Dieting is the practice of
eating food in a regulated and supervised fashion to decrease, maintain, or increase body weight. In other words, it is conscious control or restriction of the
diet. Dieting is often used in combination with
physical exercise to
lose weight, commonly in those who are
overweight or
obese. Some people, however, follow a diet to gain weight (usually in the form of
muscle). Diets can also be used to maintain a stable body weight.