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Healthy weight

Whenever we eat more than our body needs for energy, we put on weight.  Even small amounts of surplus energy each day can build up and lead to weight gain.

So if you want to maintain or achieve a healthy weight, you might want to look at ways of:

• Making sure you only eat as much food as you need

• Improving the balance of your diet

• Getting more active by building physical activity into your daily life

To maintain a healthy weight, we need to both eat well and move more. Many families are making changes that will help them live healthier and longer. Visit www.nhs.uk/Change4life or call 0300 123 4747 for more information. Organisations and small clubs who want to be involved should call 0300 123 3434.

Health care professionals can order Change4Life evidence-based support materials online from the Department of Health publications orderline, (enter Change4Life in the keyword search option) or by telephone on 0300 123 1002.

How do I know if I have a healthy weight?

You can tell from your Body Mass Index (BMI) whether you are a healthy weight or not. 

Your BMI is calculated using the following equation:

• Your weight in kilogram’s (kg) divided by your height in meters (m) squared.

(Source Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives 2008)

Use the BMI calculator on NHS Choices to calculate it for you.

Waist size is another indicator.

Your increased health risk is greater when the extra fat is mainly around your waist ('apple shaped'), rather than mainly on your hips and thighs ('pear shaped').

Waist Circumference for adults

(Source WHO 1998)

Check NHS Choices for your body shape and how to measure your waist correctly.

It’s all about balance!

To achieve and maintain a healthy weight it’s important to eat a balanced diet.  Otherwise you might not be getting all the nutrients you need to keep your body healthy.

The Food Standards Agency would like to encourage organisations and individuals to use the eatwell plate to help ensure everyone receives consistent messages about the balance of foods in a healthy diet. 

Click here for guidance on how to use the plate and the key messages.

Visit the healthy weight section on the Eatwell website for information on BMI, body shape and calories.

Physical activity is a good way of using up extra calories, and helps us to maintain our body weight.

Why is a healthy weight important?

Levels of obesity have tripled since 1980 and there is no sign of the upward trend stopping.  Currently over half of women and two-thirds of men are either overweight or obese.  A third of children are also either overweight or obese.  The Foresight Report indicated that on current trends nearly 60 per cent of the UK population would be obese by 2050.

The likelihood of developing diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis and some cancers increases with increasing body fatness.  Evidence shows that having an unhealthy weight is also associated with depression and low self esteem (Choosing Health, 2004).

Children and Young People

The Government has set itself a new ambition: of being the first major country to reverse the rising tide of obesity and overweight in the population by ensuring that all individuals are able to maintain a healthy weight.

The initial focus on children: by 2020 we will have reduced the proportion of overweight and obese children to 2000 levels, is reflected in the new PSA12 Improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people, announced in April 2008.

This target will be supported by a programme of action to help children and their families have healthy lifestyles.

The following local schemes and initiatives contribute to reducing childhood obesity:

• Healthy Schools programme

• Food in Schools programme (information on TeacherNet)

• School Fruit and Vegetable scheme

• Physical Education, School Sport and Club Links programme (information on TeacherNet)

Reducing obesity is also one of the six overarching priorities in the public health white paper Choosing Health.

In the 2006 ‘Our Health, Our Care, Our Say’ White paper, a commitment was made to initially develop three NHS LifeChecks for early years, adolescent and mid-life. NHS LifeCheck is for everyone - through a straightforward questionnaire it provides personalised information and practical advice, supporting people in making small changes that make a big difference to future health and well-being. The Baby LifeCheck is for parents and carers of babies 5-8 months old, the Teen LifeCheck for young people aged between 12 and 15 years and the Mid LifeCheck  for those aged 45-60 years.

Please see the Healthy Weight factsheet for more information.