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British Heart Foundation - Beating heart disease together

Losing even small amounts of weight benefits health

Managing your weight

Weight has a nasty habit of slowly creeping its way onto your body and while you might not worry about the odd extra pound, these can quickly become stones – especially if you have a job where you sit a lot and limited time for physical activity.

Over half our adult population are already overweight or obese and carrying extra weight can greatly affect your health. Not only can it increase your risk of coronary heart disease and diabetes, but it can cause a whole host of other problems including sleeping difficulties and back pain, mobility and joint problems.

If you carry extra weight around your middle, you are at particular risk of developing coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes, but the good news is that losing even small amounts of weight can benefit your health. Keeping close to a healthy weight can help lower blood pressure and reduce the work load of your heart. It can also help lower your cholesterol level and reduce the risk of developing diabetes. And you can do this by making small, but healthy changes to what you eat and by being more active.

Why do we gain weight?

By taking in more energy (calories) than your body is burning, you will gain weight. The extra calories that you’ve consumed will be stored as fat – too much of which results in weight gain. If you’re not physically active, you’re even more likely to gain weight.

Fatty foods, sweet foods and sugary drinks are all likely to cause excess weight gain, and genetic differences may cause some people to gain weight more easily than others. Certain medical conditions which affect hormones and certain medications can also contribute to weight gain.

Check your weight with our BMI calculator

How can I lose weight?

The best way to lose weight is by reducing your calorie (energy) intake by cutting down on the fat and sugar in your diet and following a healthy balanced diet. Being physically active also plays an important part in losing weight as you burn up calories.

Try not to lose weight too quickly. Losing weight slowly and steady about one to two pounds (between half a kilo and one kilo) a week is healthier, and you are more likely to keep the weight off for good. Gradual weight loss is the safest and most effective long term way to lose weight.

Crash diets are not a healthy option. Losing weight quickly involves losing essential water and muscle as well as fat. So, although the scales may read less, your body has not lost much fat. When you stop the crash diet you are likely to not only regain the weight that you have lost but you may also put on even more weight.