Achieving a healthy weight can help you
Living with a healthy weight can have a positive impact on your life. Your reasons for wanting to lose weight may include feeling healthier, lighter, having more energy, better mobility or better sleep.
If you are above a healthy weight, then losing 5 to 10% of your body weight can be achievable. This can help to reduce your risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer and may improve your blood pressure and cholesterol.
How do I achieve a healthy weight?
Managing your weight is a long-term process and it’s important to remember that there is no quick fix. The best approach is a solution that works for you and fits into your routine and lifestyle.
Self-monitoring, for example, weighing yourself and recording what you eat, your activity levels, and how you feel might be helpful for you during your healthy weight journey. You might want to keep a note of the changes to your shape, around your middle, legs, and chest or how your clothes fit.
When you lose weight, try to aim for 1-2lbs (0.5kg-1kg) per week. Remember, there will be times when your weight loss slows down or stays the same. People who lose weight slowly over a long-term period are more likely to manage their weight successfully.
How you lose weight is personal to you so choose changes that work for you, this may be what you eat or drink, portion sizes or activity levels.
The journey to a healthy weight
Many things can get in the way of losing weight and our home, work, or social lives can make it harder to make healthy changes so you might want to think about who or what could support you with your journey.
Remember that long-term weight change takes time and practice. The challenges of day-to-day life will get in the way now and again. If you experience a setback, try not to view it as a failure. Getting back on track is a normal part of successful long-term weight management.
Remember, it is possible to lose weight and keep it off with the right long-term changes. A good way to maintain weight loss in the long term is by setting realistic goals and developing ways to manage lapses.
