Tips to reach and maintain a healthy body weight

The best way to lose weight is to make gradual and realistic changes to your diet and exercise routine that will last a lifetime.  We offer recommendations on healthy diet and exercise on this website.  You will also find a number of helpful links to other agencies which offer advice and expertise on diet and exercise (visit Healthy weight campaigns and programs - where to go for more information).

If you are overweight or obese, even losing a little weight - say 5-15% of your total body weight - will reduce your risk of some diseases, especially heart disease.  Losing weight can help to reduce blood pressure, lower your blood sugar and improve your blood cholesterol levels.

It is important to avoid rapid weight loss diets.  Popular diets generally don't work.  Restrictive diets, which dramatically reduce the amount of kilojoules you eat, or stop you eating certain kinds of foods, often result in overall weight gain over time and poor health outcomes.