Diet Programmes Work Better Than NHS

4 November 2011, 14:51

A new study in the British Medical Journal has shown that diet programmes such as Weight Watchers and Slimming world are cheaper and far more effective than those run by the NHS.

It states that the NHS should stop wasting money on helping people lose weight when diet programmes work better and cost less money.

The report states that offering patients counselling in diet and fitness via GP surgeries or pharmacies is ineffective, as are programmes run by NHS food advisers and dieticians. The money would be better spent on encouraging people to attend classes run by well-known companies.

Neil and Caroline Bowers, a couple from Norwich, lost more than 9 stone between them after going on a diet programme.

They used to eat lots of fatty meals with snacks like cake and biscuits but now they've replaced them with much healthier options. They say it's much better for their two children as well.

Caroline said "We decided to lose weight for our children, we realised we couldn't do a lot of things we wanted to do with them. For me it came to a head when someone mistook me for being pregnant, and I wasn't, I felt a bit gutted by that."

Neil said "It was really upsetting because I wanted to be one of those dads that could go out play with their kids, kicks football and take them to the park. I was finding after ten minutes in the back garden I was tired, I would come in, sit down and that would be the day for me. Now I could take them out all day and I won't be tired."