An NHS-backed way to lose almost 9lbs in 12 weeks (and no, it doesn’t involve a soup and smoothie diet!)

In a world of Wegovy and other fat knocks, it’s easy to forget traditional weight loss methods.

But diet and exercise really work, according to results from an NHS weight loss programme.

Online tool used by thousands of patients is helping dieters lose an average of 8.5 pounds, study shows.

Health leaders said its success shows how it will become a “vital tool” to help reduce the country’s bulging waistlines.

Despite emerging evidence suggesting that weight loss interventions could be delivered effectively using digital technologies, researchers said there is little evidence of their effectiveness in routine care settings.

They wanted to evaluate the 12-week online plan, which provides diet, exercise and general lifestyle advice via a phone app or online, to patients referred by their GP.

Patients are eligible if they are clinically obese with a BMI of 30 or 27.5 for black, Asian and minority people, and also have diabetes, high blood pressure, or both.

In its first year, half of the 63,937 patients referred to the NHS Digital Weight Management Program signed up to the service.

More than half (57 percent) were women, with an average age of 57 and a typical weight of 15.7 pounds for women and 17.7 pounds for men.

They were then graded from level one to three with help ranging from self-guided counseling with optional group sessions to individualized coaching.

Of those, 14,268 completed the program between April 2021 and March 2022, typically losing more than 8.5 pounds each.

Even those who dropped out before finishing the course lost an average of nearly 5 pounds, according to findings published in Obesity Journal.

Dr Clare Hambling, NHS national clinical director for diabetes and obesity, said: “These results are extremely encouraging and show that by combining the effectiveness of existing weight management services with an easily accessible service available on your phone or computer, more people can be supported to improve their health.’

He added: “While this study looked at the initial 64,000 patients referred in the first year of the programme, we have now seen over 358,000 referrals from GPs and it is very encouraging to see so many people benefiting from the Disease Control Programme. NHS Digital Weight”.

In England, more than a quarter of adults are obese, costing the NHS more than £6 billion each year and predicted to rise to £9.7 billion by 2050.

The digital weight loss program was introduced in the wake of the pandemic and is one of several programs run by the NHS to reduce conditions such as type 2 diabetes, such as soup and smoothie diets.

Public Health Minister Andrea Leadsom said: “We know that two thirds of adults are overweight or living with obesity, so I am delighted to see how effective the NHS Digital Weight Management Program is in helping people. who live with obesity to lose weight and improve their health. your health.

“Services like this are a vital tool to improve public health and alleviate pressures on our NHS arising from complex conditions.”