Healthy ways to lose weight

Changing what and how you eat, along with being more active, managing your stress and getting enough sleep can help you lose weight. If you make small changes that you can live with, you are more likely to lose weight and keep it off. Try some of the following suggestions.


Eating well to lose weight

Eating well is not a diet, it is a lifestyle.

Often small changes, such as replacing unhealthy snacks with fruit or having smaller portions, can help you lose weight.

If you try these suggestions and they do not work for you, consider seeing a dietitian.

Skipping breakfast will not help you lose weight. You could miss out on important nutrients, and you may end up snacking more throughout the day because you are hungry.

Tasty and nutritious breakfast options include:

  • wholegrain, low-sugar cereal with milk, yoghurt and fruit
  • boiled, poached or scrambled egg on wholegrain toast with tomato or mushrooms
  • wholemeal pancakes topped with fruit and natural yoghurt.

Eat 3 regular, balanced meals a day. Try to have meals at planned times during the day and only include snacks if you are physically hungry. Being physically hungry means your body is giving you signals that you need to eat, such as:

  • your tummy is rumbling
  • you feel tired and lack energy.

Our bodies react to food differently when we eat late at night. If eating late at night becomes a habit, we increase our risk of gaining weight. A break from eating overnight gives our bodies and teeth a well-needed rest, so have a rest from food for at least 12 hours. A routine can also improve our energy levels and sleep.

Get into the habit of taking a short walk after eating, particularly after your main meal.

Try to plan your breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for the week. You may find it helpful to make a weekly shopping list.

Vegetables and fruit are packed with fibre, vitamins and minerals that can help to keep you healthy.

Have at least 5 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit every day. A serving is about a handful.

Each time you prepare a meal, ask yourself how you can add an extra vegetable. This is a great place to start if you find you are not eating enough vegetables.

Using your own hand can be an easy way to check the size of your portions. Because everyone's hand size is different, portion sizes vary depending on the person.

The Heart Foundation has a handy factsheet that shows you how to use your hand size to judge portion size.

Portion sizes — Heart Foundation

How you eat is just as important as what you eat.

Eating quickly on the run or while distracted can lead you to eat more food than you realise or need. Becoming more mindful when you eat can help you gain control over your eating habits. It may also help you lose weight.

  • Eat slowly and do not rush your meals. It takes around 20 minutes for your brain to realise you are full. If you eat too fast, by the time your brain realises you have had enough, you may have already eaten too much.
  • Remove distractions by turning off your TV or laptop and putting your phone down.
  • Stop eating when you have had enough, rather than when your plate is empty.
  • Avoid labelling foods as 'good' or 'bad'. Instead, focus on eating a variety of different foods that provide satisfaction, enjoyment and nourishment.

6 tips for mindful eating — YouTube

If you are using eating as a coping mechanism to manage stress and anxiety, talk to your healthcare provider about support.

If you are trying to lose weight, take these off your shopping list:

  • cordial
  • fizzy drinks
  • fruit juice
  • energy drinks
  • flavoured milk.

These are all high in sugar and provide lots of calories but little nutritional value.

How much sugar are adults drinking? — HealthEd

For good health, you need at least 8 cups of fluid a day. Water is best, but if you are trying to lose weight, low- or reduced-fat milk and tea and coffee with no sugar are also fine.

If you find it difficult to drink tea and coffee without sugar, add a tiny amount of stevia, a natural sweetener.

Most takeaways are high in fat and salt. Only have them occasionally.

If you lack confidence or motivation to cook at home, there are plenty of ways to get inspired. You could:

  • look online for recipes for foods you like to eat
  • sign up for a cooking course online or a night class.

Knowing how to read food labels can help you choose healthier options when you are shopping.

How to read food labels

Alcohol is high in calories and can sometimes make you feel hungrier. Cutting back can help you lose weight, and it is good for your general health.

Do not switch alcohol for fruit juice, soft drinks or fizzy drinks. These are all high in sugar and provide lots of calories. Instead try:

  • fruit juice diluted with soda or sparkling water
  • tomato juice – add plenty of ice, black pepper and Tabasco sauce
  • homemade lemonade – add some lemon juice to soda or sparkling water. If you want a sweeter taste, add a small amount of stevia, a natural sweetener, or replace the lemon juice with some diet lemon cordial.

Do not assume low-alcohol drinks are also low in calories.

To lose weight and keep it off, you need to eat well for life.

There are many diets available, such as:

  • the Mediterranean way of eating
  • plant-based eating
  • intermittent fasting
  • limiting carbs
  • limiting fats.

All these ways of eating can be effective for weight loss. But if you choose one of them, think about:

  • how it suits you and your whānau
  • your food preferences
  • your budget
  • your lifestyle.

This will help you stick to it in the long term.

Be cautious of diets that:

  • promise quick results
  • are very restrictive
  • take the joy out of eating.

You may lose weight initially, but if you go back to your usual habits, you will put the weight back on.


Being active to lose weight

Being active is important for good health, but physical activity on its own is not usually enough to lose weight. You need to combine being active with eating well.

How to start getting active


Other tips to help you lose weight

Set goals that focus on how you are living (your lifestyle), rather than just your weight. These could include:

  • being more active with your whānau
  • having a healthy breakfast every day, including more whole foods like vegetables, fruit and high fibre foods
  • cooking more meals at home
  • sitting down with your whānau to eat.

There are many benefits to making lifestyle changes, even if your weight does not change.

Having a weight-loss goal to work towards is also a useful way to stay focused and motivated as you lose weight.

Some people aim to lose enough weight to get into a healthy body mass index (BMI) range. But this could be a lot of weight for you to lose, and it might seem a bit daunting.

For most people, losing 5 to 10% of their weight (for example, losing 5 to 10 kg if you weigh 100 kg) will make a big difference to their health and the way they feel. Losing around 0.5 kg to 1 kg a week is a safe and realistic target.

Focus on how you are feeling, rather than just your weight.

People who get around 6 to 8 hours' sleep a night and reduce their stress levels have double the chance of losing weight.

Not getting enough sleep affects your hunger and fullness hormones, ghrelin and leptin.

  • Ghrelin lets your brain know it is time to eat.
  • Leptin tells your brain you are full.

When you do not get enough sleep, your body makes more ghrelin and less leptin. This means you eat more.

Self care for good sleep

Stress has a similar effect on your hunger hormones. And when you are stressed, you produce a hormone called cortisol, which tells your body to hold on to its fat stores.

Ways you can reduce stress include being active and using relaxation techniques such as:

  • deep breathing
  • yoga
  • tai chi
  • muscle relaxation exercises.

You can get support from your whānau, a friend or a healthcare provider such as:

  • your GP
  • a dietitian
  • a counsellor
  • a physiotherapist.

If you are an unhealthy weight and these suggestions are not working for you, talk to your healthcare provider about weight-loss medications or weight-loss surgery.