Date published: 15/02/2023
Maintaining a healthy weight has many health benefits and reduces your risk of heart and circulatory diseases. When we consume more calories than our body needs, we store the excess as fat. The two fat types we want to reduce in order to lose weight and improve heart health are subcutaneous fat (the fat under the skin) and visceral fat (the fat around our waist and abdominal organs).
While it is a good idea to weigh yourself to track progress, we encourage you to focus on the lifestyle and health behaviours you can adopt, rather than obsessing over the numbers on the scales. Below we outline three such behaviours that promote weight loss that you can start doing straight away.
- Move more
Taking part in physical activity makes our body uses more calories; the more we move, the more calories our body uses. To lose weight, we need a calorie deficit, meaning we consume fewer calories than our body uses, this promotes weight loss and it’s why exercise is an important factor for losing weight. For ideas on how to increase your activity levels, read our Healthy Tip on sustainable daily movement.
- Eat protein
Protein is the most satiating macronutrient, meaning it makes you feel full. Make sure you include a protein source at every meal. Healthy low-fat options include white fish, skinless chicken and turkey, beans, lentils, eggs, tofu and low-fat dairy products (milk, cheese, yoghurt). Adults should aim to consume at least 0.75g of protein per kg of bodyweight per day, on average this is 56g of protein for men and 45g for women, but check your body weight to work out your recommended intake.
- Avoid UPF’s
UPF’s or ultra-processed foods are food products that usually contain long lists of ingredients and couldn’t be made at home in your own kitchen. Examples include carbonated soft drinks, pre-packaged snacks, cakes, biscuits, and instant soups/noodles. While eating these foods occasionally isn’t necessarily a problem, many of these types of foods are specifically manufactured to make you want to eat more of them. The calories per portion may be low, but you may find yourself more likely to overeat these foods in comparison to homecooked alternatives. Try cooking meals and snacks from scratch at home as much as possible.
