WEIGHT LOSS TREATMENT — WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
WEIGHT LOSS TREATMENT — WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
How do I know I’m a healthy weight for my height?
You can find out if you’re overweight by using your height, weight, age and gender to calculate your BMI. A BMI over 25 is considered overweight and over 30 is considered obese. Keeping your BMI between 19 and 25 will reduce your risk of heart problems, stroke and some kinds of cancer.
Check your BMI with the NHS Wales BMI calculator
What medicines can help me manage my weight?
We can currently prescribe Saxenda, Orlistat or Xenical to help you lose weight. Saxenda works by helping you feel fuller. For more information on Saxenda, see our dedicated Saxenda page. Orlistat and Xenical both work by helping your body get rid of the extra fat in your diet.
There’s a new medicine, Wegovy, that works in the same way as Saxenda and has shown good results in clinical trials and in the United States where it has been available since 2021. We expect Wegovy to come to the UK and Boots Online Doctor in 2023. Find out more about Wegovy here.
While you’re taking any of these medicines, you also need to make changes to your diet and habits around activity, sleep and relaxation in order to lose weight and keep it off long term.
HOW WE SUPPORT YOU
We don’t just stop with medicine. We’re here to help with lifestyle advice, motivation and follow-on support.
For information on the kinds of diets that are most likely to support your weight loss, read our recommended eating guides.
We also have a series of free webinars where our expert Lifestyle Medicine team offers extra tools and support for successful weight loss. Join our Live Well LIVE! webinars to ask our lifestyle medicine team your weight loss questions and let them support you to achieve your weight loss goals. Or watch recordings of some past webinars at any time, and as many times as you’d like.
We’ve put together a 10-week programme designed to maximise healthy, sustainable weight loss. Join our expert team – made up of GPs and nutritionists – to learn more about mindsets, managing cravings, how sleep and everyday stress could affect you, and much more.
We’re also developing a host of additional support resources to help with weight loss and broader lifestyle.
What health conditions are linked to being overweight?
Being overweight isn’t just about not fitting into your favourite clothes. Carrying extra weight can cause serious health problems. If you are overweight, you’re at risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancer.
Being overweight can also make some conditions, like asthma, worse. Maintaining a healthy weight can also help you manage stress and can support your mental wellbeing.