Weight Loss

Weight loss is the key to maintaining good health, but the reality is that for many people it is so hard to achieve. This is because as well as being careful about what and how much you eat, and how much physical exercise you do, other factors also come into play such as the environment, genetics, stress and your emotional health and even sleep. Struggling to get to your target weight can be a real issue for many people.

If you are overweight or obese, losing weight can reduce your risk of some potentially serious health problems. Most people who need to lose weight can get real health benefits from losing only 5% of they weight if they can keep it off.

Overweight people have a higher risk of succumbing to high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes, Type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer, osteoarthritis, back pain and even fertility issues in women to name a few.
So how do you know if you’re overweight? Your BMI or Body Mass Index is a measure of whether you are a healthy weight for your height. Another measure that is helpful is knowing your waist size.

BMI calculator | Check your BMI – NHS | Please fill in your details (www.nhs.uk)

Why is my waist size important? – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

So there is a real incentive to lose the weight but how can one do it and keep it off?

For people whose BMI is less than 27, a healthy eating plan with the right support is the best way to keep in shape. The NHS website has lots of good tips and guidance to help you along your way.
Start losing weight – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Obesity is a much more complex issue where weight has a negative impact on physical and mental health, overall wellbeing and mobility. Health issues that can cause serious issues in obese people are Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, colon cancer, breast cancer, strokes and high blood pressure, together with various mental health issues.

Your BMI is the usual measurement for diagnosing obesity but because BMI is based on weight, which ultimately includes muscle weight, bone and fluids as well as body fat it is not always a helpful indicator if used alone. BMI does not indicate where the fat is, and fat found around your waistline is more dangerous than concentrated in other fat stores around your body. Consequently, a waist measurement is also a very useful indicator of obesity. The bigger the waist, the greater the risk. For men a waist circumference of more than 94 cm and for women more than 80cm are indicators of obesity.

Obesity is not always just a question of maintaining self-control. There are lots of factors at play here including genetics, psychology, hormones, medications, the environment, nature of work, sleep patterns, social inequalities, food manufacturing and others.

Appetite, satiety (feeling full) and energy intake and expenditure are controlled by the hypothalamus in the brain which people cannot consciously control.

Genetics and other biological factors increase the chances of weight gain up to 50-80%.

Some people who with obesity have lower levels of hormones which control satiety which make you feel full.

After weight loss, there is the problem that the weight can very quickly come back and in some cases more than you were when you started the weight loss. This is because weight regain is driven by complex factors, not willpower alone.

After losing a lot of weight the hunger hormones tend to rise to redress the balance, while at the same time the hormones that make you feel full drop. The person then feels hungrier and not full up, causing them to eat more.
The good news is that obesity is a disease that can be treated.
The NHS provides several treatments for obesity, which can be found here.
Obesity – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Options include behavioural changes, medications and surgery.
Behavioural changes involve lifestyle management and personalised diet programmes combined with physical activity increases. The best plans can include medications which can help to add to the weight loss (up to 10-12% total body weight) if adhered to correctly and under the supervision of a trained professional such as your Doorstep Pharmacy pharmacist or doctor.

Medications which are licenced and clinically proven to help in the treatment of weight loss are:

Orlistat – Brand names Xenical or Alli Request Treatment

Liraglutide – Brand name Saxenda Request Treatment

Both treatments are available with the Doorstep Pharmacy Medicated Weight Loss Plan.

For further advice on medicated weight loss management please contact [email protected]