If you have a desire or a medical requirement to lose weight then I can encourage, support and educate you through this process. Research has shown that 89% of those who consistently keep off their weight regularly engage in exercise. If you pursue weight loss through dieting alone, a quarter of the weight loss may be from lean body mass (muscle) which then leads to a reduction in the amount of calories that you burn throughout the day. This is not ideal, however exercise in conjunction with dieting can both reduce body fat and increase the amount of calories used in the day.

I will provide you with: 

  • The knowledge to develop a sound, balanced weight management programme
  • Permanent weight management, through a change in lifestyle i.e. exercise and nutrition
  • Goal setting that is realistic and attainable in the short/medium and long term

  A bespoke plan will be agreed with you that:

  • Helps you to overcome physical and emotional barriers to exercise and healthy eating 
  • Anticipates the obstacles to weight loss and planned strategies to manage them
  • Identifies trigger points to unhealthy eating and lifestyle, and targets behavioural changes needed
  • Provides a support plan involving family members or friends where applicable
  • Provides achievable consistent steps and support 

Useful tools are:

  • Food diaries: recording food type, portion sizes, eating patterns, moods, and environment to assess the quality of your diet and any triggers for unhealthy eating
  • Exercise diary-to record activity levels and to ensure that you are carrying out your exercise programme sufficiently
  • Planning rewards for goal achievement i.e theatre tickets or a new outfit
  • Sharing your weight loss goals with a family member or trusted (firm!) friend, so that they can help you keep on the straight and narro
  • Genetic testing to help determine the influence of your genes on your diet (i.e. energy expenditure, fat metabolism, appetite) and provides a report which suggests dietary proportion of fats/ carbohydrates/proteins and quantity/type of exercise that supports your genetic make-up and reduces your risk of injury (see genetic testing section for more information).
  • Personalised food plans

BMI calculation

The BMI is a measure of your weight relative to your height and waist circumference measures abdominal fat. Combining these with information about your additional risk factors yields your risk for developing obesity-associated diseases.

Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to both adult men and women. Enter your weight and height using standard or metric measures. Click on this link to compute BMI:
www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Healthyweightcalculator

BMI Categories:
Underweight = <18.5
Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
Overweight = 25-29.9
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

Assessing body fat using skin fold calipers, girth measurements and bioelectrical impedence are much better ways of assessing body fat and associated disease risk.

Many of us who have tried to lose weight have found it a frustrating process of:

  •  Unsuccessfully trying to break unhelpful eating habits
  • Yo-yo dieting
  • Fluctuating weight loss/weight gain
  • Feeling hungry and deprived of our favourite foods and drink
  • Lack of time to exercise
  • Lack of motivation

With discussion I can help you to find an exercise and diet plan that should optimise your chances of success.

Genetic Testing

Are you doing all the ‘right things’ but still not losing weight or losing so little that you lose motivation? It could very possibly be down to your genetic make-up. Very recently a genetic profile test called DNA Diet Plus available from http://www.nordiclabs.com/ has become available in the UK. DNA Diet Plus helps explore the way a person responds to diet and exercise. This mouth swab test provides information on thirteen genes which impact on metabolism and responsiveness to exercise. In fact up to 80% of variability in body weight is due to genetic factors This helps to explain why not everyone becomes obese even when exposed to similar environment e.g. food and exercise. Genetics therefore influence your predisposition to obesity when exposed to an unfavourable situation (too much food, not the ‘right’ diet or too little exercise).

The test explores genes involved in regulation of energy expenditure, appetite, and fat metabolism, fat storage, inflammation, sensitivity to insulin, taste sensitivity (sensitivity and satiety for sugar), addictions, feeding behaviour, satiety, overeating and addiction (which may help to explain your ‘lack of discipline and inability to stop) which all play an important role in weight regulation

If you choose to perform the test, results along with your health history, enables me to provide you with a health promoting personalised calorie controlled diet plan e.g. proportions of carbohydrates and protein, and proportion and quality of fats (based on your genetic ability to absorb or burn off fat), and exercise programme(number of hours that will be required for weight loss).