In addition to working towards a healthier diet, regular physical activity is an important part of your weight loss journey. Being more active on a regular basis ‐ particularly doing the type of exercise you enjoy ‐ can help burn off the excess calories you cannot lose through diet alone and provides lots of health benefits.
It will also keep you motivated and improve your general health and wellbeing ‐ including increasing energy levels and stamina. Those who successfully achieve and maintain a healthy weight therefore tend to combine both healthy eating alongside being more active to improve and maintain their level of fitness.
The key to a healthy diet, at any age, is to eat the right amount of calories for how active you are, so that you balance the energy you consume with the energy you use. If you eat or drink too much, you'll put on weight. You need to eat a wide range of foods to ensure that you're getting a balanced diet and that your body is receiving all the nutrients it needs. Most adults are eating more calories than they need, and should eat fewer calories which is why raising awareness of calorie intake is crucial.
One of the first milestones to reach is coming to a clear decision and recognition that you not only want to lose weight but that you're ready to now do something about it, albeit gradually at first if this is more realistic. There are many different ways to tackle this and it's easy to feel bombarded by too much information ‐ including TV and radio adverts ‐ so the following offers 8 simple, top tips aimed at helping you in your journey towards achieving or maintaining a healthy weight.
It is better to introduce the recommended lifestyle and routine changes gradually over a period you feel comfortable with, rather than trying to make what could feel like radical changes, too quickly ‐ try choosing one or two to start with then add a further two when you feel ready.
1 Reach out within your network and team up with others who share the same aims ‐ this support network and taking action towards losing weight alongside friends, family members or like-minded members of your local community can be a great motivator for anyone thinking about introducing a more healthy diet, becoming more active or (ideally) both. You may have a family member or friend who has lost weight and who understands how you're feeling and what you're aiming to achieve ‐ this person could be your inspiration. You can also look for inspirational blogs or stories about people who have successfully lost weight.
2 Find an activity you enjoy and are able to gradually fit into your routine ‐ ideally teaming up with others who can support you and where possible, making full use of Hounslow's outdoor spaces (OurParks Hounslow). Your choice of regular activity can then be planned in advance and incorporated as an ongoing part of your weekly schedule.
3 Put together a weekly healthy eating plan (including high fibre foods) & learn how to count calories on the plan ‐ this will help you plan ahead to ensure healthy meals throughout the week including also specifying total calories for each meal (regularly checking food label calorie information). This will help to raise your awareness of daily calorie intake and as you get better at monitoring this over time, it will enable you to reduce excess calorie intake and stay within the recommended daily calorie allowance:
• Men are recommended to have around 2,500 calories a day (10,500 kilojoules).
• Women should have around 2,000 calories a day (8,400 kilojoules).
4 Download the NHS weight loss guide & Easy Meals app ‐ a free 12-week diet and exercise plan:
• Easy Meals app App Store and Google Play
5 Work out how much weight you need to / want to lose & Set some realistic weekly targets ‐ these should cover both exercise targets and targets for reducing daily calorie intake.
6 Cut down on alcohol and start to count and monitor your weekly calorie intake from alcohol. Find out more about the calories in alcohol
7 Reduce your intake of sugar-sweetened drinks including squash and fizzy drinks with a high sugar content. This could start with switching to having sugar-free drinks, lower-fat milks or still or sparkling water at mealtimes.
8 Stock up on a range of healthy snacks ‐ if you do feel the need to snack between (healthy) meals, it's far better to do this with tasty snacks that are healthy. Healthier snacks include: fresh fruit, low-fat and lower-sugar yogurt with fruit, plain rice cakes or crackers with lower-fat cheese, unsalted nuts and seeds, veggie sticks with lower-fat dips such as reduced-fat hummus and salsa, malt loaf, fruit loaf or a currant bun, crumpets and scotch pancakes (visit Coach)
It's important to keep in mind how gaining weight, remaining overweight or being obese can often bring about one or more health problems, both physical and mental.
Being overweight or obese increases your risk of developing serious diseases. Information from The British Heart Foundation outlines evidence suggesting that being overweight also increases risk of severe illness or death from Covid-19. So there's never been a better time to lose weight. Gaining weight is often a gradual process that can cause pressure to build up around vital organs, making it harder for the body to fight against cancer and heart disease (visit www.nhs.uk/better-health/).
If you're overweight or obese, you have a higher risk of:
The risks of developing these diseases increases the more overweight you are.
Obesity can also affect your quality of life and lead to psychological problems, such as depression and low self-esteem. Ideally it is better to avoid becoming overweight by eating healthily and exercising regularly and maintaining this throughout life (British Nutrition Foundation).
Even a modest weight loss of 5 to 10 percent of your total body weight is likely to produce health benefits, such as improvements in blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugars.
Public Health England (PHE) and the UK government recently launched the Better Health campaign to help people lose weight. Locally, obesity alone is thought to account for around 80-85% of the risk of developing Diabetes Type 2, an increasing problem in the borough of Hounslow.
Food consumption data shows that healthy eating guidance is not followed by most people in the borough, with less than half eating there commended fruit and vegetable levels.
You can find out if you're overweight by calculating your body mass index (BMI). This shows whether you're a healthy weight for your height.
www.healthline.com offers a number of helpful tips to increase motivation to lose weight:
This will help you stay committed and motivated to reach your weight loss goals ‐ try and re-read what you've written down every day to remind yourself and reinforce your reasons for wanting to lose weight
To boost feelings of achievement and prevent burn out. Just a moderate amount of weight loss of 5‐10% can have a major impact on your health.
Avoid focusing only on outcome goals which can lead to disappointment and decrease your motivation.
I will walk briskly for 30 minutes five days next week. I will eat four servings of vegetables every day this week. I will only drink one soda this week.
Pick an eating plan that you can stick to long term and avoid extreme or quick-fix diets.
Research shows that those who make a verbal commitment are more likely to follow through with their goals (NCBI). Telling others about your weight loss goals will help you stay accountable and motivated
People who have positive expectations and feel confident in their ability to achieve their goals tend to lose more weight. Start talking positively about your weight loss and also talk more and more about what specific positive steps you are going to take, and when ‐ remembering to make sure you are realistic, with the aim of building up your routine changes gradually.
Keeping a food journal can help you measure progress, identify triggers and hold yourself accountable. You can use a website or app as a tool for tracking as well.
For example, if you met your goal of exercising four days a week, plan a movie night with friends. Avoid rewarding yourself with food.
For other local support available to help you live a healthier life including getting more active and eating well visit One You Hounslow
