in pregnancy or while breastfeeding, or if you have liver disease.

Prescription options include mebendazole and albendazole.

Treat the whole household

Because eggs spread so easily, doctors usually advise treating everyone in the home at the same time, even those without symptoms.

Hygiene to stop reinfection

• Wash hands with soap after using the toilet, before eating and after changing nappies.
• Keep fingernails short and discourage nail biting and thumb sucking.
• Shower or bathe each morning to remove eggs laid overnight.
• Change underwear and pyjamas daily, and wash bedding and towels in hot water. Don’t shake them out first.
• Wipe down toilet seats, door handles and toys.

Keep up these steps for at least 2 weeks after treatment.

See a doctor if

Symptoms continue after two doses, you’re pregnant, a child under 2 is affected, or there’s stomach pain, weight loss or blood in the stools.

Related guide: Pyrantel for pinworms: dose, how to use it and treating the whole family

More in our Lice and Parasites guide: all our articles on this topic in one place.

This article is for general information only and isn’t a substitute for advice from a doctor or pharmacist. Always read the label before using any medicine.

Scabies is an itchy skin infestation caused by a tiny mite that burrows into the top layer of skin. It spreads through prolonged skin-to-skin contact, so it often passes between family members, partners and people in care homes. It is very treatable, but everyone affected needs treating at the same time.

Symptoms

• Intense itching, usually worse at night.
• A rash of small red bumps, often between the fingers, on the wrists, elbows, armpits, waist, buttocks and genitals.
• Thin, wavy burrow lines on the skin, especially on the hands.
• In babies and young children, the rash can also affect the scalp, face, palms and soles.

The first time someone gets scabies, symptoms take 2 to 6 weeks to appear, but they can spread it during that time. If they get it again, symptoms start within a few days.

How scabies is treated

Scabies needs a diagnosis and prescription treatment from a doctor in the US. The main options are:

• Permethrin 5% cream: applied to the whole body from the neck down (including the scalp in young children), left on for 8 to 14 hours, then washed off. A second treatment is usually given 7 to 14 days later.
• Ivermectin tablets: sometimes prescribed instead, usually as two doses about a week apart. A doctor works out the dose from body weight. Read more about ivermectin and its uses.
• Other prescription creams and lotions are available if these aren’t suitable.

Over-the-counter head lice products don’t treat scabies.

Treat close contacts at the same time

Everyone in the household and any sexual partners should be treated on the same day, even if they don’t itch yet. Otherwise the mites can pass back and forth.

Cleaning at home

• Wash clothes, towels and bedding used in the 3 days before treatment in hot water and dry them on high heat.
• Seal items that can’t be washed in a plastic bag for at least 3 days. Mites die within 2 to 3 days away from human skin.
• Vacuum carpets and furniture. Insecticide sprays aren’t needed.

Why the itch can last after treatment

Itching often continues for 2 to 4 weeks after successful treatment, because the skin is still reacting to the dead mites. This doesn’t mean the treatment failed. A moisturiser, and an antihistamine such as cetirizine at night, can help.

See a doctor again if

New burrows or new spots appear after 2 weeks, the itching is getting worse after 4 weeks, or the skin looks infected (yellow crusts, pus, spreading redness). A thick, crusted rash, especially in older or immunocompromised people, can be crusted scabies, which is highly contagious and needs urgent medical treatment.

Related guide: Permethrin 1% vs 5%: head lice and scabies explained

More in our Lice and Parasites guide: all our articles on this topic in one place.

This article is for general information only and isn’t a substitute for advice from a doctor or pharmacist. Always read the label before using any medicine.

Almost everyone who loses weight reaches a point where the scale stops moving, often after a few months. It’s normal, and it doesn’t mean your plan has failed.

Why plateaus happen

• A smaller body needs less energy. As you lose weight, the calories that used to create a deficit may now just maintain your new weight.
• Your body adapts. Metabolism slows a little more than weight loss alone explains, and hunger hormones rise.
• Habits drift. Portions creep up, snacks return and tracking stops, often without noticing.
• Water shifts. Salt, hormones, a hard workout or constipation can hide fat loss on the scale for a week or two.

First, check it’s a real plateau

Weight naturally goes up and down by a few pounds from day to day. Weigh at the same time each morning and look at the trend over 3–4 weeks. Measuring your waist can show progress the scale misses.

How to get moving again

• Track again for 2 weeks. Write down everything, including drinks, oils and weekend meals.
• Prioritise protein and vegetables to stay full on fewer calories.
• Add strength training 2–3 times a week to protect muscle.
• Increase everyday movement. Adding steps through the day is often easier than longer workouts.
• Cut liquid calories and look at alcohol.
• Sleep 7+ hours and manage stress, which both affect appetite.
• Make small changes, around 100–200 calories a day, rather than slashing food. Very low calorie diets increase muscle loss and rebound weight gain.

Maintenance is a success too

Keeping off the weight you’ve lost is a real achievement, and it brings most of the health benefits. Some people find their body settles at a weight that’s higher than their original goal but healthier and easier to maintain.

When to see a doctor

See a doctor if you’ve been stuck for several months despite consistent changes, if you have symptoms such as tiredness, feeling cold or hair thinning (which can point to an underactive thyroid), or to discuss whether weight-loss medicine is right for you.

See also: how to lose weight safely.

More in our Weight Management guide: all our articles on this topic in one place.

This article is for general information only and isn’t a substitute for advice from a doctor or pharmacist. Always read the label before using any medicine.