New weight loss course to start in Waveney

People living in Waveney are being encouraged to register their interest for a series of new weight management programmes that will be launching in the area in the spring.

We have been commissioned to run 12 adult weight management courses in Lowestoft, Beccles and Bungay, and want to hear from people who think they could benefit from our free support.

As the healthy lifestyles service for Suffolk, we already successfully deliver our ‘Lose Weight with Live Well Suffolk’ programme in other areas of the county. People who have benefitted from the service have reported no longer needing knee operations or gastric band surgery as a result of their weight loss.

Each course will last for 12 weeks and our team will work with individuals to focus on behaviour changes, dietary changes and physical activity in order to achieve long term weight loss. The 90 minute weekly sessions will be made up of 60 minutes of nutritional education and 30 minutes of physical activity.

Aspects of the course that are particularly innovative include a ‘store tour’, in which participants are taken on a tour of a local supermarket to help them understand more about food labelling, healthy store cupboard essentials and eating healthily on a budget. The programme also features a ‘Cook and Eat’ week, where participants learn how to cook healthier alternatives to popular takeaways such as pizza and curry.

Hannah Clarke is Live Well Suffolk’s Senior Adult Weight Management Practitioner who will be delivering the programmes in Waveney. She said: “Our programme is very practical, engaging and hands-on, which sets it apart from other weight loss approaches. Each week we will cover a different topic to help people understand the key elements required to lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way.

“Our target is to help participants lose at least five percent of their body weight by the end of the 12 week course. Doing so is associated with a variety of health benefits, such as reducing the risk heart disease, strokes and type 2 diabetes. Once the course has ended, participants will have all the knowledge and tools they need to continue with or sustain their weight loss.

“We’re really keen to hear from anyone who may be interested in joining our programme when it launches in the spring, so please do get in touch with us.”

Not only will we help people overhaul their diet, we will also encourage them to be physically active on a regular basis. We are planning to form partnerships with local leisure providers to enable participants to use their facilities while they are enrolled on the programme.

The Lose Weight with Live Well Suffolk courses will be completely free. To pre-register your interest, call us on 01473 229292, email info@livewellsuffolk.org.uk or visit the website: www.livewellsuffolk.org.uk.

The service will be available to those with a BMI (body mass index) of over 30, or above 28 for those with a pre-existing health condition. Other eligibility criteria may also apply. GPs will be able to refer patients to the service or people can sign up themselves. We will also be working in partnership with East Coast Community Health Care (ECCH) and Mytime Active to deliver the adult weight management programme.