Your weight loss questions answered

As part of Well’s Digital Pharmacy team, I helped set up our online weight loss clinic and oversee the day-to-day support we offer to our patients.

Going through my own weight loss journey has allowed me to understand the physical and emotional barriers that our patients may face. It has also helped me think about how individual care plans can be produced and how we review our patients’ progress.

One of the best parts of my role is speaking to our patients. It gives me great job satisfaction knowing that we are truly making a difference to their lives and improving their overall physical and mental wellbeing.

One of the biggest issues I see is when people focus too much on numbers. Whether that’s fixating on calorie intake or weighing themselves on the scales every morning. Unless you do it in the right way, this isn’t always an accurate way of measuring our progress.

The fact of the matter is that daily changes to your weight are common.

It’s true that having an understanding of calorie distribution within the foods that we eat is useful, but it’s equally important to understand the intake of macronutrients, such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats, and the benefits of consuming each of these within our daily diet.

Eating whole foods such as rice, lentils, fruits and vegetables make you feel full, and they don’t contain many calories. This is far better than eating a cereal bar, which may only contain 100 calories, but won’t keep you full for very long. Don’t forget, both alcoholic and soft drinks can also contain calories, so it’s important to keep this in mind and substitute to a lower-calorie alternatives where possible.

I wouldn’t advise weighing yourself every day either.

As we become more active, our fat is slowly replaced with muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat.

It’s great to monitor your progress by weighing yourself once a week or fortnight instead. You may prefer to find a pair of jeans or a dress that doesn’t currently fit you and try it on once a month to see how your body shape and size is changing. Progress photos are also a great way of visualising the changes that are happening to your body.

"I recommend setting yourself a realistic target of what you would like to achieve, and with ongoing advice and support from our clinicians, we can discuss lifestyle changes to help you achieve this goal."

There is no denying that weight loss medications work when used correctly. Whether it is reducing the absorption of dietary fat, or mimicking hormones in the brain, there is scientific evidence that you lose weight using medicated weight loss treatments when combined with a well-balanced diet and regular exercise.

If you decide to go down the medicated weight loss route, make sure you exercise and eat well so that the medication works efficiently. You won’t lose as much weight if you don’t do this.

A lot of people ask me whether they have to take weight loss medication forever or if there is a specific end point to the treatment. The duration of your treatment will depend on how much weight you have to lose, and the additional lifestyle changes you can put into place.

But we appreciate you may not want to depend on medication for the rest of your life. I recommend setting yourself a realistic target of what you would like to achieve, and with ongoing advice and support from our clinicians, we can discuss lifestyle changes to help you achieve this goal. Ultimately, we want you to maintain your results long-term, even after you choose to stop the treatment.

One important thing to remember if you do stop taking weight loss medication is to maintain a well-balanced diet and regular exercise. It can be easy regain the weight you have lost if you lose focus.

Keeping up with your routine of healthy eating and physical activity will increase your chance of maintaining your weight loss.

"We recognise that weight loss is a journey, not a destination. The physical and emotional challenges associated with our weight and our relationship with food can be difficult to face on our own."

Not all weight loss medications are administered using an injection. Orlistat, for example, is a capsule that you take with any meal that contains fat.

Generally speaking, you take it 3 times a day for at least 3 months, which might be better for some people, especially if you have a phobia of needles.

Our pharmacists are on hand to help you with your weight loss journey.

Our online team will organise regular check-ins to see how you’re progressing with your weight loss, answer any queries or concerns you may have and generally support you through the tough weeks, as well as the good ones!

Our pharmacists aren’t just clinically trained. They understand that weight loss is a sensitive and personal topic. They’ll listen to your concerns and provide practical and actionable support when you need it.

If you’re ready to make a change, my advice would be to get in contact. We’re here to help you reach your goals in ways that work for you.

The results will not be overnight. Some patients may feel disheartened if they don’t experience any weight loss immediately after starting to use medication.

It’s important to remember, particularly with weight loss injections, that a titration dose may be required. This allows you to get to the point where you can use stronger, more therapeutic doses while keeping minimizing side effects.

You also need to know that you can’t only rely on the medication. To potential weight loss you can achieve is also linked to the lifestyle changes you make.

Weight loss depends on several factors. It can be more challenging to achieve based on your age, hormones, the medications you use, or the physical and mental barriers you might live with.

Your weight loss journey is individual to you, so try not to compare your progress to someone else’s.

We recognise that weight loss is a journey, not a destination. The physical and emotional challenges associated with our weight and our relationship with food can be difficult to face on our own.

Our pharmacists offer a full and thorough initial consultation to ensure you are suitable candidate and best prepared to start using medicated weight loss products. We also schedule monthly review appointments where we can offer advice on your dosage and support with any lifestyle challenges that you have.

We want you to not only achieve your goals, but to also maintain them.