Your ideal weight depends on your how tall you are, your build, and whether your are a man or a woman. One of the best ways of calculating a healthy weight is to work out your body mass index (BMI) by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared. The ideal BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9. Your risk of number of health problems rises significantly from a BMI of 27 while anything over 29.9 is a serious health concern.



Another good check for healthy weight is to measure your waist. Women with a waist circumferences of over 88 cm (35 inches) and men with waists of more than 102 cm (40 inches) are much greater risk for disease. If you are overweight you have a greater chance of shortening your life. You will be the perfect candidates for developing high blood pressure, high colesterol, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, joint problems, gallbaladder disease, sleep and lung problems and a host of other terminal diseases. Abdominal body fat, the "apple shape", is a higher rosk than the "pear shape"

Decide what is a healthy, achievable and sustainable weight for you and give yourself a time frame to achieve it. Take it very slowly (about a kilogram a month) as weight lost quickly comes back quickly. Set a number of short term goals so you have a sense of achievement, and reward yourself with non-food treats when you achieve them.

Know what you eat:

- Eat a balanced diet consisting of plenty of vegetables, fruit, legumes and cereals. Include low fat milk and diary products, lean meat and poultry.

- Prepare meals with little or no added fat, salt and sugar.

- Drink plenty of water each day. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation (1 - 2 drinks a day for woman, 2 -3 for men). However, if you're trying to lose weight you should bear in mind that alcohol is low in nutrients and high in kilojoules.

- Look at your food portions, if you are in the habit of piling up your plate, try gradually easing back. Bulking up with fruit and vegetables gives essential fibre and helps stave off hunger.

- Don't be hungry and don,t skip meals.

- Cut the fat. Learn how to cook tasty, balanced low fat meals. You don't have to live on cottage cheese and carrot sticks.

- Choose foods with a low glycemic index (GI) such as fruits, vegetables, breakfast cereals (no sugars) and milk. They can help you lose weight while keeping you feeling fuller for longer.

Strength training increases your metabolism. Muscle burns more fuels (kilojoules or calories) at rest than does fat. Each day, a pound of muscle burns over 10 times as much as energy as a pound of fat just to maintain itself. So couple of extra pounds or kilos of muscle will automatically mean you burn off more food. Also, the stronger you are, the more likely you are to exercise, and you'll look trimmer because you are toned.