Will my doctor be able to help?

Question

I am not really fat but i am a bit over weight, if i went to my doctor would they be able to give me something i.e slimming pills?

Answer 1

Unlikely, there are guidelines for prescribing diet pills and you have to be clinically obese to get them;

Answer 2

If your type BMI calculator into Google you can go to a site that lets you put your height and weight in to find out if you are actually overweight.
If BMI is 30 or more then this means your weight can affect your future risk of heart disease and strokes etc. SO the GP has a medical reason to treat you.
If your BMI is 28 or more and you have risk factors already (high cholesterol, high blood pressure) then this is the same.
Treatment options:
1. Non-drug: see a dietitian, get on an exercise programme etc.
2. Drugs:
Orlistat: take it with food and it prevents your body from absorbing the fat you eat. Poo goes pale as a result and might float. You have to lose 10% of your weight BEFORE you use it though.
Sibutramine: prevents you feeling hungry by acting on your mind. Here you don't have to have lost weight before you try it but other simpler measures have to have been tried and failed.
Neither of these drugs can be taken for much over a year the second one needs blood tests while on it and with both you must lose about 5% body weight every three months to justify staying on them.
Non drug measures generally need to be exhausted before trying drugs.
3. Other substances such as laxatives, amphetamines, MDMA and thyroxine are used by some anorexics. These are dangerous and I do not recommend messing with them.

Answer 3

Just a bit overweight? You'd have to be morbidly obese to get any serious help from the doctors. Slimming pills may work at the start but soon as you stop taking them you pile on the weight plus more. Diet and exercise is the best way to lose weight.

Answer 4

why dont you try the slimming air of a nice walkor a faster pased job. why are americans always going for the so called quick sollution, if you read the packet it will tell you you are wasting 200 per month 200 dollars per month can buy you a controlled diet by weight watchers or meals on wheels or whatever you have in your country, and maybe an excersise machine. the packet WILL tell you you still have to excersise and have a controlled diet which is really wasting money on a pill that does nothing its all in the mind, you see an add which says weight loss pill but the box says excersise and controlled diet. 1+1 = ?(not a pill)

Answer 5

not inless you are obese. If you are a bit overweight i reccomend cutting back on calories, drinking a lot of water......i am in the same shape you are, i am not fat but i am about 20 pounds ver my ideal weight, i could lose it, but this time of year it is too cold to go outside to walk, so the pounds just sit there! i found a couple of years ago that walking a couple miles a day made me lose weight quickly, the problem is is that if you don't keep up the exercise, the weight comes back, depressing but true! good luck!

Answer 6

It is unlikely that your doctor would be able to help. The two common 'slimming' pills are Orlistat and Sibutramine.
The NICE guidelines for both these drugs are very strict, and you are unlikely to meet the criteria. Your doctor will, however, be able to advise you on diet and exercise.

Orlistat should be only be prescribed for people who have lost at least 2.5 kg in weight by diet and exercise in the month before their first prescription and have either:
~ a body mass index (BMI) of 28 kg/m2 or more in the presence of significant other diseases which persist despite standard treatment. (E.g. Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and/or high total cholesterol level).
~a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or more.
It will only continue to be prescribed if you loose a specific amount in a certain amount of time.

Sibutramine should be prescribed only as part of an overall treatment plan for the management of obesity for people aged 18-65 years who have either:
~ a body mass index (BMI) of 27.0 kg/m2 or more as well as other significant diseases (for example, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol)
~a BMI of 30.0 kg/m2 or more
and have made serious attempts to lose weight by dieting, exercise and/or other changes in their behaviour.

It might be an idea to have a read through the following NICE guidelines on maintaining a healthy weight: http://www.nice.org.uk/page.aspx?o=393365
And also maybe have a look at the NHS Direct guide for the treatment of obesity:
http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=265§ionId=23116

To Calculate your BMI, visit this site: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

Answer 7

Have you tried diet and exercise first? Most doctors do not like handing out prescription medication for weight loss unless the patient is morbidly obese or has tried many other avenues. This is only due to the side effects thay can have on some patients, such as malnutrition, constipation, nausea, and arrhythmia.

Please try herbal remedies, such as Blackmores weight loss accelerate, or exercise programs before begininning weightloss medication. You will feel better for try these first. Honest

BTW, most medications can only be given to those deemed obese by BMI. To calculate your BMI divide your height by your weight squared. Or go to pages such as http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/adult_BMI/english_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.htm where they will calculate it for you.

BMI Categories:

Underweight = <18.5
Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
Overweight = 25-29.9
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

Answer 8

They would probably give you the advice to diet and exercise and might send you to see a nutritionist. I cannot imagine they will give you slimming pills!

Answer 9

Having plenty of exercise and a healthy diet and you will be skinny minnie in no time. Put a photo of yourself / and someone skinny on the fridge when you feel you want something to eat this will put you off!

Answer 10

Wear comfy shoes to help you take meetings for a walk as an alternative to sitting at a desk.