Whether it’s work parties, family gatherings, drinks with friends, chocolates or wine you’ve received as gifts, it’s hard not to over-indulge during the festive season. Some days you may find you’re tempted to eat a lot more than needed. When possible, plan to choose smaller portions, skip morning or afternoon tea before a function and strive to do more exercise.
The warmer weather and longer days are good motivation to start walking. Try to get at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise most days of the week. The New Year also brings an opportunity to renew your energy and efforts for a healthy lifestyle.
Weight Management Program
An increasing number of Australians struggle to maintain a healthy weight range and find a realistic approach to weight loss. The Weight Management Program at Bulli Medical Practice has delivered results for patients for more than six years.
It includes:
An initial 12-week program tailored to your goals
Weekly visits with practice nurse
Monthly reviews with your doctor
Referral to allied health partners
Education on topics such as meal planning, eating out, reading food labels, healthy snacks and recipe adaptation
Meal replacement intervention (see information later in this feature)
Medications to enable weight loss
(if appropriate)
Assessment for surgery (if indicated)
Ongoing maintenance tailored to your individual circumstances.
The average weight loss achieved by our patients over the 12-week program is 8.64kg. Other reported benefits include lowered cholesterol levels, lowered blood pressure, increased exercise, and improved wellbeing. There are many success stories and patients especially value the accountability of regular visits, the openness of staff and the support provided with maintenance.
Meal Replacement Interventions
One option for short-term weight loss is a meal replacement-intervention. This process involves a very low-calorie meal replacement over an initial three-month period. The intervention should be medically supervised, particularly if there are other health issues, such as high blood pressure or diabetes.
Bulli Medical Practice is accredited to supervise Opti-Fast, where all meals can be substituted with
a meal replacement shake, soup or bar. This induces an altered metabolic state where fat is burnt more quickly. This results in initial rapid weight loss which can bolster confidence to make the sustained dietary and exercise changes that are needed for long term weight management.
