Measure your waist to ensure that you are healthy
It's no longer about how you look, those extra pounds can be fatal in affecting your health.
There is a lack of understanding of the dangers of fat stored on your body, reveals new research.
Forty-one per cent do not realise that having fat around their waistline is worse for their health than fat stored elsewhere on the body.
The International Chair on Cardiometabolic Risk (ICCR), in conjunction with the National Obesity Forum, is urging people to realise the dangers of carrying excess fat around their waistlines.
"Your waist circumference can indicate your level of abdominal obesity, which is a major factor for the developement of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease," says Dr Jean Pierre Després, Scientific Director of the ICCR.
"Knowing your waist measurement is vital to help you manage you weight and your health. Measure your waist and if it is bigger than the recommended level (93cm for men and 80cm for women) then you should take steps to reduce it."
Despite many people not being happy with the size of their waist, 60 per cent of women are actually unaware of the correct measurement.
"Of all parts of their body, people are most unhappy with their waistlines yet many people simply don't realise that what you drink can be as damaging to the body as what you eat," says Professor David Haslam, chair of the National Obesity Forum.
"One-fifth of peope admitted to drinking five or more sugar sweetened drinks which can add up to 1,500 calories a day. These calories could be saved by replacing sugar sweetened drinks with water.
"Worringly, two-thirds of people in Great Britain drink under the the recommended daily amount of water but it really is the best solution for weight loss and rehydration."
If you can't kick the sugar habit though there is a new product that is sure to make you smile.
Truvia is taking the US by storm and has only been introduced over here recently and is expected to hit the shelves later this year. The new brand of sweetner is calorie free - the words that everybody loves to hear.
"I first tasted the stevia leaf years ago and knew this was going to be important for the future of sweetness. Great-tasting, calorie-free and from a leaf," says Zanna McFerson, vice president, Cargill Health & Nutrition and director, Truvia Enterprise.
"Truvia sweetner provides consumers with a new way to reduce calories and sugars while still enjoying sweet taste in their food and drinks."
Femalefirst Taryn Davies