Weight Management Program

Promoting healthy weight and active lifestyle has been the center of attention of doctor and health care providers at Hay Medical Centre

Overweight and obesity are the largest nutrition related problems in the developed world. Obese individuals have approximately twice the risk of premature death, compared with those who have a body mass index (BMI) of 20-25 kg/m². Obesity is estimated to contribute to about two thirds of type 2 diabetes, one fifth of heart disease and one third of hypertension in Australia. The association between obesity and type 2 diabetes is particularly strong. Women with a BMI of 26 have eight times the risk of diabetes, compared with women with a BMI of 21. There is a comparable fourfold increase in the risk for men. Risk continues to increase with BMI, and women with a BMI of 35 have 90 times the risk. A weight gain of approximately 4.5-9 kilograms increases the risk of coronary heart disease by 1.25 times in women and 1.6 times in men. Higher levels of body weight gain—10 kilograms in men and 20 kilograms in women—result in an increased risk of coronary heart disease of 1.75 times and 2.65 times respectively.

Rates of overweight and obesity among Australian adults increased markedly over the past two decades. From 1980 to 1999-2000, the proportion of overweight or obese men aged 25-64 years increased from 47.3 per cent to 65.7 per cent (based on measured height and weight). In the same period, the proportion of overweight or obese women increased from 27.2 per cent to 46.5 per cent.

Weight control is achieved by balancing energy intake with energy expenditure. Most Australians do not achieve this balance because current lifestyles, environments, social norms, and economic conditions promote the opposite—that is, over consumption of energy dense foods and drinks, and under activity These have not been deliberate choices for most people; rather, they are the result of largely external changes that influence behavior in subtle, unintended ways.

• Weight loss and weight maintenance programs should employ a combination of a low kilojoule diet and increased physical activity.
• Physical activity should be part of a comprehensive weight loss or weight control program because it
  • Modestly contributes to weight loss in overweight and obese adults,
  • May decrease abdominal fat,
  • Increases cardio-respiratory fitness
  • May help maintain weight loss.
• Overweight and obese persons should adopt a low kilojoules diet for weight loss, aiming to create a deficit of 500-1,000 kilocalories [2092-4184 kilojoules] per day. Reducing fat as part of a low kilojoules diet is a practical way of reducing kilojoules.
• Overweight and obese adults should aim to reduce body weight by about 10 per cent from the baseline. With success, and if warranted, they can attempt further weight loss.
• Weight loss should be about 0.5-1 kilogram per week for six months, with the subsequent strategy based on the amount of weight lost.
• A weight maintenance program should be a priority after the initial six months of weight loss

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