Overweight customers in the Pharmacy

A significant percentage of people who are overweight do not perceive themselves as overweight. Even in people who are obese, 12% do not think they are obese. That difference in perception makes it harder for the Pharmacist to get the message across and for the customer to seek or heed health, diet and nutrition advice.

It has been shown that most overweight or obese people who do wish to do something about their weight, try diet and exercise first, then advice from their GP, then a weight loss program and a meal plan.

Diet and exercise tend to be the most successful method followed by a weight loss program and meal plan. If goals are not reached, then they may come into the Pharmacy to seek advice or over the counter prescriptions.

The three Rs, rational information, reinforcement and reassurance to persist with some of the methods they have tried may be the best advice a Pharmacist can give. We usually talk about;

1. Portion size – take your usual meal and push one third of it aside. That way you are eating as you want to, just not as much as you used to.
2. Sorts of food – there is everyday food for everyday and sometimes food for special occasions. It is perfectly okay to have sometimes food sometimes. As a treat. As a reward.
3. Weight loss aspirations – the amount of weight you lose does not matter as time goes by as long as you are heading in the right direction. There will be ups and downs depending on health, mood, work etc but smaller long term goals are better than huge weight swings.
4. Energy in and energy out – one way to lose weight is to eat less, another way is to exercise more. The best way is to do both. But Pharmacists understand that exercise is not for everyone and already heavy people often have greater difficulty exercising and already have more weight on their knees and ankles. Non weight bearing exercises, particularly swimming is a good exercise but again, not for everyone. Our Pharmacists spend time with our customers to see what works best for each customer. One size does not fit all.

Both customers and Pharmacists must remain optimistic about counseling on weight loss. Studies show that around 27% of overweight people will never find a successful method and nor will around 33% of obese customers. But there are real health benefits from a weight loss of just 10%, a realistic goal over time and it is to society’s benefit and a Pharmacist’s duty of care to try to help a customer who truly wants to change their life.

If you are ready to try, we are ready to listen and advise and support.

Noranda Feelgood Pharmacy – where you don’t need a prescription to see our Pharmacists

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