The number of people in the United Kingdom who are overweight or obese is starting to spiral out of control. Current statistics suggest that over 50% of British adults are overweight and many of these are at risk of becoming obese.

With a population becoming increasingly overweight the risks of heart disease, diabetes and other long term health complications are reaching scary heights.

Weight loss programmes range from diet based schemes like weight watchers, to self help books such as Dr Atkins diet to those that combine diet and exercise classes like Rosemary Conley’s eat yourself slim diet.

What are the risks associated with being overweight

As mentioned, being overweight can have a serious impact on our health. Some of the risks associated with obesity include

• Heart Disease
• High Blood Pressure
• Cholesterol problems (leading to heart disease)
• Stroke
• Type 2 Diabetes (the kind you develop rather than are born with)
• Cancers (prostate, gallbladder, colorectal, breast, endometrial and kidney)
• Sleep Apnea (Snoring and difficulty breathing while sleeping)
• Reproductive problems (irregular periods, increased birth defects, especially neural tube defects, and an increased risk of death of the mother and baby).

What diets are out there currently?

Currently, there are a huge abundance of ‘fad’ diets on the market. Very often these diets give us short term results and in the long term, many people actually put on more weight. The reason these fad diets work initially is because they make us dramatically cut the calories we consume so therefore we will naturally lose weight.

The problem with ‘fad’ diets is that they usually aren’t easy to maintain. As soon as you go back to your normal life, the weight generally goes back on.

The key to losing weight and keeping it off is to make the appropriate lifestyle changes and to stick to them. A diet low in fatty, processed foods and high in fruit and vegetables helps us maintain a healthy physique.

What role does exercise have in weight management?

When you exercise you burn calories. The more vigorous exercise you do, the more calories you burn and the more weight you lose. Current recommendations suggest that we should aim to do five thirty minute sessions of exercise per week. Ideally, we should aim to combine cardiovascular exercises like swimming, which help heart health, with weight-baring exercises such as squats or running which help to build strong joints.

Exercise, is not only key to weight management, other benefits include:

• It helps you manage your mood – exercise triggers brain chemicals that make you feel good. Regular exercise is encouraged to combat depression.
• You’ll feel more energetic
• You’ll sleep better
• If you do exercise with friends it can even be fun.

Maintaining a healthy weight helps ward off many serious illnesses. Just making a few small lifestyle changes involving diet and exercise can dramatically improve our health in the future.