Local people who have taken advantage of our free adult weight management service have spoken about the huge difference it has made to their lives.

Over 12 weeks, qualified lifestyle experts will support participants every step of the way through a programme of healthy eating guidance and exercise to help you reach your goals.

At welcoming weekly group sessions, you learn about food nutrition, take part in physical activity and get all the support you need to help to improve your health. Sessions take place throughout the week at different times and places.

Neil, who lives in Skipton, had partially retired and didn’t want to go into retirement not being fit enough to do the things he wanted to go.

“I found that my weight at the time was encumbering some of the activities that I wanted to take part in. But the other thing was I had recently been diagnosed with osteoarthritis and obviously being overweight wasn’t beneficial to that either, so those were really the drivers for trying to make a change and trying to lose some weight and generally be healthier.

“The main thing for me was that there was no pressure, it was a really relaxed atmosphere, the other people in the group were really supportive and it was really informative, especially about making choices on food and what was good and bad food in terms of weight gain and weight loss.”

Debbie, also from Skipton, was feeling unhealthy and unfit. She had a bad ankle, which restricted how far she could walk. Even climbing the stairs at home could be a problem.

“It was just making me feel like I was really, really old and it needed to change,” she said.

The weight management programme is the best thing that I have ever done. I have done lots of weight loss programmes, but that’s the difference isn’t it, weight loss and lifestyle – that’s the two key words.

“If you follow a diet you tend to go back, you change your lifestyle, you tend to stick with it and that’s what I learnt. I learnt what the difference was.”

To join the adult weight management programme, you need to meet the following criteria:

• Be aged 18 years or over.
• Live, work or be registered with a GP in North Yorkshire.
• Have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or over, or 25 or above if you are also in a black or minority ethnic group, or have conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease or hypertension.
• Have no uncontrolled comorbidities (ask your GP for a referral, if applicable).

If you successfully lose five per cent of your body weight at the end of the first 12 weeks, you will be offered a further 12 weeks free.

Find out more about the free adult weight management service.