• How many steps can you take before you get puffed walking up a flight of steps?
• How many people in your family have Diabetes? Heart disease? High blood pressure? High Cholesterol?
• (Ask your parents and family about this – it may be significant.)
• What is your cholesterol level?
• How often do you do any exercise?
• How much alcohol do you drink?
• How many days are you stressed or depressed in an average week? Making lifestyle changes is going to improve this, not make it worse.
• How many cigarettes do you smoke? If it’s 1 or more then it’s time to quit – this should be your number 1 priority. (click here for more)
  
• How much do you weigh? How much have you gained since you were at your fittest?
• What is your waist measurement?
• Do you know how much fat and sugar is in the foods you eat?

There are numbers for things from weight to blood pressure and glucose levels that are best within a certain range – we can help you to establish where to aim for these. Specific details for each person will be different, but here are the general facts:

• Blood Pressure should be less than 130/85mmHg
• Men should have a waist circumference less than 94cm and women less than 80cm (measure at the belly button with your clothes off).
• Most people should aim for a BMI of between 18.5 and 24.9 (Body Mass Index = your weight in kg divided by your height in metres squared, eg if you are 70kg and 1.65m tall your BMI will be 70 / (1.65x1.65) = 25.7 )
• Alcohol intake should be 2 or less standard serves for men and women per day to reduce your risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury over a lifetime, and less than 4 standard drinks at a time reduce the risk of alcohol-related injury arising from that occasion.

It might be worth a trip in to the surgery to see what facts you don’t know. We can measure your risks, arrange a check of your cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose levels, maybe an ECG or a stress test – especially if you’re over 50 or have a family history of heart disease or other risk factors ( risk factor link).

Okay, now you know your facts and figures, what should you do about it?

Make a Plan - just like you plan your holidays, it’s wise to get an idea of what you’re going to be doing to make your new lifestyle work for you. It’s simple and here are some basic guidelines.

Most of us eat too much and that is the main reason we gain weight. We also generally tend to eat the wrong kinds of foods, which doesn’t help. We need to change the way we eat. In particular we need to decrease the energy rich foods (like take away foods, icecreams, chocolates, soft drinks, chips etc), replacing them with alternative foods, (like fruit, cereals, sanwiches and more - see below) . We’re not going to suggest you banish the high energy foods forever, just put them in their place and make them ‘occasional foods’ rather than every day foods.Your cravings for the less healthy things will reduce as you start to feel the benefits of your changing lifestyle. Saturated fats are not our friends, nor are high sugar foods and you will find one or both of these in almost every fast food, in most sweets, in processed meats, cheeses, soft drinks…  all over the place. 

Saturated fats (mainly found in animal products) contribute to increased blood lipid levels (cholesterol, triglycerides etc.) which can accumulate inside your arteries causing them to narrow, slowing and even blocking blood flow to organs such as your heart and brain. So it’s ideal to cut back on the saturated fat you eat  and increase the proportion of “good fats” such as omega 3 fatty acids found in fish and the monounsaturated fats found in olive oil, canola and avocado. Certain foods—such as soluble fibre found in fruits and vegetables and oats, as well as the ‘good fats’ have been shown to improve cholesterol levels too.

Cutting back on simple sugars is important too, they’re often found added to foods, and they pack a lot of energy into a little space. They can be added to things you never thought would have them. ingredients ending in "ose" like sucrose, glucose as well as honey & corn syrup…. They’re all kinds of simple sugars frequently added to foods, look out for them. So, What to do…

Beware!

A food that is advertised as 99% fat free may be 99% sugar which is high in energy too, and also not a good option, so look at the labels (click here for how to read labels) – and know what is in your food.

When do you eat?

Always eat breakfast. While many people try to lose weight by cutting down the number of meals they eat, people who succeed in losing weight and maintaining lifestyle change usually eat a regular breakfast. Eating a good breakfast every morning helps to avoid mid morning snacking and overeating through the rest of the day. It also boosts your metabolic rate for the day that helps you burn more kilojoules. A nutritious breakfast is a good start, eating regular smaller meals also increases your metabolism for longer, and that burns more energy. But note: some people just don’t feel right having breakfast at the start of the day and it’s not the end of the world if you find this too hard. If you’re busy in the day and often find yourself grabbing quick bite on the go, it’s often very tempting to go for the unhealthy snacks which are the fastest to get. Ideally take food with you, or have a go-to place for healthy meals and eat before you’re STARVING and more susceptible to that quick fix. 

Bored Eating:

How many times have you found yourself eating because you’re bored? You’re in the kitchen staring into the pantry or fridge, but you’re really not hungry? When you get to that point – think again – maybe it’s a good time to go for a walk, do something active, have a glass of water. And when you are really hungry and your next meal can’t be brought forward, choose a piece of fruit first. Think about alternatives to eating that will keep you out of the kitchen next time ; hobbies, activities… (television and computer games / activities are not ideal choices here). Keep the unhealthy snack foods out of the house – and there’ll be nothing to search for.

But I’m Stressed! I need to Eat!

There are certain times in life when controlling your weight and exercise levels is difficult, such as getting married, recovering from injury, having a baby, retiring from sport, experiencing intense work commitments and of course during festive occasions. Dealing effectively with these situations and taking time out for relaxation and exercise will make you less likely to fall back to the habits that lead to weight gain in the first place. So plan in advance if you know of a stressful event ahead, and see how you might be able to maintain your healthy lifestyle. A relaxation class, yoga, some counselling or just confiding in a good friend or relative can also help reduce stress. Don’t get stressed about not doing your planned exercise or dietary change - just restart it again and keep on moving. If it’s still an issue, ask us about a referral to a qualified psychologist help manage this for you. 

What About Low GI foods?

Glycaemic index is a measure of how rapidly glucose (the basic sugar) is absorbed by your body after you eat. The bigger number – the faster your body absorbs it from your foods. It has been shown that foods which release energy slower (ie they have a LOW Glycaemic Index) are better for you and better for losing weight and maintaining health in general. High GI foods are the opposite. So it is wise to chose foods that have a lower GI (but note that the numbers don’t mean so much for fruit and vegetables). You can find out more about the Glycaemic Index by clicking here.

Excellent Links:

To get your lifestyle improving, you need to set goals.If you’re aiming to lose weight (and many of us should be) then aim for a steady 0.5-2kg weight loss per month or 1% waist reduction per week initially.

For exercise – you might like to set a goal of say 10 minutes per day for the first week, and each week increase this aiming for 30 minutes a day by say the 4th week. Once you get to that, then try to increase the distance you go in that time for example. You don’t have to keep increasing the amount you’re doing but you want to keep the pace such that you can feel your body is working at it. If you do 30 minutes of activity a day – you’re doing yourself a big favour regardless of the intensity.

For weight, set a realistic goal initially of something like 5-10kg over 6-12 months. (unless of course you are closer already to your target weight) Even small amounts are going to improve your risk factors. Don’t try to do it all in one hit.

Set targets for yourself that are attainable and once you get to them, then set your next targets. We can help you to set reasonable targets. Reward yourself when you get to them, (avoid making food your reward). Take note: you can hit plateaus where your numbers may not change for a while, but your health will still be improving. Keep up the good work and they will eventually continue to improve again.