Flick through any glossy magazine and you can easily see that there is a real focus on weight loss, from a vanity or aesthetic point of view.

However, maintaining a healthy weight is actually more important for your health.

There are a huge number of health conditions which you are at risk of succumbing to if you do not manage to keep within a healthy weight range.

A healthy weight for you will depend on a number of factors including your age, height and the amount of muscle you have.

This means that there is not really one ideal healthy weight and you certainly should not be comparing your weight to anyone else’s.

You can assess your weight using a number of different tools including:

• Body Mass Index (BMI) which measures your weight in relation to your height
• Waist to hip ratio (WHR) which compares the size of your waist with the size of your hips
• Waist to height ratio (WtHR) where your waist measurement should be half of your height or less
• Body fat percentage which is the weight of a person’s fat divided by their total weight.

When looking into weight management, choosing a diet can be overwhelming because there are lots of conflicting opinions on what you should eat to lose weight.

Weight management starts with making little changes like doing more exercise and eating less or making healthier food choices.

Eating a healthy balanced diet is the best way to manage your weight and there are lots of diet foods which include in your diet.

Simple carbohydrates such as pasta and white bread are what we call ‘refined carbohydrates’, which have had most of the nutrients and fibre removed. These should therefore be eaten in limited amounts in contrast to wholegrains.

Luckily there are low calories alternatives to these sorts of carbs.

Choose from Now Slim’s Diet Pasta Fettuccine, Eat Water Slim Spaghetti or Eat Water Slim Pasta Penne.

All of these alternatives are made with konjac flour and so they are free from carbs as well as being gluten-free, fat-free, sugar-free and wheat-free.

It is not just your diet that will help you to maintain a healthy weight.

The amount of exercise you do will also determine your body shape and weight, as exercise increases the number of calories that your body uses for energy.

According to guidelines, you should aim to do 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity (or even a mixture of the two!) each week.

Moderate activity includes walking briskly, playing with children and cycling at a casual pace.

Vigorous activity includes jogging, swimming and most competitive sports.

Research suggests that to maintain a healthy weight you should be eating at least three times each day.

Eating small meals or snacks more frequently will help to keep you fuller for longer and reduce feelings of huger.

Eating fewer than three meals each day can lead to hunger at mealtime, which can then make you overeat.

This also might lead you to making less healthy choices when it comes to food.

If you are looking to lose weight, you might want to consider substituting one or more of your meals for meal replacements.

Meal replacement shakes come in a variety of flavours including salted caramel, vanilla and strawberry so there will be one to suit your tastes.

Simply enjoy a shake after a workout or replace one or two of your meals with a shake.

Check the instructions on the individual product for the best way to enjoy your shake.

Fat burners, or binders, are dietary supplements which may help to burn excess fat.

Fat burners are not suitable for everyone, but they can be a good aid to weight management.

As well as these fat binders and burners, there are lots of nutritional supplements that you can take to support your weight management journey.  

Green tea extract is a natural ingredient which helps to increase fat oxidation and reduce body fat.

All fat binders, burners and weight loss supplements are designed to be used as part of a healthy balanced diet.