Weight Management
Calorie Deficit Explained
Energy balance in plain English: estimate your needs in kJ, plan a modest deficit and track progress week by week.
NZ$29.99Buy
Weight management courses that fit real New Zealand life
Understand energy balance in kilojoules and calories, plan meals around the four food groups and build habits you can keep, without cutting out whole food groups or chasing quick fixes.
- 6 courses
- Tools in every course
- Certificate included
Body weight is shaped by far more than willpower. Sleep, stress, shift work, medicines, the cost of food and what is easy to buy near home all play a part. The Eating and Activity Guidelines for New Zealand Adults focus on a pattern of eating built from vegetables and fruit, whole grains, milk products and protein foods, with water as the main drink and regular movement through the week. Small changes that fit your routine are far more likely to last than a strict plan you drop after a fortnight.
Food labels in New Zealand show energy in kilojoules first, so our courses use kJ with calories alongside. Where a course works out an energy figure, it is an estimate to learn from, not a target to follow, and the courses never promise a set amount of weight loss. If you would like more support, ask your GP or practice nurse about a Green Prescription, which links people to free help with activity and healthy eating where it is available.
Please talk to your GP before using a weight course if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, under 18, have diabetes or kidney disease, take medicines that affect appetite or weight, have a BMI of 40 or more, or have ever had an eating disorder. The courses are written by Dr Aqsa Mukhtiar, PhD in Nutrition.
All weight management courses
Weight Management
Meal Planning for Weight Loss
Satisfying meals that keep you full, planned ahead and batch cooked, with snack swaps for the moments that usually derail you.
NZ$34.99Buy
Weight Management
Emotional Eating and Weight Loss
Notice the feelings behind the food and respond differently, without a diet or counting kilojoules.
NZ$34.99Buy
Weight Management
Understanding Food Cravings
A short, guilt-free course on cravings, with satisfying swaps that still feel enjoyable.
NZ$19.99Buy
Weight Management
Healthy Midlife Weight Management
Manage the slow midlife drift with a protein tracker, strength planner and 7-day meal plan, focused on health rather than quick fixes.
NZ$34.99Buy
Weight Management
Preventing Weight Regain
Keep the progress you worked for with a maintenance energy calculator, high-risk situations planner and anchor cards.
NZ$29.99Buy
Where to start
Understanding the basics
- Calorie Deficit Explained explains energy balance in plain words, with an energy needs calculator that gives an estimate and a weekly progress tracker.
- Meal Planning for Weight Loss turns that into a 7-day planner, a portion guide based on the food groups, a shopping list and snack swaps.
The thinking side of eating
- Understanding Food Cravings helps you notice what sets cravings off and try a 10-minute delay before deciding.
- Emotional Eating and Weight Loss looks at eating in response to stress, boredom or low mood, with a trigger journal and an urge-surfing card.
Life stage and long term
- Healthy Midlife Weight Management covers changes in your 40s and 50s, with waist, protein and strength activity planners.
- Preventing Weight Regain is for after a change in weight, with check-ins and a plan for getting back on track after a slip.
What the weight management tools do
- Energy needs and maintenance calculators: rough estimates in kJ and kcal, with clear notes on who should not use them.
- Meal planners and portion guides: plan a week using everyday New Zealand foods and sensible portions.
- Weight and waist trackers: record trends once a week rather than worrying about day-to-day changes.
- Craving log and trigger journal: notice the time, place and feeling behind the urge to eat.
- High-risk situations planner: plan ahead for barbecues, work shouts, holidays and takeaway nights.
When to get support
Talk to your GP if:
- you are losing or gaining weight and do not know why
- eating feels out of control, or you are skipping meals for long stretches, making yourself sick or exercising to make up for food
- thoughts about your weight or body are leaving you low, anxious or hopeless
- you have a long-term condition and want to change how you eat
Healthline (0800 611 116) gives free nurse advice around the clock, and 1737 is there by free call or text if your mood is low. Call 111 in an emergency.
Weight management courses: your questions
How quickly should I expect to lose weight?
Slow, steady change is easier to keep up and kinder to your body than rapid loss. The courses do not set a weekly target or promise a result; your GP can talk with you about what is realistic for your health.
Should I count calories or kilojoules?
Either works, because they measure the same thing. New Zealand labels lead with kilojoules, and 1 kcal is about 4.2 kJ. Many people find it easier to plan meals and portions rather than count every day, and the courses show both approaches.
Do I need to cut out carbohydrates?
No. The New Zealand guidelines include grain foods every day, mostly whole grain and high in fibre, along with starchy vegetables such as potato, kūmara and taro. The courses look at portion size and type rather than cutting a food group.
What is a Green Prescription?
It is a referral from a GP or practice nurse to free support with physical activity and healthy eating, offered in many parts of the country. Ask at your general practice whether it is available where you live.
Can I take a weight course while pregnant or breastfeeding?
These courses are not designed for pregnancy or breastfeeding. Please talk to your LMC midwife or GP instead, and see our pregnancy and postnatal courses for eating well at those times.
Is a weight course suitable for teenagers?
No. The weight courses are written for adults. If you are worried about a young person's weight or eating, talk to their GP.
Official sources
Pick one habit for this week
Start with the planner or the craving log, not both; one change kept for a month is worth more than five dropped by Friday.