What can I do?

Healthy weight is an issue that effects all of us. You can do things to manage your own weight as well as take action to help others.

My weight

The first thing you need to do if you think you need to lose weight is contact your doctor. There are many so called "diets" around. Many are not nutritionally balanced and may harm your health. Children and teenagers in particular need to ensure there are enough nutrients in their diet for healthy growth. Usually the aim for overweight teenagers is to maintain their weight and grow into it rather than trying to shed excess kilos.

Weight comes down to balancing the energy equation - ENERGY IN versus ENERGY OUT
 

What does that mean?..... To stay the same weight, the amount of food and drink you eat has to have the same amount of energy that your body uses in a day.

The amount of energy your body uses includes energy for growth, normal bodily functions and physical activity. In other words, if you eat and drink more energy then you use, then you gain weight.

So what are the factors that can upset this balance?
BIOLOGICAL – these are the things you inherit that CAN’T be changed
 Age, sex, hormones, and genetics

BEHAVIOURAL – The way you live your life – these things CAN be changed
 The type of food and drink you eat, the reasons you eat, when you eat, time spent being a couch potato, how much physical activity you do

ENVIRONMENTAL – these are factors that influence the way we live our life
 Availability of healthy food, access to sports fields and outdoor activities, advertisements designed to encourage us to watch more TV or eat more fast food.

The challenge for all of us is to be in charge of the energy equation. The first things to consider are; 1. how much physical activity am I getting, and 2. how much food and drink am I eating.........

How much physical activity am I getting?

Experts recommend teenagers be active for at least 60 mins every day. Some people might think that sounds like a lot but consider that many teenagers report watching more than 2 hours of TV every day. To see how you are doing complete the Kids Healthy Food and Activity Guide on the NSW Department of Health Childhood Obesity Website. For ideas check out our Staying Active page.

How much food and drink am I eating?

Check your day's intake against the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating in the 'Hot tips for healthy eating'  section. Think about your meals, snacks and drinks and make sure you are having enough of all the healthy foods your body needs. Check out our page on  'Soft drinks and other extras' and;

think about what you have to eat at school each day (Do the Lunch Box Blitz).

My Home and Family

Do you have a home entertainment centre? I don't mean TV, sound system, Play Station etc. I mean the stuff that really involves you - frisbee, vortex, skateboard, bike, basketball and hoop, pool, trampoline, a hairy walking machine (dog). Use your imagination!

If you are interested in healthy eating, why not involve your family too. Get together and plan your eating patterns and meals. Look at the family's shopping list/meals out/lunches and try to sit down and eat together whenever possible.

Have you used your 'pester power' lately? Use your incredibly persuasive powers to pester the home shopper to fill the pantry with healthy stuff. It's amazing how easy it is to resist junk if it's not in the cupboard. Turn pester power to fruit, yummy sandwich fillings, tinned fish, cheese and plain crackers, and reduced fat yogurt, reduced fat milk, healthy cereals and lean meats.

Take a look at the funky recipes on our 'Hot Tips for Healthy Eating' page. Maybe you could be making some healthy meals and snacks. You'll be helping yourself AND your whole family!

My School

Schools should be teaching healthy nutrition in the classroom and backing this up with yummy healthy food choices in the canteen. Did you know that since the beginning of 2005 all schools are supposed to sell only healthy food and drink choices. 'Extra Foods' (click here for more info on what extra foods are) can only be sold on two occasions per term. From 2007 the sale of all sugar sweetened drinks are banned from schools. For more detail check out the Fresh tastes @ school strategy on the NSW Health website (click here). If you want to check if a food meets the guidelines as healthy food, test it on the Healthy Kids Calculator on the NSW Healthy Kids School Canteen Association website (you'll need the label to help you do this).

PE classes and sport offer opportunities to be active at school. What other opportunities can you think of. Can you be active during breaks, is there an equipment borrowing scheme, can you join a dance group, can you get to school using self-propulsion (eg. walk, ride a bike, skateboard) rather than riding in a car or bus? Did you know that some schools have purchased sets of pedometers for students to borrow and use?