There are three main routes to losing a large amount of weight in Australia: changes to eating and activity, weight-loss medication prescribed by a doctor, and bariatric (metabolic) surgery. Most people use more than one over time, and all three work best on the same foundation of nutrition, movement and support. This section explains how weight loss works, why it stalls, and how to keep the result, with links to each topic in detail.
This topic is also in our free guide, Losing Weight Well. Get it emailed to you
The three main routes
Lifestyle: eating, activity and behaviour
Changes to what and how much you eat, together with regular activity, are the base of every weight-management plan. The Victorian Government’s Better Health Channel describes a loss of about half to one kilogram a week as reasonable and more likely to be maintained. Australia’s Physical Activity Guidelines recommend adults do 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate activity a week, plus muscle-strengthening activities on at least 2 days. The strength work matters more than many people expect, because it helps protect muscle while you lose fat.
Weight-loss medication
Several medicines are registered in Australia for chronic weight management, including GLP-1 medicines. healthdirect notes that medicines prescribed for weight loss are not currently covered by Medicare. Whether medication suits you, and which one, is a decision for you and your prescribing doctor.
Bariatric surgery
healthdirect describes bariatric surgery as usually offered to people with a BMI over 40, or over 35 with serious health problems such as diabetes or heart disease. It produces the largest average weight loss of the three routes, and it requires lifelong nutritional follow-up.
Explore this section
- How weight loss actually works: energy balance, why the body defends its weight, and what a realistic rate looks like.
- Why we gain weight: the biological, environmental and personal factors behind weight gain.
- Keeping muscle while you lose weight: protein, resistance training and why lean tissue matters for the end result.
- Weight-loss plateaus: why progress stalls, how to measure it properly, and what to try next.
- Keeping the weight off: the habits and support that help a loss last.
- Mindset and emotional eating: the psychological side of weight loss, and where to get help.
- Wraps, creams and devices: what the evidence says about treatments sold outside medical care.
- Weight-loss medications: how GLP-1 medicines work, what the trials found, and what to discuss with your doctor.
- Bariatric surgery: the main operations, who they suit, and life afterwards.
- Nutrition: dietitian-led guidance from Amy Kellner APD on eating well through every stage.
Thinking ahead
Whichever route you take, what you do while losing weight shapes what remains at the end. Keeping muscle, eating enough protein and keeping your weight stable once you reach your goal all make a difference if you later consider surgery for loose skin. Individual results vary.
Where to next
- How weight loss actually works
- Keeping muscle while you lose weight
- Working with your GP
- After the weight loss
If you are still early in the process, the patient resources are a good place to start. When your weight has settled, the readiness assessment can help you judge whether a consultation with Dr Kumar is likely to be useful yet.