Weight management

There is no single rule that applies to everyone, but to lose weight at a safe and sustainable rate of 0.5 to 1kg a week, most people are advised to reduce their energy intake by 600 calories a day.

For most men, this will mean consuming no more than 1,900 calories a day, and for most women, no more than 1,400 calories a day.

The best way to achieve this is to swap unhealthy and high-energy food choices - such as fast food, processed food and sugary drinks (including alcohol) - for healthier choices.

Reducing the amount of calories in your diet will help you lose weight, but maintaining a healthy weight requires physical activity to burn energy.

As well as helping you maintain a healthy weight, physical activity also has wider health benefits. For example, it can help prevent and manage more than 20 conditions, such as reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes by 40 per cent.

Try and get more active when you can a few times a week.

Medway Council provides advice for adult weight loss including free access to local people to weight management apps, group-based programmes and 'Man v Fat' football leagues.

Kent County Council commissions One You Kent healthy weight, a free 12-week weight management programme for eligible adults living in Kent. The programme provides support with healthy eating, physical activity and behaviour change to help people manage their weight and improve their wellbeing.Healthy weight - Kent County Council.

Visit the One You Kent weight management webpage to check eligibility, find out what support is available and how to refer yourself or someone else.

If you would like broader support to make lifestyle changes, visit the One You Kent healthy lifestyle Healthy lifestyle - Kent County Council to explore the support available.

Active Kent and Medway has information on getting more active, making lifestyle changes that will benefit the whole family.

Find out more about support for families on the Kent Family website, including support for families to get active, eat well and how to talk to children and teens about weight.

If you are living with obesity, your GP can also offer you advice about improving your lifestyle and losing and managing your weight safely.

If you meet the criteria GP practices can also give you access to further programmes that may be beneficial such as:

• NHS Digital Weight Management Programme
• NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme
• NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission Programme

If you have tried a number of weight loss approaches and your weight is having a significant impact on your life, your GP practice can refer you to a hospital consultant who will give you advice if you have severe or complex weight issues.

The advice and support available depends on various factors, like your body mass index, other health conditions and age. Surgery and medication is sometimes available but under strict criteria. Such intervention is only considered when all other options to help you manage your weight have been considered.

The NHS Better Health Programme, is open to everyone, provides tips, support and special offers, including access to the free NHS weight loss plan app.

If you meet the criteria you can also sign up to Healthy Living, a free, online NHS programme that supports people to live well with type 2 diabetes: Healthy Living for people with type 2 diabetes. 

Access to weight-loss medication in primary care must be accompanied with referral to a wrap-around lifestyle support service, which will include support for people to make dietary changes and to increase physical activity. Both patient and clinician also  must agree that it is the most appropriate option and the right treatment for the patient.

 

While some weight-loss drugs are now available in specific circumstances, medication should only be offered where appropriate. While these drugs are approved as safe, medication is not entirely free of risk.

The eligibility criteria has been set by NHS England to make sure priority patients can access the medication. Your general practice will not be able to prescribe this medication to you for obesity unless you meet the criteria.

Mounjaro may be prescribed by GP practices in England for weight loss for patients who meet the eligibility criteria. Specialist weight Management services in Kent and Medway may prescribe GLP-1 medication for the management of obesity in line with the Kent and Medway Formulary   and associated eligibility criteria.

The eligibility criteria for the consideration of the prescribing of weight-loss (Mounjaro) medication for obesity in primary care are that patients must have a BMI (body mass index) of 35-plus and four or more of the following diagnosed health conditions:

• type 2 diabetes
• high blood pressure
• heart disease
• obstructive sleep apnoea
• abnormal blood fats (dyslipidaemia)

If there are exceptional needs, the current referral criteria for the consideration of the prescribing of weight-loss medication for obesity under a Specialist Weight Management Service is a BMI (body mass index) of 40-plus and four or more of the following diagnosed health conditions:

• type 2 diabetes
• high blood pressure
• heart disease
• obstructive sleep apnoea
• abnormal blood fats (dyslipidaemia)

Please note: There is an increased risk of health conditions at lower BMI thresholds in certain populations. Therefore the BMI thresholds are reduced by 2.5 kg/m2 in people from South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean ethnic backgrounds to ensure equitable clinical prioritisation and access to appropriate treatment. This also applies to people of mixed race who have one of these backgrounds. 

If you think you may fit these criteria for weight-loss medication please contact your GP practice.

Often referred to as tier 4 weight management. Bariatric specialist services are specialist bariatric surgery pathways with the surgery delivered in specialist hospital settings. 

The pathway includes:

• Pre‑operative preparation
• Bariatric procedures (e.g., gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, gastric band)
• Surgical procedure
• Long‑term follow‑up and monitoring

All referrals for bariatric surgery are commissioned to go via TBC Healthcare who undertake the initial pre-operative preparation and primarily liaise with surgeons based in Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust.

Weight-loss medications should only be used under the supervision of a healthcare professional and alongside healthy eating and physical activity advice.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has information on GLP-1 medicines for weight loss and diabetes: what you need to know. It has warned against buying weight-loss medicines from social media or unregulated websites, as these may be counterfeits and therefore unsafe.

For information on using weight-loss medicines safely: No shortcut for safe weight loss.