Preventing excess weight gain

Establish and maintain a combination of increased physical activity and healthier dietary habits to achieve and maintain energy balance (see recommendations 2 and 3).

Follow existing advice on the recommended level of physical activity because it is likely to help increase energy expenditure and reduce the risk of diseases associated with excess weight. (For existing advice on physical activity see NHS information on exercise.)

Follow existing advice on healthy eating because it will make it easier to have an appropriate energy intake. (For existing advice on healthy eating see NHS eat well information.)

Avoid extreme physical activity or dietary behaviours (such as obsessively exercising or aiming to avoid all carbohydrates) because they are difficult to sustain and may not be accompanied by wider improvements in health.

Identify perceptions, habits or situations that may undermine efforts to maintain a healthy weight or prevent excess weight gain in the long term, and offer practical examples of helpful alternatives. These may include:

Increasing regular walking, particularly brisk walking, or cycling as a form of active travel (to school, work or other local destinations). (See NICE's guideline on walking and cycling.)

Increasing activities during leisure time and breaks at work or school (including some periods of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity). This could include any form of physical activity, sport or exercise such as walking, cycling, swimming, dancing or gardening.

Increasing activity as part of daily routines (such as taking regular breaks from sitting at home or work, and taking the stairs instead of the lift).

Reducing TV viewing and other screen time. Advise people that any strategy that reduces TV viewing and other leisure screen time may be helpful (such as TV‑free days or setting a limit to watch TV for no more than 2 hours a day).

Reduce the overall energy density of the diet. Practical ways to achieve this may include:

Limit consumption of energy dense food and drinks prepared outside the home, particularly 'fast' or 'takeaway' foods.

Avoid sugary drinks (including carbonated drinks, sports drinks, squashes and any other drinks that contain free sugars). Everyone should be encouraged to choose water or other drinks that do not contain free sugars. Other suitable drinks may include coffee, tea or drinks containing non-nutritive sweeteners, such as 'diet' versions of carbonated drinks or squashes.

Reduce total fat intake. Practical ways of doing this may include choosing lower fat options of the main sources of fat in the diet, reducing portion size or frequency of consumption of foods high in fat (such as meat and meat products, milk and dairy products, fats and oils, and baked foods such as pizza, biscuits and cakes).

Eat breakfast but do not increase overall daily energy intake. Breakfast choices should reflect existing healthy eating advice (see recommendation 1). Practical ways to achieve this may include opting for unsweetened wholegrain cereals or bread, lower fat milk and a portion of fruit.

Increase the proportion of high fibre or wholegrain foods eaten. Practical ways to do this may include:

Limit intake of meat and meat products. Follow existing NHS advice on meat in your diet to eat no more than 70 g of red and processed meat a day on average. Practical ways to do this may include reducing the portion size of meat or how often meals including meat are eaten.

Encourage and support them to be active at every opportunity (such as active play, travel, sport or leisure activities). (See NHS physical activity guidelines for young people and NICE's guideline on promoting physical activity for children and young people.)

Eat meals with children and young people.

Help children and encourage young people to get enough sleep. Explain to parents and carers that this is because lack of sleep may increase the risk of excess weight gain in children and young people. Provide parents and carers with information on age-specific recommendations on sleep.

Adults should not exceed recommended levels of alcohol consumption.

Advise adults that all alcoholic drinks are a source of additional energy. For example, a man drinking the upper daily limit of 3 to 4 units will be consuming around 200 to 325 extra calories a day and a woman drinking the upper daily limit of 2 to 3 units will be consuming around 140 to 260 extra calories a day. Practical ways to limit alcohol consumption may include replacing alcoholic drinks with non‑alcoholic drinks that do not contain free sugars (see recommendation 3) and increasing the number of alcohol‑free days. For more information see NHS advice on drinking alcohol.

Encourage habits that may help people to monitor their weight or associated behaviours. Practical examples for adults to do this may include:

Provide sources of accurate information (such as the NHS weight loss plan) and details of local services to people who have any concerns about their – or their family's – diet, activity levels or weight. For more information about raising awareness of local services, see NICE's guidelines on lifestyle weight management services for adults and lifestyle weight management services for children and young people.

Clearly communicate the broad range of benefits of maintaining a healthy weight through being more physically active and improving dietary habits. These should include 'non health' benefits as well as improvements to health. For example:

Clearly communicate that even small, gradual improvements to physical activity and dietary habits are likely to be helpful. Emphasise that:

Tailor messages (for example, for different age, socioeconomic or ethnic groups or for people with disabilities). Ensure all messages are clear, consistent, specific and non-judgemental. For more information see recommendation 5 in NICE's guideline on obesity: working with local communities and recommendation 6 in NICE's guideline on preventing type 2 diabetes.

Ensure that any activities promoting behaviours that may help people maintain a healthy weight or prevent excess weight gain are integrated with the local strategic approach to obesity (see recommendation 1 in NICE's guideline on obesity: working with local communities). Activities should: