1. Understand what causes obesity Obesity is not caused by ‘a lack of willpower’. Many factors around food and activity influence weight gain. A good first step is to think about why you might have put on weight. Is it a recent change or part of a long-term pattern? Did you start doing something differently – eating out more, being less active or eating different foods – around the time you began putting on weight? For example, being busy at work or with family can make it harder to make healthy food choices, and might lead to you having more ready-made or take-away meals. These usually contain more saturated fat – which is linked to weight gain – as well as sugar and salt, compared to home-cooked meals, and often have larger portion sizes too. Another change in lifestyle could be that, like many people, you’re working from home more now, and have less opportunity to exercise on the way to work. Having excess weight or obesity can also make ...
4. Eat a balanced diet To lose weight, the energy you eat (calories) needs to be less than the energy you use. Some diets or weight loss plans suggest cutting out entire food groups to achieve this, but this means you miss out on essential nutrients. To remain healthy, your diet still needs to be balanced. So instead of cutting foods out, focus on eating more foods like fruit and vegetables, beans, wholegrains and oily fish. These are all part of the Mediterranean diet, which has been proven to help with weight loss and improve heart health. Some foods that are higher in calories are also good for you. For example, foods like oily fish, unsalted nuts and avocado are high in fat, but they contain healthy unsaturated fats that help maintain healthy cholesterol levels. If you’re trying to lose weight, eat these foods less often or limit your portion size. Reduced-calorie, low-calorie or light versions of your favourite foods can also be helpful. But remember to ch...