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Dear
Welcome to the latest edition of our Weight and Health Now newsletter for health professionals. In this latest edition we have a number of research-based articles that we hope you'll find useful in your role supporting patients, and some new published research to share too, so please read on.
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Slimmers who set ambitious targets lose twice as much weight, research finds
For years public health guidance has suggested that slimmers set themselves a ‘realistic’ target, usually of losing 5-10% of their starting weight. However, Slimming World is calling on this to be revised so patients aren't discouraged from aiming for their ‘dream weight’, as new research found that those who set their own ambitious goal lose almost twice as much weight in 12 months as those who set more modest targets.
A study, led by researchers at Nottingham University, published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, looked at the impact of target setting in 24,457 Slimming World members with a BMI >30kg/m², who were all attending weekly group support sessions. They found that people who set a target were 10 times more likely to be successful than those who didn't set a goal, while the more ambitious the target, the more weight people lost – regardless of their starting weight.
Read more about ambitious targets here →
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Weight concerns are a six-year secret for overweight men
 A Slimming World study, recently presented at Obesity Week in New Orleans, found that overweight men may be suffering in silence as they keep their weight worries a secret and delay attempting to lose weight for an average of more than six years.
The study of 1,544 people revealed that 60% of overweight men had never spoken to anyone about their weight concerns as they prefer to deal with things by themselves and feel their weight isn't anyone else's problem. Women who are overweight are similarly coy when it comes to talking to others, with 51% having never shared weight worries with another person.
If health professionals routinely raise the issue of weight with patients in a respectful and non-judgemental way, they could help reduce the average six years it takes men to take action and cut the two years it takes for women to try to lose weight too.
Read more about the study here → |
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Weight fears could cost smokers almost a year of life – and £19,000!
 A Slimming World poll of 2,000 former and current smokers found that fears about gaining weight are causing people who smoke to delay their quit attempts by an average of 7.5 years.
During this time, the survey found they smoke an estimated extra 41,000 cigarettes on average, which could cost them £19,270 and 314 days of life – simply because they worry that giving up will lead to weight gain.
More than 95% of smokers said they had heard the suggestion that quitting smoking causes weight gain and more than half (51%) said that worrying about piling on the pounds had caused them to avoid giving up. The poll was conducted by Slimming World as part of their partnership with Public Health England's ‘Stoptober’ campaign.
Read more here →
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Study shows why new mums join weight loss programmes
Research of new mums, exploring their motivations to lose weight, the impact of social pressure and the effect of attending Slimming World, has recently been published in the British Journal of Midwifery.
The survey, involving 1,105 new mums who had joined Slimming World for support with their weight, found that women experienced low self-esteem prior to joining, which may have been related to excess weight gain during, and weight retention after, pregnancy. Members reported that improving feelings about their body and increasing their confidence were the most common motivations for joining a group. Less common reasons for embarking on a weight loss journey were social pressure, media pressure and celebrity culture. This suggests that rather than adding to the pressures faced by post-natal women, engaging in a weight management programme when they feel ready can be beneficial.
The respondents had lost an average of 8.6% weight at the time of the study. Since losing weight, they reported significant improvements in self-confidence, self-esteem, sense of wellbeing and feelings about their body size and shape. Over 60% of respondents felt that joining a weight loss group at the right time for them was a motivator to lose weight. This suggests there may be an opportune time to initiate weight management postnatally and health professionals can play a key role by sensitively raising the issue of weight retained post-pregnancy and offering support.
Read the abstract here →
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Do people attending Slimming World keep their weight off in the longer term?
 Slimming World's Nutrition and Research team were invited to give a presentation at the UK Society for Behavioural Medicine (UKSBM) conference in December on recent research exploring the longer-term weight outcomes of members. This long-term follow up study involved contacting Slimming World members 2.5 years after initially joining and results presented focused on the weight outcomes and weight control strategies used by past and current members.
Two-and-a-half-years after joining Slimming World, 50.6% of respondents were currently attending Slimming World and they had lost on average 9.6% body weight. Those who were no longer attending were currently 4.4% lighter than when they'd joined Slimming World. Changing eating/cooking habits, increasing physical activity and regular weighing were all reported to assist long term weight control.
Read a summary of the presentation and findings here →
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Click here to find out more about Slimming World's approach to healthy eating, facilitating behaviour change through deep understanding and compassion and supporting an active lifestyle.
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