Healthy Weight 2023

2023 EDITION
Healthy weight
What is a healthy weight?

Our bodies are all different sizes and we all eat
differently; but the basic guide for good health is the same:
eat a healthy varied diet and be physically active every day.
What about body weight?

A healthy weight for ‘every body’ is very hard to define.
Although we know that increasing body weight is associated
with increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, the
group of diseases known as the metabolic syndrome, and
some cancers; this is not the whole story.
For instance, body weight is the most important predictor
of developing type 2 diabetes; but lack of exercise, poor diet,
smoking, and alcohol use are all associated with increased
risk of diabetes, even when body weight is removed from in many cases results in weight gain. Evidence of health
the equation. Body weight is weakly related to risk of heart benefits from restrictive dieting is weak, and repeatedly
disease, while other factors like raised blood cholesterol and dieting may be bad for your health.
smoking more strongly predict development of heart disease.
In fact, many studies now show that, improving diet quality Eating well
and increasing physical activity improve health regardless of
whether body weight changes or not. At present, when you eat, are you eating for comfort,
out of habit, absent-mindedly or just because the food is
How do I improve my health? there? Or do you skip or delay eating if you’re not hungry,
or save some for later when you start to get full? Noticing the
difference in these behaviours may help you improve your
The key to achieving health goals is to have realistic eating behaviour.
expectations, introduce healthy changes slowly so you can Part of eating well is to learn to recognise and respond
stick to them, accept your body shape/body size, listen to to hunger and fullness signals, increasing your awareness of
your body, follow a balanced diet but allow yourself the odd physical rather than emotional and environmental signals
reward, and do some physical activity every day. for eating, and respecting your health by regularly eating a
Starting slowly and having varied and nutritious diet most of the time. Another part of
realistic expectations eating well is to allow yourself permission to eat treat foods
sometimes.
To stick with a healthy lifestyle change you need to make Unfortunately, as humans, we have been biologically
changes that you can maintain over the long term – start programmed to seek fatty and sugary foods to keep up our
with small steps or a single change, such as cutting down on energy stores; but as such foods are now easy to find, it is
the number of biscuits each day or meals of fish and chips easy to overdo it.
each week, or taking the dog for a longer walk every day. • Mostly choose foods with minimal added fat, particularly
Once you have comfortably established one habit you can saturated fat.
add more changes. • Choose foods low in salt, and when you use salt choose
iodised salt
Accepting your body size/body shape • Choose foods with little added sugar
• Drink plenty of fluid, especially water
Believe it or not, restrictive dieting (eating less food than • Limit alcohol to two standard drinks per day and have
you require for the purposes of losing weight) is not very some alcohol free days to lower the risk for alcohol
effective at producing weight loss over the long term, and related ill-health.
PATIENT INFORMATION YOU CAN TRUST

Patient information – Healthy weight
If you have a health problem, and/or are taking any

A balanced daily diet might include: medication talk to your doctor about proposed changes
Food Servings One serving being to your diet and discuss your exercise programme before
starting.
Vegetables at least 3 a medium size potato, A prescription appetite suppressant can be discussed with
½ cup of cooked your doctor. But remember, a healthier diet and moderate
vegetables, ½ cup salad exercise will benefit you regardless of your body weight.
Fruits at least 2 an apple, orange or
half cup of fruit salad Further information
Wholegrain at least 6 a slice of bread, and support
bread, pasta, a roll, ½ cup of muesli,
rice, cereals 1 cup cooked rice, Speak to your:
or pasta • Doctor, practice nurse or public health nurse
• Local District Health Board and ask for the Public
Milk and at least 2 1 cup of low fat milk, Health Service or a dietitian
milk products a yoghurt pottle, or • Dietitian or registered nutritionist from the Yellow Pages
2 slices of low fat cheese • Marae-based health services and/or Maori health
Legumes*, nuts, at least 2 a chicken breast, workers or Pacific health workers.
seeds, fish and of legumes small steak, Look online:
seafood, eggs, and 1 1 egg or a 3/4 cup • National Heart Foundation, www.heartfoundation.org.nz
poultry, red meat of meat of cooked beans • Ministry of Health, www.health.govt.nz
• Sport NZ, www.sportnz.org.nz
*legumes include beans, peas, and lentils.
Physical activity
You can start with 15 minutes of gentle activity a day

(eg, walking or gardening). This could then be increased to
30 minutes to an hour of moderate activity (you should be
breathing hard but be able to hold a conversation).
If you can manage this only in short bursts – fine –
use the stairs not the lift or walk the long way to your car;
it all adds up. The trick is to find an activity you enjoy doing
and to put a little more physical activity into each day. You
can ask your doctor about a ‘Green Prescription’.
Rely on your sense of wellbeing and quality of life, and
have regular check-ups with your doctor, rather than using
weight loss to monitor health goals. Weight loss is a poor
measure of health change – for example, if you are exercising
you may put on muscle as you lose fat – so your risk of
chronic disease may decrease without a huge difference in
your weight. No matter what your body weight is, a healthier
diet and moderate exercise will give you health benefits.
Original material provided by The Health Media
Can I get help? This information is intended solely for New Zealand residents and is of
a general nature only. No person should act in reliance on any statement
contained in the information provided, but at all times should obtain
If your eating is out of control or you are distressed or specific advice from a health professional. All rights reserved. © Copyright
depressed, talk to your doctor. Your doctor may suggest 2023 The Health Media Ltd. No part of this publication may be reproduced
additional help from a dietitian, registered nutritionist or without the written permission of the publisher, Phone +64 9 488 4286.
a counsellor.
PATIENT INFORMATION YOU CAN TRUST

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2023 EDITION

What is a healthy weight?

What about body weight?

PATIENT INFORMATION YOU CAN TRUST

If you have a health problem, and/or are taking any

You can start with 15 minutes of gentle activity a day

PATIENT INFORMATION YOU CAN TRUST

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