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If you are trying to manage your weight, why not approach it a little differently this year? Now that the excitement of National Day and the festive period is over, take this opportunity to check to see if you have a healthy weight.
By measuring your weight and height it is possible to work out your Body Mass Index. From this figure you will be able to access your risk towards illnesses such as heart disease, a stroke or diabetes.
To calculate your Body Mass Index, simply measure your weight in kg and your height in metres.
Once you have both figures, you can then calculate your BMI as weight divided by your height (multiplied by two).
For example, if you weigh 78kg and are 1.6 metres in height, you would carry out the following calculation – 78/ 1.6 x 1.6 = 30.5.
If your answer is between 20 and 25 your weight is healthy! (Great job!) If not, why not make an appointment to meet with one of the family medicine teams, who will be able to discuss possible strategies for you to lose, or gain weight?
Maintaining a healthy weight throughout your life is important and the same goes for all family members. It’s not only adults who need to be aware, but children too. Kids need to be in the ideal range so they can enjoy all the benefits of great health.
In order to calculate a child’s weight, this is carried out in a slightly different way to that of an adults. If you have any concerns about your child’s weight make sure you see a paediatric or family medicine specialist who can advise you.
Going on a diet is often successful in the short term, but in the long term we find ourselves back in the same situation, or worse. Making a few small changes to your lifestyle, that you feel are sustainable, is much more likely to be successful in the long term.
The weight loss may not be as fast, however if it stays off then that is much more useful! Why not take the stairs? Walk part of the way to work? Swap to sugar free drinks? Switch to wholegrain breads for greater feelings of fullness?
If you are outside the healthy range small changes that help you to lose just 5 percent of your weight will be 
enough to make a very significant improvements to your health.
“I find that people put off thinking about their weight because the idea of ‘going on a diet’ is unappealing,” explains Doctor Rachel Leiper, a Family Medicine Specialist at Kings College Hospital Clinic.
“However, making a few decisions to make some small changes and sticking to them, people successfully lose weight and are able to make it stay off. It impacts on the whole family – if the parents are a little more active, then so are the children!”
For more information or to book an appointment visit www.kchclinics.com (02 501 4000).
