Weight Loss

What is my ideal weight?

There is no one ideal weight for everyone. A healthy weight for you will depend on your background, height, and activity levels. However, one medical way to calculate what weight you should be is your BMI.

What is BMI?

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a way of calculating your ideal body weight based on your height. You calculate it by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared (weight (kg) / (height (m))^²). There are also several tools online that will calculate your BMI for you.

It is the method most used by clinical professionals and is what is used when deciding whether someone is suitable for treatment. However, it may not be accurate if you have a lot of muscle mass.

What does your BMI mean?

Your BMI will tell you whether your weight is within a healthy range or not. See the below BMI chart to see where your BMI fits.

Underweight below 18.5

Healthy weight 18.5 to 24.9

Overweight 25 to 29.9

Obese 30 to 39.9

If you have a BMI of 40 or more, you are deemed as morbidly obese.

What causes obesity?

Obesity is caused by eating more than you need. When you eat more than you need, your body stores the extra calories as fat. It can cause weight gain.

The availability of fast food is increasing, while the amount of physical activity people are doing is decreasing. This is causing a health crisis. 12% of British people say they eat fast food at least once a week.

What are the risk factors for obesity?

Some medical conditions, medicines and other factors are linked to weight gain, including:

• old age
• an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)
• PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome)
• Cushing’s syndrome
• menopause
• hormonal contraceptives (e.g. the pill, mini-pill, patch or ring)
• epilepsy medicines
• steroids
• antidepressants
• quitting smoking

A common myth is that obesity is genetic and therefore losing weight is too difficult. However, this is not the case. While you may have inherited traits that mean you have a larger appetite and gain weight more easily, that doesn’t mean you cannot lose weight.

Can diabetes cause weight gain?

High blood sugar levels in people with diabetes can result in weight gain. This is because the excess sugar in the bloodstream causes insulin to be stored in the body as fatty tissue. People who take insulin may also see weight gain as a side effect.

Managing your diabetes, alongside healthy lifestyle changes, will help with weight loss as well as improve your health and well-being overall.

What are the risks of obesity?

Being overweight can cause physical and mental health problems. For example, it can lead to:

• heart problems (e.g. heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol)
• breathing difficulties and respiratory conditions like asthma
• type 2 diabetes
• muscle, joint and bone problems
• mental health problems
• neurodegenerative disorders (e.g. Alzheimer’s)

Being obese can lead to life-threatening complications, such as heart attacks and strokes. It can also increase your risk of developing cancer, and it can make your life shorter by 3 to 10 years Trusted source University of Oxford Educational Institution Multidisciplinary Studies Go to source .

What are the benefits of weight loss?

Losing weight will significantly reduce your risk of serious health complications. Research has shown that it reduces your risk of 13 cancers, including bowel and breast cancer.

Not only does it improve your physical health, but it also has many other health benefits that will improve your general well-being.

• It will boost your confidence and self-esteem.
• It gives you the freedom to be more active, go out and do activities you may not necessarily have been able to do before.
• It will improve your mental health.
• You will save money on takeaways and fast food.
• It will improve your sleep.
• Your sex drive and abilities may improve.
• It will give you more mental clarity, and improve memory and cognitive abilities overall.

The bottom line is that there are many good reasons to lose weight, not just for aesthetic reasons.

How can I lose weight?

For successful weight loss, you first need to make some simple but crucial lifestyle changes. You need to reduce your calorie intake and add some physical activity to your routine.

What should I eat to lose weight?

The key to weight loss is a low-calorie diet. The recommended calorie intake is 2,000kcal daily for women and 2,500kcal for men. So if you eat more than the recommended allowance daily, you’re more likely to gain weight.

As well as eating in a calorie deficit, you must eat the right foods.

A balanced diet includes plenty of:

• fruits and vegetables
• healthy fats (e.g. oily fish, olive oil, nuts and seeds)
• lean proteins (e.g. chicken and turkey)
• wholegrains (e.g oats, wholewheat pasta and bread)

While you should not overly restrict yourself, you should eat certain foods in moderation. Sweets and junk food are high in sugar and saturated fats are higher in calories and can lead to weight gain.

What is the best weight loss diet?

While a low-calorie diet works for most to lose weight, there are many popular diet plans for weight loss.

• Keto diet / Atkins diet - A high-fat and low-carb diet designed to make the body burn fat for energy rather than sugars.
• Intermittent fasting - Specific periods of time where you eat and fast.
• DASH diet - Focuses on making healthier choices and eating more vegetables, fruits, whole grains and healthy fats.
• Mediterranean diet - Similar to the DASH diet. Focuses on making better food choices except based on the diets of countries that board the Mediterranean Sea (e.g. Greece & Italy).

These diets can have benefits but are not safe for everyone. They can lead to unhealthy eating habits or side effects from dieting incorrectly. Always consult a healthcare or nutrition professional (e.g. a dietitian) before starting any diet.

Can you lose weight without dieting?

If you want to lose weight, you will need to change your diet. However, you don’t have to go on a radical diet or specific diet plan for sustainable weight loss. Instead, focus on consuming fewer calories and prioritising eating healthy foods.

Planning your meals and calorie counting will help to ensure you don’t exceed your daily calorie allowance.

What exercise is best for weight loss?

Boosting the amount of physical activity you do will also help with weight loss, as it will help burn the calories you consume.

Aim to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity each week. See below for examples of each.

You don’t have to do a lot to see results. Even walking at just 3 miles per hour for 30 minutes can burn up to 150 calories.

Why am I struggling to lose weight?

Achieving your goals is not easy, and it’s natural to reach a plateau or not see progress. If you’re not seeing progress, you may want to reevaluate your strategy.

Ask yourself several questions:

• Are you eating the right foods? Remember, what you drink also contains calories.
• Have you reduced your calories?
• Have you gained muscle mass?
• Are you exercising?
• Are you getting enough sleep? Are you stressed?

These factors can hinder your journey. So while it might be disheartening to see the scale go down slowly, it’s important to take care of your well-being and your weight loss will happen gradually.

Tracking your progress through pictures is also a great way to stay motivated. You should also do regular measurements of your body. This is helpful if you’re exercising and trying to gain muscle mass because the scale may not go down but your measurements may change.

Weight loss treatments summary

Below is an overview of all of the weight loss treatments available at HealthExpress.

Do diet pills work?

As well as prescription injections and tablets, you may also come across other alternatives online. Diet supplements are available in the form of teas, drinks, gummies or powders and claim to help you lose weight with natural ingredients.

Unfortunately, these products tend to be fake. They can also be harmful to some people. Beware of any product that claims it will help you lose weight in a short space of time or by using natural ingredients because it probably doesn’t do what it says it does.

Never buy or use herbal supplements online without consulting a doctor or pharmacist.

How do I buy weight loss treatments online?

You can buy treatment online at HealthExpress, provided you are eligible for treatment. All you have to do is complete a confidential and quick online consultation so our doctors can ensure it's safe for you to take. Once approved, your treatment will be delivered to your doorstep with free next-day delivery.

Your safety is important to us, so our UK-registered doctors will closely monitor your progress throughout your weight loss program. This ensures you’re meeting your milestones.