Welcome to Well Chance!
You have just taken the first step to lose weight and get
healthy. On this website, you will find great information for
adults, teenagers and children – even pets! There are recipes,
healthy eating tips, fitness ideas and classes and a list of where
to find weight loss meetings in, and near, Hackney.
The website is in English. If you do not have someone to help
you read it, please email wellchance@chpct.nhs.uk, and
we will try to help you. Thank you for giving yourself a Well
Chance!
Here is an overview of the website:
Health Concerns:
Being overweight or obese can cause the following health
problems: Diabetes, Heart Disease, Hypertension, Stroke, Cancer and
mental health problems.
Exercise:
We recommend that you take 30 minutes of moderate intensity
physical activity on 5 or more days of the week. Some suggestions
are: Jogging, Walking, Swimming, Dancing or The Gym/Leisure
Centre.
Food:
The recommended daily calorie intake varies depending on
how old you are. For the average adult, it’s about 2,000 per day
for women and 2,500 per day for men. If you're trying to lose
weight, you could start by eating 500 less calories per day. This
should lead to a loss of between one and two pounds per week. This
is a realistic target. It may seem slow, but would add up to a
weight loss of more than three stone in a year!
Your healthy eating should be made up of a variety of food such
as fish, vegetables, fruit and starch (wholegrain bread, rice or
pasta).
Try not to eat larger portions of any of your food, and also,
try to avoid fat, sugar or salt.
Drink plenty of water (8 glasses a day) and try to avoid
drinking alcohol.
Finally, don’t skip breakfast! Research shows that eating
breakfast can actually help people control their weight. This is
probably because when we don't have breakfast we're more likely to
snack on foods that are high in fat and sugar, such as biscuits,
doughnuts or pastries.
Your Children:
It is recommended that children and young people aim
to do at least 1 hour of moderate intensity physical activity every
day.
Active children and young people can have large appetites, and
it's important they eat food of high nutritional value in the form
of well balanced meals. Avoid too many snacks high in fat, sugar or
salt.
Build activity into your daily routine by walking to and from
school or walking to the local shops.
Make use of local parks – Hackney has the largest expanse of
green space in the whole of inner London.
Your Pets:
Pets are part of the family, too! Below, are some great
tips to give your cats and dogs a Fit Chance:
- Avoid feeding your pets table scraps and snacks
- Stick to the recommended daily feeding guide - it can be useful
to weigh out the amount at the beginning of the day, to avoid
accidental overfeeding
- Divide the daily allowance into several meals for the most
efficient weight loss
- Keep your pet in another room when preparing or eating your own
meals
- If you have several pets, feed them separately
- Don't leave any food lying around
- Make sure you have enough of the recommended food for holidays
and, if you're going away, give clear feeding instructions to the
person looking after your pet
- Walk your dog everyday for 30 minutes; and longer on the
weekends
- Try to exercise with your cat by playing catching and
stretching games, plus hiding their food in different places around
the house
Staying motivated:
- Have a plan and write it down – set realistic goals
- Shop with a list and stick to it
- If you have one bad day it doesn’t ruin the week – there are
still another 6 days to make a difference.
- Keep a record of your achievements, keep a diary recording your
inch or weight loss or take photographs so you can see how far you
have come.
- If you are trying to lose a lot of weight focus on small steps
towards your goal and reward yourself when you achieve them.
YOU CAN DO IT!!