Worldwide, obesity has nearly doubled since 1980. In 2008, 35% of adults aged 20 and over were overweight and 11% were obese. This is mainly due to:
- An increased intake of energy-dense foods that are high in fat
- A decrease in physical activity due to increasingly sedentary nature of many forms of work, changes in transportation and increase in urbanisation
Below are a few factors that can influence weight gain. If you are concerned with any of these, please speak to your doctor or pharmacist.
Overweight and obesity are largely preventable but not all weight loss is good as you may be causing more damage through rapid weight changes or decreased nutritional intake. It is essential you have a supportive environment and community to help make healthier food choices and be motivated to participate in regular physical activity. By working with your health professional and learning about healthy weight loss, you can turn your weight loss into a fun experience. Speak to your doctor, pharmacist or dietician to come up with a long term plan for keeping your weight at a healthy level.
What complications can being overweight or obese result in?
Overweight and obesity can increase your risk of some medical conditions. Below are just a few examples. If you are concerned with any of these, please speak to your doctor or pharmacist.
How do I know if I am overweight or obese?
Overweight and obesity is defined by the World Health Organisation as “abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health”. One form of measuring obesity is body mass index (BMI) which is calculated by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by the square of the person’s height in metres. In general, a person with BMI of 30 or more is considered obese whilst person with BMI of 25 or more is considered overweight.
Waist circumference is another form of measurement used to help determine a healthy weight. Men are recommended to have a waist circumference of 94cm and women 80cm.
What can I do to lose weight?
A balanced lifestyle is critical in ensuring you maintain a healthy weight. An adequate, well balanced diet together with regular physical activity is crucial for good health. If weight loss is desired, it should be gradual to ensure fat is lost rather than muscle or water.
How much exercise should I do?
Exercise is not necessarily the only method to help achieve healthy weight loss. Simply increasing physical activity can help reduce weight. Energy intake (calories) should balance energy expenditure (physical activity) so the amount of physical activity varies for each individual. By increasing your physical activity, you will use up fat for energy and build muscle so you may find your body shape changes but you don’t lose weight.
For good health, adults are recommended to have at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most days of the week. This may be performed in sessions with each lasting at least 10 minutes. For example, you can exercise for 10 minutes three times a day to make up your daily 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity.
What types of exercise should I do?
Physical activity is any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure and should not be confused with exercise which is planned, structured, and repetitive and aims to improve or maintain one or more components of physical fitness. In other words, exercise is a form of physical activity.
Moderate and vigorous intensity physical activity such as walking or cycling and even carrying out household chores, has been shown to provide significant benefits for health. Moderate physical activities are those in which you can still have a conversation, such as brisk walking. Vigorous physical activities are those that make you ‘huff and puff’ such as swimming, cycling or jogging.
Other simple changes in lifestyle behaviours to increase physical activity include:
In addition to helping control weight, regular physical activity reduces the risk of:
- cardiovascular disease
- diabetes
- colon cancer
- breast cancer
- depression
- hip or vertebral fracture
Studies have shown that being overweight, physically inactive and not having a balanced diet caused nearly one third of all cancers.
What types of food should I eat?
The increase production of processed food and changing lifestyle has seen a shift in dietary patterns. People are eating more foods that are high in energy, saturated fats, trans fats, free sugars or salt. As a result reducing fat intake is an important way to reduce energy intake and lose weight. Conversely, people are eating less fruit, vegetables and dietary fibre such as whole grains.
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Figure 1 Current dietary pattern for many families[/caption]
A healthy balanced diet will vary from person to person due to age, gender, lifestyle and degree of physical activity. It is important that when choosing to go on a “diet” that you consult with your doctor, pharmacist or dietician to ensure that any weight lost does not compromise the nutrition that your are receiving. Poor nutrition can lead to:
- Reduced immunity
- Increase susceptibility to disease
- Impaired physical and mental development
- Reduced productivity
A healthy diet includes foods such as:
- Grain-based and plant-based food e.g. bread, pasta, noodles, rice, cereals, fruits, vegetables, legumes
- Moderate amounts of lean meat, fish, skinless poultry, eggs
- Reduced fat dairy foods e.g. milk, yoghurt, cheese
- Small amounts of sugars, oils and fats
- Drinking enough water a day
Closer look at the 5 food groups (pdf)
Developing a meal plan can help you determine what foods to increase or decrease. Create a list of everything you eat for 3 days and ask yourself:
- What are my favourite types of food?
- Do I have “problem foods” that are not healthy or that I may eat too much of?
- What size are my food portions?
- How often do I eat?
- How frequently do I over eat?
- Is there a time of day when it is more difficult for me to follow my meal plan?
Below are a few ways that can help you control your weight:
How much and how often should I eat?
In general, you should eat every 4-5 hours and it is important not to skip meals as this may lead to overeating at the next meal.
- ½ cup cooked green or orange vegetables e.g. broccoli, spinach, carrots, pumpkin
- ½ cup cooked dried or canned beans, peas or lentils
- 1 cup green leafy or raw salad vegetables
- ½ cup sweet corn
- ½ medium potato or starchy vegetables e.g. sweet potato, tar, cassava
- 1 medium tomato
The minimum recommended intake of fruit for adults is 2 serves per day. A serve of fruit is 150g of fresh fruit which is equivalent to:
- 1 medium apple, banana, orange or pear
- 2 small apricots, kiwi fruits or plums
- 1 cup diced or canned fruit with no added sugar
- ½ cup (125mL) 100% fruit juice with no added sugar
- 30g dried fruit e.g. 4 dried apricot halves, 1 ½ tablespoons of sultanas
What products are available to help me lose weight?
Weight loss medications and meal replacements are available over the counter from the pharmacy. It is highly recommended that lifestyle changes are tried before any medications or meal replacements.
If medications or meal replacement products are used, it is important to combine it with dietary changes and physical activity. It is also important to note that weight loss medications or meal replacements are only effective while they are being taken so it is critical that any lifestyle changes are used in conjunction and also after the medication or meal replacement program has stopped. It is highly recommended that you consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting any medication or meal replacement, especially if you are on any other treatments.
Below are just a few examples of medicines and meal replacements you can buy from a pharmacy. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting any medication or meal replacements.
Important points to remember
Links that you may find more information: