Obesity - Treatment - NHS

Diet

There's no single rule that applies to everyone, but to lose weight at a safe and sustainable rate of 0.5 to 1kg a week, most people are advised to reduce their energy intake by 600 calories a day.

For most men, this will mean consuming no more than 1,900 calories a day, and for most women, no more than 1,400 calories a day.

The best way to achieve this is to swap unhealthy and high-energy food choices – such as fast food, processed food and sugary drinks (including alcohol) – for healthier choices.

A healthy diet should consist of:

• plenty of fruit and vegetables
• meals based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy foods (ideally you should choose high fibre and wholegrain varieties)
• some milk and dairy foods or dairy alternatives
• some meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein
• just small amounts of food and drinks that are high in fat and sugar

Try to avoid foods containing high levels of salt because they can raise your blood pressure, which can be dangerous for people who are already living with obesity. Read some tips for a lower-salt diet.

You'll also need to check calorie information for each type of food and drink you consume to make sure you don't go over your daily limit.

Some restaurants, cafés and fast food outlets provide calorie information per portion, although providing this information isn't compulsory. Be careful when eating out because some foods can quickly take you over the limit, such as burgers, fried chicken, and some curries or Chinese dishes.

Read more about calorie counting.

Diet programmes and fad diets

Avoid fad diets that recommend unsafe practices, such as fasting (going without food for long periods of time) or cutting out entire food groups. These types of diets do not work, can make you feel ill, and are not sustainable because they do not teach you long-term healthy eating habits.

This is not to say that all commercial diet programmes are unsafe. Many are based on sound medical and scientific principles and can work well for some people.

A responsible diet programme should:

• educate you about issues such as portion size, making behavioural changes and healthy eating
• not be overly restrictive in terms of the type of foods you can eat
• be based on achieving gradual, sustainable weight loss rather than short-term rapid weight loss, which is unlikely to last

Very low calorie diets

A very low calorie diet (VLCD) is where you consume less than 800 calories a day.

These diets can lead to rapid weight loss, but they are not a suitable or safe method for everyone, and they are not routinely recommended for managing obesity.

VLCDs are usually only recommended if you have an obesity-related complication that would benefit from rapid weight loss.

VLCDs should not usually be followed for longer than 12 weeks at a time, and they should only be used under the supervision of a suitably qualified healthcare professional.

Speak to your GP first if you're considering this type of diet.

Further information

For more information about diet and weight loss, read:

• healthy weight
• 8 tips for healthy eating
• food labels