Keeping Fit And Managing A Healthy Weight

Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight and activity level

• A healthy body mass index (BMI) with a reasonable diet and exercise are all important to helping your general physical health over time. The NHS recommends a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 (click here to calculate your BMI: https://www.nhs.uk/health-assessment-tools/calculate-your-body-mass-index/). If you’re struggling with being underweight, please contact the surgery. There’s plenty of advice below to support you in losing weight. 
• The NHS recommends adults 19-65yrs should aim to do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week (https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/).
• Generally, the NHS’s recommended daily calorie intake is 2,000 calories a day for women and 2,500 for men for weight maintenance.
• NHS advice is to keep alcohol use limited to no more than 14 units in a week, spread over at least three days (https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-advice/calculating-alcohol-units/) – if you’re struggling with alcohol, please contact the surgery. Remember that there are calories within alcoholic drinks – often much more than you realise.
• The NHS recommends you do not smoke, and there are smoking cessation clinics available locally: Call 0151 541 5656, FREE Text ABL to 60777, or email  cmicb-wi.ablwirral@nhs.net for support. 

Losing weight to achieve a healthy BMI

Managing weight can be challenging, but you’re on the right path. Sustainable weight loss involves gradual changes in your routine and mindset towards appetite, food, and exercise. Small, manageable changes are more likely to be maintained long-term. Focus on overall health and how you feel rather than just the number on the scale. We are currently undergoing staffing changes and we are unsure when this will change, but if you would like a future appointment with a health coach to support you in your goal please contact the surgery.

Monitoring calories

To lose one pound of fat, you need a cumulative calorie deficit of about 3,000 calories. This means creating a daily deficit of 500 calories over six days. There are many useful apps for monitoring calorie intake for weight loss goals including the NHS app which also has a 12 week weight loss plan (https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/lose-weight/), and myfitnesspal, amongst many others. Making sure you feel full whilst reducing the calories are all important – staying hydrated, reducing carbohydrate and sugar intake, opting for lower-calorie foods, increasing protein intake, and consuming low-calorie filling foods like vegetables will help you feel fuller for longer whilst reducing your calories. 

Getting active

Regardless of your age, mobility, or disability, there are ways to stay active. See our green prescribing document for more information about local free outdoor options or look at the Wirral Infobank website (https://www.wirralinfobank.co.uk/) for ideas to get yourself active. 

Weight loss medications

Weight loss medications can be effective, but once stopped, there’s a risk of reverting to previous habits and weight. Long-term success requires a change in mentality and routines around food and exercise.

Orlistat, available over the counter or by prescription, reduces fat absorption. The main side effect is gastrointestinal issues. The goal with Orlistat is to lose 5% of body weight in three months; if this isn’t achieved, it may not be worth continuing. An alternative is looking closely at the fat within your diet to reduce the amount of intake, and thus the absorption. 

Injectable weight loss medications such as Wegovy are not available on the NHS in the Wirral due to a lack of supportive services. GPs are unable to prescribe these for weight loss. They can be prescribed privately from specialist online pharmacies, but without the support systems (dietary advice, monitoring) that were in place during the research into how effective they are. These injections work by reducing appetite. They can be difficult to get hold of currently, due to national shortage with the sudden increase in use. These injectables are licensed for specific criteria and are only recommended for up to two years. They don’t require monitoring, but as these medications are only offered to people with high BMI or cardiovascular risk factors, we are happy to offer a cardiovascular risk assessment through blood tests and a blood pressure check. Other methods to manage appetite include staying hydrated, reducing carbohydrate and sugar intake, opting for lower-calorie foods, increasing protein intake, and consuming low-calorie filling foods like vegetables. 

Please click here for further information and advice on keeping fit and support resources.