Managing your weight
Maintaining a healthy weight is a crucial part of overall good health. Keep your weight within the healthy range, and you'll not only feel better: you'll lower your risk of heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. And when it comes to weight, even small improvements can work wonders for your health.
While most people don't like the way they look when they're carrying excess weight, losing weight isn't just about looking better: it's much healthier too.
Obesity causes 9,000 premature deaths in England every year, and on average reduces life expectancy by a whopping nine years. It's also linked to serious health problems including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancers of the breast, colon and prostate. Obesity-related health problems cost the NHS around £1bn a year.
So what's causing this epidemic? Only a tiny minority of people (fewer than one in 100) are obese because of medical conditions such as an under-active thyroid gland or Cushing's Syndrome (see Useful links). Most obese people can blame their excess weight on eating more calories than they burn. That means there are two main options if you want to lose weight: eat less, or do more exercise. The best way to lose weight is a combination of the two.
What you can do
The good news is that you can help reduce your risk of obesity-related health problems by losing weight, through eating more healthily and taking more exercise.
- You don't have to go on a faddy diet. Instead, see how you can cut back calories by making simple changes to your everyday diet.
- It's not just small changes to your eating habits that can make a big difference. Getting more exercise also helps you to shed the pounds.
- Even if you're well on the way towards your target weight, there are always danger zones that leave you tempted to overindulge. See our tips on how to avoid the "Diet danger zones".
- One excuse for choosing a fat-laden quick-fix supper is that healthy eating is expensive, but don't be fooled. See how to save pennies as well as calories in "Eat well on the cheap".
- Two-thirds of dieters regain all the weight they've lost within four years. For advice on how to stop piling back on the pounds, "Lose weight for life".