Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight

When you have a healthy weight your body weight is in line with your height. Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is essential because it makes you stay healthy and prevents various diseases. For example, if you are an adult man of 180 cm, a healthy weight is between 70 and 85 kg and if you are an adult woman of 170 cm, a healthy weight is between 55 and 70 kg. You can visit a nearby clinic to check if you have a healthy weight.

Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight has the following benefits to you:

• It improves your overall health keeping you fit and strong. A healthy weight helps to make your bones and muscles stronger.
• It prevents you from becoming obese. Obesity puts you at risk of various medical conditions. A healthy weight reduces your risk of getting serious health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and cancer.
• A healthy weight improves your mental health, your mood and reduces the chance of you getting depressed.
• It also improves your mental abilities, making it easier for you to learn and think clearly.
• A healthy weight improves your sexual health. Overweight men may experience difficulties getting and maintaining a stiff penis during sexual intercourse.

To achieve and maintain a healthy weight, here are a few tips that may help you:

• Regular exercise helps burn calories. Examples include walking, jogging, running, riding a bicycle, swimming, skipping, and playing football, basketball, or lifting weights.
• Ensuring that you eat a balanced diet  Eat more fruits such as bananas, oranges and  watermelons, and more vegetables such as cabbage and kale (ugu). You should reduce the amount of salt, sugar and saturated fats (e.g. butter, palm and coconut oils, cheese and red meats) in your food.
• Drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration. Avoid drinks that have lots of sugar in them, including packaged fruit juices.
• Eat regular meals and try to eat smaller portions of food. A good way to do this is by using small plates.
• Have goals and plan towards these goals to reduce and maintain your weight. Weigh yourself regularly (e.g. every week) to see if you’ve made progress. Make sure you are realistic about your goals and reward yourself when you reach these goals.

Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight comes with a lot of benefits so it is worth trying your best to achieve it. Avoid fast foods and snacks such as burgers, hot dogs, chocolates and biscuits. Trade them in for healthy snacks such as fruits or nuts. Become more active by exercising more and by reducing the time you spend watching television or sitting in front of your computer. You can also seek advice or helpful weight management tips from your healthcare provider or dietitian.