weight loss

Carrying too much weight puts stress on your body which can lead to a variety of health issues.

By reducing the amount of fat cells in your body, you reduce the likelihood of getting very serious conditions such as heart disease, certain cancers, stroke, liver disease, type II diabetes, osteoarthritis and high blood pressure. Being overweight also affects the respiratory system, with side effects such as sleep apnoea and asthma.

If you are overweight or clinically obese then you may suffer from low self-esteem or lack self-confidence and therefore losing weight can help you to regain confidence, increase your self-esteem and lower the risk of depression.
 It also helps improve the ratio of good to bad cholesterol; reduce blood pressure and inhibit the progression to type II diabetes.

Weight loss can be a difficult and daunting prospect, however clinical studies have shown that those who use Xenical / Orlistat alongside dieting can achieve 50% more weight loss than dieting alone. 

Some Handy Tips for a Successful Weight Loss Journey

• Try to eat three regular meals a day.
• Try using a smaller plate and putting your knife and fork down between mouthfuls to encourage you to eat more slowly.
• Don't buy tempting foods- if it's not in the cupboard, you can't eat it!
• Fill at least half your plate with vegetables and salad, eat smaller portions of meat and starchy food like potatoes and bread. This will reduce your calories but keep you feeling full.
• Prepare healthy snacks in advance and keep in the fridge to prevent you being tempted by other unhealthy, ready available snacks like crisps, biscuits and chocolate. You can chop up vegetables such as carrots, celery and peppers to be used with a tasty low calorie dip like salsa (tomato with onion, chilli, lime and coriander) or tzatziki (yoghurt with cucumber, garlic and mint).
• If you have a sweet tooth, perhaps some fresh fruit with sugar free jelly or yoghurt.
• Have a clear goal of weight loss like a clothing size to work towards or to lose weight for a specific event and it will help your motivation.
• Plan meals in advance by deciding what you will have, write a list and then shop for the ingredients.
• Batch cooking can help you stay on track and avoid poor choices when busy.
• Drink lots of water as this helps metabolism.
• Move more each day by simply walking  or participate in any form of exercise that you enjoy.

Above all, don't give up. If you blow it one day, put it behind you as tomorrow is another day! Your weight loss may stop and start but keep going and the outcome will be well worth it.

BMI stands for “Body Mass Index” and is a calculation made based on your height and weight.

Using the metric system, the formula is your weight in kilograms divided by your height in metres squared. That is weight kg/(height in metres)² .

The BMI of an adult weighing 70kg and a height of 1.7m would be 70/(1.7)² = 24.2 We can calculate your BMI for you if you put your height and weight ,in either metric or imperial figures, into our calculator on the Xenical / Orlistat medical questionnaire.

It is the marker for judging how much body fat you have and indicates whether you are overweight. People with a higher percentage of body fat tend to have a higher BMI, except for bodybuilders.

Carrying excess body fat, means that you are at increased risk of suffering health problems such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer. The normal BMI range for a healthy adult is 18.5 to 24.9 and anything more than this indicates that you are overweight.

BMI indicator for adults

OVERWEIGHT BMI  25-29.9
OBESE BMI  30 and above
By losing weight and therefore reducing your BMI you can greatly improve your general health and increase your life expectancy.