Weight loss treatment

Hi, I'm Doctor Sam Wild, a GP of over 20 years.

As 2/3 of adults in the UK are living with obesity or overweight, I have felt that I should become more informed about the condition to enable me to support my patients better.

Obesity is a chronic condition and we should treat it just like we do any other chronic disease.

Therefore, if you're on a journey to lose weight or if you're thinking about or have started weight loss medication, this guide is here to help you and I'll provide advice and all the information that I've learnt from my patients to support you on your way.

So losing weight is absolutely not just about society's expectation that you should be or fit into a certain size.

You may feel that you want to lose weight because it might help you feel generally better about yourself.

It might make you feel more mobile and be easier to get down on the floor to play with children or to do the chores without getting short of breath.

It might help you to sleep better at night and it might stop you from snoring and having your partner shouting at you.

There are also some long term health consequences though with being overweight and these can include diabetes, heart disease, stroke and a lot of cancers as well.

Obesity and overweight are second only to smoking in a risk factor for developing cancer.

People who would benefit from weight loss medication are those with a body mass index over 30 or those with a body mass index over 27 with associated weight related conditions and these include things like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, pre diabetes and sleep apnea.

We have found that many of our patients have tried a variety of different diets before.

Often they've been successful to start with, but they've been hard to maintain longer term and the weight has been regained.

During your consultation with one of our GPS, we'll discuss your previous experiences, exactly what your current situation is and what your long term goals are so we can work together to make a personalised plan for you.

So what is weight loss medication and how does it work?

Weight loss medication involves having a prescribed medication that will enable you to lose weight.

The current weight loss medications are very effective and they work by mimicking natural hormones that we have in our body that we release from the gut when we're eating.

These hormones are very clever and they tell our brain that we feel full so that we're no longer hungry and that reduces our cravings too.

They also delay the stomach from emptying so you feel fuller for longer.

This helps you to lose weight as you're not eating so much.

These drugs were first created to help manage diabetes as they stabilised blood sugars and it was noted as a side effect in the trials that people also lost a substantial amount of weight whilst using the medications.

They are typically used as an injection once a week, which is inserted subcutaneously under the skin on the abdomen, the upper arms or the thighs.

We usually start with a low dose, which is gradually increased over the subsequent weeks to achieve a maintenance dose.

By doing this, we hope to reduce the incidence of developing side effects.

For some people, the drug will start to work fairly quickly and they may see initial responses within the first couple of weeks, but for others it can take a little bit longer.

Everybody is different.

We can achieve great results with weight loss medication.

We would aim for our patients to lose 1 to 2 lbs, so approximately half to one kilogramme a week once they have started their treatment.

And studies have shown that by using medication and lifestyle changes, it's far more effective than lifestyle changes alone.

In the Wegovy clinical trials, they showed that 90% of people lost 5% of their body weight by 6 months and 60% lost 15% of their weight loss by a year.

So far with the Bupa Weight management plan, we have found that our patients have lost 11.

4% of their starting weight by 6 months.

They have also reported huge improvements in their well-being and this has also been shown in the clinical studies.

If you have obesity or are overweight, losing 5 to 10% of your weight can have a significant reduction on your risk of developing heart disease, stroke, diabetes and a lot of cancers.

It has also been shown to improve your mental health and well-being.

It is not unusual to experience some side effects with the medication.

These can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, abdominal pain, burping more, headaches and fatigue.

These symptoms are usually short lived so settle very quickly and often usually just occur when you've started or changed your dose.

They don't usually need any medication either, but there are things that you can do to help yourself.

Eat smaller meals, only eat when you're hungry, avoiding spicy, fatty or strong smelling foods as well, and don't eat until you're absolutely full to burst.

Try and keep well hydrated and drink plenty of sips of fluid and if you are feeling sickly then getting outside and having a walk in the fresh air can help.

Slightly less common side effects include low blood sugar, dizziness, hair loss which is only usually very temporary, gallstones, and injection site reactions.

With the Bupa Weight Management Plan, if you're experiencing any of these side effects, you have access to our Nurse helpline you to speak to one of our GPS if necessary.

There are some risks associated with weight loss medication which we discuss with our patients before they commence their Weight Management Plan.

These include bowel obstruction.

It's not yet known how frequently this occurs but it has been reported so we do discuss this with them.

Acute pancreatitis which effects less than one in 1000.

An anaphylaxis which is allergy to the medication.

It is extremely dangerous to purchase medication from unregulated resources and this is the current biggest risk associated with weight loss medication.

If you purchase it from an unauthorised provider, you don't know what medication you are getting and it can be very toxic and harmful.

It is therefore incredibly important to ensure that you consult with a medical professional.

At Bupa, we've ensured that all our GPS have been given training to provide safe and effective management and we work very closely with our trusted online pharmacy provider to ensure that you get the correct medication.

Weight gain after stopping weight loss medication is unfortunately really common.

One study showed that people tended to regain 2/3 of their weight loss after a year.

This is because once you stop your medication, your appetite will return and if you haven't changed your habits, you'll go back to how you were eating before.

That is why lifestyle coaching provided as part of the Bupa Weight Management Plan is so important.

The coaches will work together with you to help you make the necessary lifestyle changes with your diet and exercise to support your weight loss long term, even after the medication is stopped.

Weight loss medication can improve fertility.

Weight loss overall can improve reproductive health, but for conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, weight loss medication can improve the metabolic health, regulating periods and stabilising hormones, which can also improve fertility.

Weight loss can also improve a male's fertility.

It's really important though that if you're using weight loss medication, you do use adequate contraception to prevent you from getting pregnant, and for some types of medication they do suggest using barrier methods such as condoms in conjunction with oral contraception.

medication on the baby or their development and it is advised to stop any medication at least a month before trying to get pregnant.