A pedometer measures the number of steps you take and gives an indication of your daily activity levels. Once your GP or practice nurse has a clearer picture of your diet and level of physical activity, they can help you identify simple lifestyle changes. Together, you will work out a game plan to lose weight healthily and for the long term. It'll be a plan tailored to your lifestyle and your preferences. Your GP surgery should offer you regular follow-up appointments, usually every 2 weeks to a month, to monitor your progress.
Your GP surgery may refer you to other services, such as local weight loss groups. These could be provided by the NHS, or may be commercial services that you pay for. If it's appropriate, you may be referred for exercise classes under the supervision of a qualified trainer.
If you've made changes to your diet and levels of physical activity but you're not losing a significant amount of weight, your GP may recommend medicines that can help. Medicines are only used if your BMI is at least 30, or 28 if you have other risk factors such as high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes. The only medicine prescribed for weight loss is Orlistat. For more information on weight loss medication, see Obesity: treatment.
If lifestyle changes and medicines don't work, your GP may talk to you about weight loss surgery. Weight loss surgery is usually only recommended for people with a BMI of at least 40, or 35 if you have a weight-related health condition, such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure. Weight loss surgery can be effective but it's a major procedure that comes with health risks of its own. Find out about the different types of weight loss surgery.
Page last reviewed: 28 February Next review due: 28 February NHS Barnsley had the highest prescription rate with 18 items per 1, population.
Skip to main content. Internet explorer is no longer supported We have detected that you are using Internet Explorer to visit this website. Geographic Coverage: England. Date Range: 01 Apr to 31 Dec Previous Chapter. Current Chapter Part 2: Prescription items for the treatment of obesity View all. Next Chapter. Page contents Top of page Prescription items and cost Prescription items per head of population. Part 2: Prescription items for the treatment of obesity This part presents information on the number of prescriptions for drugs used to treat obesity and the Net Ingredient Cost NIC of these prescriptions.
A balanced diet and exercise programme should be started before beginning treatment with orlistat, and you should continue this programme during treatment and after you stop taking orlistat. Orlistat will usually only be recommended if you've made a significant effort to lose weight through diet, exercise or changing your lifestyle.
Before prescribing orlistat, your doctor will discuss the benefits and potential limitations with you, including any potential side effects. Treatment with orlistat must be combined with a balanced low-fat diet and other weight loss strategies, such as doing more exercise. It's important that the diet is nutritionally balanced over 3 main meals. If you're prescribed orlistat, you'll also be offered advice and support about diet, exercise and making lifestyle changes.
A single orlistat capsule is taken with water immediately before, during or up to 1 hour after, each main meal up to a maximum of 3 capsules a day. If you miss a meal, or the meal does not contain any fat, you should not take the orlistat capsule.
Your doctor should explain this to you, or you can check the patient information leaflet that comes with your medicine. It usually starts to affect how you digest fat within 1 to 2 days.
If you have not lost weight after taking orlistat for 3 months, it's unlikely to be an effective treatment for you. Consult your doctor or pharmacist, as it may be necessary to stop your treatment. See your GP before starting treatment with orlistat if you have another serious health condition, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, or kidney disease, which you're taking medication for.
It may be necessary to change the dose of your medicine. If you have type 2 diabetes, it may take you longer to lose weight using orlistat, so your target weight loss after 3 months may therefore be slightly lower. You'll have a review after you've been using orlistat for 3 months. If you've lost weight, your GP may suggest continuing to use orlistat for 12 months or more.
They'll discuss the benefits, limitations and side effects with you. Women taking the oral contraceptive pill should use an additional method of contraception , such as a condom , if they experience severe diarrhoea while taking orlistat. This is because the contraceptive pill may not be absorbed by your body if you have diarrhoea, so it may not be effective.
Weight loss surgery , also called bariatric surgery, is sometimes used to treat people who are severely obese. Bariatric surgery is usually only available on the NHS to treat people with severe obesity who fulfil all of the following criteria:. Bariatric surgery may also be considered as a possible treatment option for people with a BMI of 30 to 35 who have recently in the last 10 years been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. In rare cases, surgery may be recommended as the first treatment instead of lifestyle treatments and medication if a person's BMI is 50 or above.
Treating obesity in children usually involves improvements to diet and increasing physical activity using behaviour change strategies. The amount of calories your child should eat each day will depend on their age and height.
Your GP should be able to advise you about a recommended daily limit, and they may also be able to refer you to your local family healthy lifestyle programme. Children over the age of 5 should ideally get at least 60 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise a day, such as running or playing football or netball.
Sedentary activities, such as watching television and playing computer games, should be restricted. Read more about the physical activity guidelines for children and young people. Referral to a specialist in treating childhood obesity may be recommended if your child develops an obesity-related complication, or there's thought to be an underlying medical condition causing obesity.
The use of orlistat in children is only recommended in exceptional circumstances, such as if a child is severely obese and has an obesity-related complication. Bariatric surgery isn't generally recommended for children, but may be considered for young people in exceptional circumstances, and if they've achieved, or nearly achieved, physiological maturity.
Page last reviewed: 16 May Next review due: 16 May If you're obese, speak to your GP for advice about losing weight safely. They can also let you know about other useful services, such as: local weight loss groups — these could be provided by your local authority, the NHS, or commercial services you may have to pay for exercise on prescription — where you're referred to a local active health team for a number of sessions under the supervision of a qualified trainer If you have underlying problems associated with obesity, such as polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS , high blood pressure , diabetes or sleep apnoea , your GP may recommend further tests or specific treatment.
Diet There's no single rule that applies to everyone, but to lose weight at a safe and sustainable rate of 0. A healthy diet should consist of: plenty of fruit and vegetables plenty of potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy foods ideally you should choose wholegrain varieties some milk and dairy foods some meat , fish, eggs , beans and other non-dairy sources of protein just small amounts of food and drinks that are high in fat and sugar Try to avoid foods containing high levels of salt because they can raise your blood pressure, which can be dangerous for people who are already obese.
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