The 2009 National Obesity Week campaign is running from 2nd – 8th November and is entitled “DO YOU HAVE BODY MASS IMAGINATION?”
In light of the worsening obesity epidemic, we want to encourage people to think about their weight and to understand that obesity is a problem that can affect anybody. People often underestimate their weight, and we wish to get across the message that being overweight is a health issue and not just an issue of vanity.
Vita Clinics is working in partnership with The National Obesity Forum to get this message across. Most people do not know their Body Mass Index and its impact on their health risks such as type 2 Diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), heart disease and some cancers. Obesity is now unfortunately common and increasing especially among young people.
During National Obesity Week both staff and patients from some of our clinics will be wearing their NOW T-shirts and getting more active to use more calories and improve fitness after weight loss. We will be working with a variety of exercise challenges and having fun too. Exercise improves cardiovascular health and it also improves wellbeing and confidence. Many people who have been overweight for years find it a challenge to join a gym.
You should spot us in our specially designed T Shirts, kindly produced with and supporting The National Obesity Forum
We have just published a set of post-Bariatric Surgery recipes in conjunction with the NOF (for patients after gastric band or gastric bypass surgery) to support National Obesity Week. Other activities for the week include a static cycle relay (“getting in a spin”), Vibro plate & Rebounding (“Shake, rattle & roll”), Rowing (“The boat race”), Salsa Dancing and more. The key message for these activities is that exercise and physical activity are helpful in weight loss/toning and much more enjoyable as you lose weight.
Monday 2nd November – “Burn rubber” with Walsall-based husband & wife Barry & Wendy Carpenter who both had Gastric Bypass (follow Wendy’s video diary). They will be piling up spare tyres at a local garage to reflect the weight they have lost from their own spare tyres to date! They are both great examples of the profound effect obesity surgery can have on health and quality of life.
Belfast – On Monday 2nd November, we will be searching for 8 ‘lost’ people in Northern Ireland.
Don’t be alarmed though……. What we really mean is that Vita Clinics, providers of weight loss surgery in Northern Ireland, have helped individuals referred to their service to lose the equivalent weight of 8 people or a staggering 524.7 kg (1155 pounds or 82 ½ stones) over the last 8 months!
Many of these patients will be appearing with clothes they used to wear before their obesity surgery (in most cases gastric bypass) at our Belfast Vita Weight Management Clinic between 9am-4pm and talking about the miraculous changes in their life and health as a result of their weight loss in 2009!
Tuesday 3rd November - Staff and patients at The Birmingham Vita Weight Management Clinic will be “in a spin!” between 10am-3pm. There will be a static cycle relay…. how far can we cycle individually and collectively, how many calories can we use?
Wednesday 4th November – Staff and patients at The Birmingham Vita Weight Management Clinic will be rowing “The Boat Race“ aiming to row a total of 4 miles between 10am-3pm (!) in relays. It takes the Oxford and Cambridge crews about 17 minutes to complete the 4 miles from Putney to Mortlake – we can take a little longer for our 4 mile challenge. We will be using a static rowing machine so lifejackets not required!
London – Hala El-Shafie, Vita Clinics Dietician Adviser who also runs the Harley Nutrition Clinic links up with Personal Trainer Esther Brienza of Obesity Matters TV to raise awareness of National Obesity Week and the importance of understanding the consequences of being overweight.
We’ll be bouncing in ‘boingy boots’ around Battersea Park between 12-2pm to prove that health and fitness is fun for all shapes and sizes. Weight management can be achieved in tiny steps one at a time or in great leaps and bounds for those who put a mind to it! We’ll be joined by Jay Hunt, BBC presenter who herself had a successful gastric bypass operation in 2008.
We can measure anyone’s BMI for them whilst there and take waist measurements. We’ll be there to point people in the right direction for finding help or further information as well as advise on the small steps that they can take at work or at home to help combat the obeso-genic environment.
Thursday 5th November – Staff and patients at The Birmingham Vita Weight Management Clinic will be doing a real mixture of “shake, rattle and roll” – between 10am and 3pm we will have exercise DVDs, a vibrating plate and a rebound/bouncer to try to use up more calories and definately make bonfire night go with a bang! Come and join us……….
Friday 6th November – If we’re still standing…. Staff and patients at The Birmingham Vita Weight Management Clinic will be rounding off the week with a Salsa exercise class (led by our Dietician Annmarie Field, a bit of a salsa expert!) from 4-5pm. Anyone interested can join us… contact us for more information……..
If you would like to find out more of what we are up to during this high profile week and even want to get involved (you don’t have to be a Vita Clinics patient – you just want to share your weight loss success to motivate and encourage others!) contact us for information. One thing’s for sure – we want it to be fun!
