Obesity is one of the major health problems facing Ireland at this time If you are overweight only you can do anything about it. If you think of your body as a machine you put fuel into it in the form of food and drink, this fuel is used up principally by the amount of exercise you take this may be in the form of the work you do, your body burns up calories to keep warm. So if you are constantly in a centrally heated enjoinment, you will use less calories to keep warm than someone who is outdoors more often especially in the winter.

All foods have a pacific calorific value if you consume more calories than you use your body will store the excess as fat. To lose weight in theory all you have to do is burn off more calories than you consume its as simple as that but of course its not a simple matter to turn around the habits of a lifetime. You will need willpower, motivation and a positive attitude, enlist the support of your partner you will find it much easier to attain your goal,

Approach your diet in a methodical way, keep records of your weight and dimensions on a weekly basis. It may be a good idea to look for a photograph of yourself preferably in a swim suit at a time when you were happy with your weight and look, dress similarly and take the same pose, then photograph yourself, some people have told us when they did this they were shocked at the change, but the shock added to their determination to succeed.

If you need convincing of the benefits you would gain from losing some weight, try this experiment. Look up what your ideal weight should be on our chart, then find an article which weighs approximately the amount you are overweight, carry this about with you for a short period, try walking up stairs. Some obese people would be unable to lift the amount they are overweight. A word of warning don't do this if you feel under stress.

Create a folder on your computer put the photographs in it if you name them sequentially eg. 02-12 (Representing February 12th) you can play them as a slide show which will give you visual conformation of your progress. take a new photograph each week.

As you probably know the medical profession classify people into three body frame categories, small, medium and large. To decide which category you fall into measure the circumference of your wrist and check the result in the table below

Body Frame Chart.

Decide on a target weight and set a realistic time scale to attain it, don't be too optimistic if you can manage to lose one kg 2.2 lbs a week this will mount up.

Keep Records.

To help you keep track of your progress to a new healthier and more beautiful self we have designed a spread sheet. (You will need Microsoft Excel installed on your computer.) All you have to do is enter your initial weight as well as the target weight you would like to achieve, the sheet will automatically calculate your body mass index.

Each week weigh your self and enter it in the appropriate box, the sheet will tell you how much you have lost and how much you have still to lose, it will also update your BMI figure each week.