Luke Kirkness: I took note of these alarming obesity statistics. You should too

I found I was spending a decent chunk of my wages on junk food. Photo / Rod Emmerson

OPINION:

We all understand the importance of keeping fit and healthy.

A balanced diet with a decent amount of physical exercise seems to do the trick in keeping things under control.

However, in a society such as our own so revolved around working strenuously, it can be easy to let your health standards fall through the cracks.

I can't write to you as a doctor, nutritionist or any other medical specialist but instead, as someone who has always struggled with my waistline.

Over the past few years, I have tried new diets and exercise regimes but none stuck for very long.

I have a few very bad habits but I think laziness has to be the worst of the lot.

I set out with good intentions but after a while I often find myself justifying those extra few beers, eating that cheese roll and putting the alarm to snooze.

I found I was spending a decent chunk of my wages on junk food. Photo / Rod Emmerson

And all the weight I lose, kilometres I can run and weights I can shift around slowly dwindle back to where I started.

I got shocked back into gear by two things this year:

1) I reached my heaviest weight of 118kg.

2) Learning that around one in three adults in New Zealand were obese according to the New Zealand Health Survey 2019/20.

It was a very uncomfortable feeling. Not only knowing I was very overweight but also how I felt in public.

The feeling has scared me back on to the straight and narrow and for the past month, I have been quite strict — mostly — with my diet.

I haven't snuck off to the bakery next to work in more than a month. I've limited my alcohol intake - or at least tried to.

I started intermittent fasting, eating between 1pm and 9pm and the foods I am eating are quite specific.

That's right. I've started a diet, the ketogenic one to be exact.

It's a low-carb diet with the idea of getting more calories from protein and fat, instead of carbohydrates. I try to eat as little as 10g of carbs each day.

I took a wee break last week to tackle this behemoth of a doughnut. Photo / George Novak

I am not endorsing the ketogenic diet for everyone but it's worked for me. If you have questions about your weight, your GP is a great place to start.

So far, I've managed to get back down to 108kg.

I've got a 6'5" (1.9m) frame so although I'm going to be heavier than your average person anyway, I'd like to get back down below 100kg for the first time since high school.

I owe it all to that health survey, too and it's had me thinking lately.

It also found those in most socioeconomically deprived areas were 1.8 times as likely to be obese as those living in the least deprived areas.

And around one in 10 children aged between 2 and 14 years were obese.

Just to really drive it home, an Otago University report from 2018 estimated 2 million Kiwis would be obese by 2038.

So if you've been packing on the pounds lately, like me, or just think you could lose a couple of kilograms to better look after yourself, my challenge to you is to make it happen.

People have noticed my weight loss and the comments are always a great feeling — better than that extra beer or cheese roll.