Slimming World has welcomed new healthy living guidance issued today by NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) for women before, during and after pregnancy.
The guidelines arrive against a stark warning that the obesity epidemic sweeping the UK is having an overwhelming effect on maternity services. Around half of pregnant women are now overweight or obese and around 110,000 pregnant women (15-20%) are obese – one in seven of all pregnant women.
Speaking at the official press conference, Professor Lucilla Poston, Professor of Maternal and Foetal Health at King’s College London and NICE guidance developer, said: “The increasing prevalence of obesity among pregnant women in the UK is very worrying as there are so many potential risks for the mother and her baby. This guidance provides sound yet simple lifestyle advice which can help health professionals support obese women to optimise their health and their baby’s too.”
The new guidance emphasises how important it is to think about BMI and weight management before pregnancy and after delivery. Professor Poston warned that “even modest weight retention after pregnancy is now known to increase the risk of problems in the next pregnancy”.
Welcoming the new guidance, Dr Jacquie Lavin, Head of Nutrition and Research at Slimming World, said: “Slimming World already supports thousands of women who want to lose weight in order to conceive, or who want help to lose any weight gained in pregnancy. It’s important for the long term health of women and their families that they have access to the healthy eating, activity and behaviour change support that is so urgently required.
“The guidance recommends getting into shape before pregnancy by establishing healthy lifestyle habits like eating breakfast, eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, enjoying plenty of low fat dairy and drinking water rather than sugary drinks. It also recommends that for women who are overweight or obese, losing as little as 5-10% of weight before pregnancy can have significant health benefits, like lowering high blood pressure and reducing the risk of diabetes.
“Women who join Slimming World to lose weight before or after pregnancy find that they and their families eat more healthily and are becoming more active,” she adds.
Slimming World is the only national community weight management club to support women through every stage of pregnancy, from pre-conception to post-natally. A crucial element of Slimming World support is attendance at group where members are supported to change their habits by setting their own goals, by sharing experiences and by giving each other feedback.
Slimming World research among members, presented at the British Dietetic Association Conference in June*, showed that women who attended a Slimming World group post-natally develop healthier eating habits, reporting an increase in fruit and vegetables, a greater variety of foods and a decrease in takeaways, sugary drinks and unhealthy snacks. Before joining Slimming World 72% of the 590 respondents said they had previously found it difficult to lose their baby weight, yet since joining a group the majority (78.5%) were now happy with their rate of weight loss and more than half (55.3%) who had attended group for six months or more were already lighter than they had been before pregnancy. Members find attending a local group in the heart of their community a positive and uplifting experience.
“Together with an already well-established referral programme that allows health professionals to offer attendance at Slimming World groups for 12 weeks, our support for any woman thinking of having a baby or trying to lose her baby weight, places Slimming World in an excellent position to provide the NHS with a ready made solution to help tackle maternal obesity,” adds Jacquie. – ends –
For further information on this press release or to speak to women who have followed Slimming World before or after pregnancy please contact the Slimming World press office on 01773 546101, or 07795 445004 or email: public.relations@slimming-world.com
Notes to Editors
· * Online survey of 590 women attending Slimming World who joined Slimming World to lose post-natal weight. The research was co-ordinated by registered dietitian Amanda Avery.
· Slimming World is the largest and most advanced slimming organisation in the UK. Margaret Miles-Bramwell (OBE, FRSA) founded the company in 1969 and there are now 6,700 groups held weekly nationwide via a network of 2,700 Slimming World trained Consultants.
· 300,000 members attend Slimming World every week and achieve outstanding success.
· Members lose 17,857 stones every week: 2,551 stones every day, over 106 stones every hour, that’s 1 stone 10 lbs lost every minute of every day with Slimming World.
· Slimming World pioneered weight management referral schemes in the UK and actively supports the building of partnerships with the NHS and local authorities to develop effective strategies to manage overweight and obesity in the community. Slimming World works with university researchers and specialists in an active research programme to further knowledge of the causes and treatment of obesity.
· Slimming World’s healthy eating plan, Food OptimisingÒ, and the principles behind Slimming World’s philosophy are based on a deep understanding of the challenges faced by overweight people. Slimming World integrates practical, up-to-date dietary advice with a highly developed support system.
· Slimming World Consultants receive specific training in dietary aspects and the role of physical activity in weight control. The highly developed training focuses on facilitating behaviour change in a group environment, acknowledged by experts as being the most effective way to support long-term weight management.
· In 2009 Slimming World celebrated its 40th Anniversary and four decades of helping people to lose weight without deprivation, guilt or hunger.
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