Eating right

This pages will give you ideas about how to begin making realistic changes to the way you eat and tips for introducing a healthy diet.

You don't have to change everything you eat to lose weight. To lose weight you need to take less energy (calories) into your body from food and drink than the amount of energy your body uses up by being active. Healthy eating is the foundation of a diet for losing weight for most people, and this is the sort of eating you can enjoy for life. The good news is: if you can begin with two or three things to cut out or reduce, you'll be able to go on enjoying plentiful amounts of others. The ingredients of eating to lose weight are:

• healthy eating;
• leaving out the obvious extras; and
• controlling the overall amount of some foods.

For more information the Food Standards Agency's consumer advice and information website eatwell gives reliable and practical advice about healthy eating, understanding food labels and how what we eat can affect our health.

Visit the eatwell website

Healthy eating means:

• at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day, try to include them in every meal;
• starchy foods like potato, rice or wholemeal bread (with no added oil or butter or high fat creamy sauces);
• choosing lower fat meat, poultry and dairy foods;
• having two portions of fish, of which one is oily;
• reducing your salt intake to no more than 6g a day;
• cutting back on foods high in fat and sugar;
• cutting out fizzy, sugary drinks; and
• drinking less alcohol.

If you want to get the balance of your diet right, then the eatwell plate makes healthy eating easier to understand by showing the types and proportions of foods we need to have a healthy and well balanced diet.

Look at the eatwell plate

Calorie control

Healthy eating is more important than counting calories. For most people this means more fruit and vegetables and more starchy foods. But being aware of how many calories you need and how to control the calories you eat will help you find realistic changes that you can stick to. An average man needs about 2,500 calories a day and an average woman about 2,000 calories to stay the same weight. Eating 500 to 600 fewer calories each day than your body needs is a realistic way to lose weight. Aim for 1,500 calories a day for a woman and 2,000 calories a day for a man.

That way you eat enough to be properly nourished and you won't feel too hungry. It gives you a steady and safe weight loss of about 1-2lb (upto 1kg) per week. To be sure you're eating the right amount of foods to lower your calorie intake, you'll need to keep a check on portion sizes. It is easy to be tempted by bigger portions especially when they're sold at bargain prices and everyone's idea of a portion is different. Also remember to check food labels for calories and fat, they show the amounts per 100g and per portion - so choose carefully!

More about healthy eating

Regular meals

Eating well to lose weight is not only about what you eat, but how and when you eat too. Although it's not always easy, eating regular meals seems to be a key to success. If you grab a bite to eat on the run, you might think you're eating less but it tends to mean going for fast foods or snacks, which are often higher in fat and calories. When you eat a proper meal or snack, sitting down at a table, you're more likely to be eating healthily. Eating your main meal with lots of vegetables or salads fills you up with fewer calories.

Watch your portion size

When it comes to getting a balanced diet, it's not easy understanding what a healthy portion looks like, after all it depends on what food you're eating for example, a cup of pasta a day is a recommended daily portion, but not a cup of butter! It may seem time consuming to begin with but one trick is to watch what you're eating throughout the day. Read food labels to check the serving size and nutritional value of each serving and if you've got time, use a food weighing scales to weigh out your portion size.

Top tips for portion control

A word about breakfast

Breakfast really is the best way to start your day. It kickstarts your metabolism for the day ahead and helps you to get through to lunch. So don't be tempted to skip breakfast as a way of saving calories. Even if you don't feel hungry in the morning, try to make yourself have something to eat try fruit, yoghurt, cereal or toast.