A Healthy Weight for Life
Being a healthy weight can be a challenge, but the benefits are huge. Benefits in terms of staying well, feeling better about yourself, having more energy, and being able to do all those little things that gradually get taken away by an expanding waistline.
Losing 5 to 10 percent of your weight can lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol levels, and help protect against diabetes and cancer.Losing weight and keeping it off is about eating well, moving more, and instilling lifelong healthy habits.
Crash or fad diets come and go, often leaving you to regain even more weight than when you started. Although the promised miracle fix has its appeal, it’s an empty promise that just helps make its promoter rich.
Instead, think about the small changes you can start making every day that will not only help you manage your weight, but also be healthier so that you can get the most out of life. You’ve probably heard the basic formula for managing weight before. It’s about balancing the energy (kilojoules/calorie) you consume through food and drinks with the energy that you burn off through keeping your body alive and physical activity. To lose weight, consume less energy than you burn off.
The main ways to do this are: Choose healthier foods Eat a bit less of most things (except vegetables and fruit) Move more It’s easier if you have a bit of support, so get your family and friends on board. You might even inspire them to manage their weight. For some help setting goals, take a look at our free Taking Control: My Plan for Heart Health book. How do I know if I need to lose weight? One way of calculating if you are within a healthy weight range is to know your body mass index (BMI). BMI is calculated from a person's weight and height. It is used as a tool to identify possible weight problems in adults.