Weight loss is a growing trend and a booming industry as more and more people seek to lose a few pounds or try to achieve their idea ‘perfect’ body. It is important to maintain a healthy weight and body mass index; however this should not be done through crash diets or pushing your body too far through intensive exercises, but through effective techniques that will let you manage your weight in a healthy way.

A healthy way to lose weight and maintain your goal weight is to make small, gradual changes. By making these small changes over the long-term, means that you will develop healthy habits that are easy to stick to and help you to lose weight gradually, rather than losing unhealthy amounts all at once. These changes need to be made to your diet and the amount of physical activity you currently do.

You might consider swapping food or snacks that you eat on a regular basis for healthier options. For example, if you eat sugary or chocolate cereal for breakfast, then swap it for a cereal that is low in sugar and contains more wholegrain. Similarly, try to cut down the amount bread you eat, and again, switch to wholegrain. You could also change your cooking methods; instead of frying meat, vegetables or potatoes, try grilling, oven-baking or steaming them instead. This will greatly reduce the fat content and you will be exposed to more textures and flavours that the different styles of cooking bring out.

Another small habit to develop is to concentrate and count how many times you chew each mouthful of food. This sounds silly, but doing this will cause you eat more slowly, allowing your stomach more time to realise when it full, so you will actually eat less. It is also worth sticking to strict portion sizes for all your meals.

The other important factor in weight management is physical activity. It is recommended that adults, when preparing for a weight loss programme, should build up a corresponding exercise programme progessively. Start with light exercises and gradually introduce more activities as you get fitter.

You should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every day or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, as well as muscle strengthening activities on two or more days.

If you are new to any physical activity, then it is a good idea to start with gentler exercise and move on to more demanding work outs when your fitness levels improve. Moderate aerobic exercise includes things such as walking at a brisk pace, leisurely cycling on flat ground, hiking or rollerblading.  Many activities can be easy to fit around any schedule and be accomplished by walking or cycling to work or to the supermarket, walking the dog on a local mountain path or trying a new activity, like rollerblading, with the kids. Once you are more confident in your fitness, you should make time specifically for more vigorous exercise. This can include running, swimming or aerobics, as well as sports like football, rugby, hockey or tennis.

These recommendations are suggested for a general healthy lifestyle and a way to control your weight. However, if you want to lose weight, then you will need to do more than the recommended amount of exercise and stick to a stricter diet that contains fewer calories.