Recommendations by the government health watchdog that people who are overweight or obese should be referred to a lifestyle weight management programme made the headlines recently.
The report from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) suggests raising awareness of lifestyle weight management services among both healthcare professionals and the general public.
It advises that the core components for effective weight loss should include addressing dietary intake, including input from a registered dietitian. As a result of the report’s findings, it’s been widely reported that doctors may start to prescribe sessions with slimming groups such as Weight Watchers and Slimming World for patients who are overweight or obese.
However, members of The Arthritic Association already enjoy the lifestyle management advice and support offered by the charity’s team of experts.
Indeed, many of those who follow the Association’s recommended Conquest Diet find that they lose weight, if needed. Weight loss is a very welcome side effect of the diet, since losing excess body weight helps reduce pressure on both the hip and the knee joints – which is highly beneficial if you suffer from arthritis (for instance, losing just 1lb of body weight may reduce the load on the hips by 4lb).
Additionally, the charity’s in-house dietitian, Martin Lau, is on hand to offer advice and support when it comes to eating a healthy balanced diet and weight management. Martin is available to speak to members over the phone or during face-to-face consultations in Eastbourne and London.
“Nowadays we are living in an obesogenic environment,” says Martin. “This makes losing body weight difficult. Weight loss, if indicated, is an important non-pharmacological management of osteoarthritis. A healthy balanced eating regime such as the Conquest Diet and controlling portion sizes of meals can have a positive impact on weight management.”
The Arthritic Association website also features a growing number of easy-to-prepare, healthy recipes. Meanwhile, members are encouraged to take regular exercise, while advice on simple exercises can be found in the members’ section of the website.
Find out more about The Arthritic Association’s lifestyle management advice and support, including how it could help you.