Dieting and weight management

The best way to achieve and maintain a healthy weight is to make small changes in your daily routine that will lead to a healthier lifestyle. Being overweight greatly increases the risk of high blood pressure, muscle, bone and respiratory disorders and chronic disease including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers, and reduces life expectancy. Being underweight also carries health risks.

The Australian Dietary Guidelines advise that to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, Australians need to be physically active and choose amounts of nutritious food and drinks to meet their energy needs.

The best guide as to whether adults are eating appropriate amounts for their energy requirements is whether their weight is stable. The best guide as to whether children are eating appropriate amounts for their energy requirements is whether their growth is normal.

If you are overweight, it can be hard to lose weight and keep the weight off. Weight loss diets rarely work in the long term. In particular, weight loss diets that restrict the recommended intake of foods from any of the 5 food groups can be dangerous, especially for children and adolescents whose nutritional needs are high due to growth.

Aim for a healthy lifestyle—make positive choices and take control of your health. Look at all areas of wellbeing and don’t just focus on weight. Feel good about yourself for making small changes—these can lead to big improvements.

Healthy eating

The first steps for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight are to:

• choose nutritious foods from the 5 food groups (vegetables, fruits, grains, lean meats and alternatives, and reduced-fat dairy and alternatives)

• limit energy-dense or nutrient-poor foods (such as sugar sweetened drinks, fried foods, hot chips, many takeaway foods, cakes and biscuits, chocolate and confectionery and crisps).

Physical activity

In addition, being physically active will help. The National Physical Activity Guidelines recommend the following activity depending on your age group:

• Adults—at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days. But to lose weight most of us will need to do more, particularly if we don’t cut back on our food and drink intake.

• Children aged 5–12 years—at least 60 minutes (and up to several hours) of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day.

• Children aged 12–18 years—at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day.

What is my healthy weight?

For adults, a quick way to check weight status is to assess your Body Mass Index (BMI):

• Calculate your BMI using this formula:
  1. Multiply your height (in metres) by itself (e.g. 1.78m x 1.78m = 3.1684).
  2. Now, take your weight in kilograms (e.g. 75kg) and divide it by the number you calculated in Step 1 (e.g. 75kg / 3.1684 = 23.67). This number is your BMI.
• You can then compare your BMI against the categories below:
  • < 18.5—underweight
  • 18.5 to 24.9—healthy weight
  • 25.0 to 29.9—overweight
  • ≥ 30.0—obese

Note—these classifications do not take into account variations in body types for all adults.

Another way for adults to measure their weight-related health risks is with a tape measure. Measure half way between your lowest rib and the top of your hip bone, roughly in line with your belly button.

• Women
  • increased risk—waist measurement between 80–88cm
  • high risk—waist measurement more than 88cm
    
    
• Men
  • increased risk—waist measurement between 94–102 cm
  • high risk—waist measurement more than 102cm

If you are concerned about your weight or associated health problems seek advice from your doctor or a dietitian.

Weight management for children and adolescents

Children and adolescents need enough nutritious food to grow and develop normally. At these life stages the focus is on maintaining a rate of growth that is consistent with the expected norms for age, gender and stage of maturity. Physical growth is best assessed by a health professional who will look at things like weight, length or height, and at specific ages, other measurements such as head circumference.

Management of overweight and obesity in childhood is recommended to reduce risk of associated conditions, and of being overweight and developing chronic disease later in life. Individual assessment and medical supervision is recommended to ensure appropriate growth and development for all overweight and obese children and adolescents.

Discuss your concerns about your child's weight either with your doctor, at a child and baby health clinic or with a dietitian.