safefood: Healthy weight for you is an online weight management programme that supports safe and healthy weight loss for people with a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 30 kg/m2.
Over a period of 12 weeks, safefood: Healthy weight for you supports users by providing specific meal plans and nutritionally analysed recipes that are aligned with healthy eating guidelines. safefood: Healthy weight for you allows users to track their meals and weight over time, an approach that is associated with long-term weight maintenance.
Who is safefood: Healthy weight for you for?
safefood: Healthy weight for you is a programme designed for adults (over the age of 18) who:
- Have a BMI between 25 and 30kg/m2
- Would like to lose 5 to 10% of their current weight over a 12-week period
- Have no medical conditions
- Have no special dietary requirements (vegetarians are catered for)
- Are not pregnant or breastfeeding
Is safefood: Healthy weight for you suitable for people with a BMI over 30 Kg/m2?
safefood: Healthy weight for you is not designed to be used by people who have a BMI over 30 without medical supervision.
Users with a BMI over 30 are advised to discuss the resource with their healthcare professional. If the healthcare professional decides that the resource is suitable and safe, users should follow the plan under the supervision of a healthcare professional and with any adjustments that they may be advised to make, such as increasing portions or adding extra snacks.
Is safefood: Healthy weight for you suitable for people with medical conditions or dietary requirements?
safefood: Healthy weight for you is not designed to be used by people with medical conditions or dietary requirements without medical supervision. Users with a medical condition or dietary requirement should speak with a healthcare professional about the programme. If the healthcare professional decides that the resource is suitable and safe, users should follow the plan under their supervision and with any adjustments that they may be advised to make.
How many calorie bands are available?
A calorie reduction of approximately 500 kcal a day can be associated with a safe and sustainable weight loss of about 1 pound a week. safefood: Healthy weight for you meal plans have been developed to allow the following calorie intakes:
- 1500 kcal
- 1700 kcal
- 2000 kcal
Recommended calorie intakes are calculated using the user’s weight, height, age (18-50 or 50+) and gender.
Talking to patients about weight
Weight can be a sensitive topic for health professionals to raise. This conversation can be made easier by:
- Ask first, does the patient want to discuss the subject?
- Acknowledge that weight loss is hard
- Don’t make any assumptions about patients’ lifestyle, eating patterns or motivation based on weight.
- Acknowledge that obesity is a complex, progressive and relapsing disease.
- Focus on health gain and not just on weight management
- Monitoring weight as a routine part of the consultation
- Discussing weight with the help of a BMI chart
- Encouraging patients to understand the benefits weight loss and weight maintenance in terms of improving their health
Here is a list of links to useful resoures:
- ROI Health Service Executive (HSE) Making Every Contact Count
- HSE Model of Care for the Management of Overweight and Obesity
- HSE Living Well Programme
- Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) Weight Management Treatment Algorithm for Adults
- EASO Talking about weight: Guidance for GPs & Healthcare Professionals
- Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute (INDI)
- NI Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP)
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Guidance on Obesity
- British Dietetic Association (BDA)