Causes of unhealthy weight
To survive as a species, humans have become efficient at storing energy from food as fat, a mechanism built into our genes to prepare for times of food shortage.
Food is not scarce in most countries today. In fact, it is too available and is very energy dense (full of calories) – but our bodies have not been able to adapt to this change. We just keep on storing fat.
On top of this are the many fizzy drinks and other foods with really high sugar levels – one regular size can of drink might contain 9 teaspoons of sugar. Most if not all of it gets turned into fat.
Unhealthy weight leads to serious health conditions
Being too heavy increases your risk of many serious health conditions, including:
- type 2 diabetes
- high blood pressure
- high cholesterol levels
- coronary heart disease and stroke
- metabolic syndrome – a combination of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity
- several types of cancer
- gout
- gallstones
- reduced fertility
- osteoarthritis
- sleep apnoea – interrupted breathing during sleep, causing daytime sleepiness
- liver disease and kidney disease
- pregnancy complications.
Being significantly above your healthy weight reduces life expectancy by an average of 3 to 10 years, depending on how far above it you are. But even if you are well above ideal weight you can lower some important disease risks by reducing your weight by just 10% or even 5%.
Achieving a healthy weight
There is no ‘magic bullet’ to weight loss. You’ll need to take the long-term view, taking care that the changes you make are ones you can stick with. Some experts recommend losing 0.5kg a week is a realistic target.
As well as a sound plan, it’s important you start when you have personal motivation for change. You might have a particular goal or need support from family/whānau and others around you, and to ask yourself how your good health or poor health affects them as well.
Your doctor will tell you whether your plan looks realistic and provide advice and encouragement.
There are two real keys to weight loss: improved diet and more exercise.
There are some ‘easy wins’ you can take advantage of when starting to lose weight on a healthier diet, including:
- cutting out takeaway meals
- replacing biscuits or cakes with fruit/vegetable snacks
- cutting out or down alcohol (it is high in calories)
- avoiding sugary soft drinks
- sticking to a balanced, healthy diet – it gives better results than fad or ‘crash’ diets, which are hard to stick with
- planning meals and snacks for your day so the vending machine does not hijack your healthy intentions.
Over the weeks, try not to focus only on the scales. Think about how your healthier food choices mean your clothes feel looser, your energy levels are improving and maybe your mood is improving.
Diet is the main part but exercise also helps you lose weight. First, check with your doctor it is safe for you to exercise. Then start slowly, from 15 minutes of moderate exercise building up to more sustained activity that really gets you breathing hard. Soon you’ll be putting in the effort most days.
The main thing is to find something you enjoy and can do. Swimming is good if you have some joint pain as the water takes your weight.
Tips for success
Get good advice so you start off with a recommended weight loss plan.
Break your old habits one by one and form new healthier ones.
Be mindful – eat slowly and pay attention to your eating, without distractions such as phones or TV.
If you’ve a bad day or week where all of your healthy eating plans fell over, don’t give up. It does not mean you’ve failed.
Talk to your doctor about any related medical problems and whether there is any dietary or counselling advice that would help you.
