The last 10 years has seen an increasing recognition of the importance of obesity in the UK adult population. Obesity causes an estimated 19 million sick days and 30,000 deaths a year in England alone. Government figures show that more than half of all adults in the UK are heavier than the healthy recommended weight. Two in five adults are now classed as overweight and a further one in five as obese. It has been estimated that by 2010 there will be more than 12 million adults and one million children in England who will be obese if no action is taken.

Assessing if You are a Healthy Weight

You can use the chart below to check if you are the correct weight for your height. Remember this information is only a guide and is aimed at healthy adults. It is not suitable for children, young people or older people.

You can also check your body size using the Body Mass Index (BMI). The BMI is used to assess eight in relation to height and provides a good estimate as to whether you are a healthy weight for your height.

BMI is weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height in meters. BMI provides the most useful measure of overweight and obesity for the UK population as it is the same for both sexes and for any age of adult.

Use the table below to determine if you are a healthy weight for your height or not.

Benefits of Losing Weight

There are many health risks associated with being overweight or obese. Losing weight will mean that you are less likely to develop the following:

  • Stroke
  • Heart problems
  • High Choleserol
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Insulin Resistance
  • High blood pressure
  • Certain cancers
  • Lower back pain
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Sleep apnea
  • Gall Stones
  • Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
  • Reproductive disorders
  • Psychological disorders

How to lose weight

The body uses food as energy and stores any excess as fat. This means that is someone consumes more calories (or energy) than the body needs for daily activities, they will gain weight. To lose weight, the body needs to use up these stores of fat.

The most effective way to do this is:

  • Reduce your intake of calories
  • Increase activity levels

Reducing calorie intake

Reducing the number of calories you consume may appear to be a simple idea, but this can be very difficult to achieve. There are various diets, which rule out certain foods to help reduce calories consumed, but these can often make you miserable and less likely to succeed. It is important to make your weight management plan less daunting to help you achieve success.

You can use meal replacement plans (e.g. Slim Fast) as the structure of the programme makes it an easy way to lose weight. Meal replacements are calorie controlled, nutritionally balanced meal, making the hard work of calorie counting much easier.

Physical activity for health

Regular physical activity helps to reduce health risks generally, particularly obesity, but also many people feel better in general in themselves. Regular physical activity helps to control weight, and may help ease stress, anxiety and depression. Ideally, adults should do at least 30 minutes of moderate aerobic physical activity at least five days per week, plus a couple of sessions of muscle strengthening activities per week. However, even a brisk walk can have a big impact on minimising health risks.

Diet Aiding Products

There are many diet products on the market which all work to varying degrees. Below are links to a few of the leading names and the products that we recommend. (These products should all only be used with a healthy diet and instructions should always be followed.)