Losing 30kg. Why you need your GP, a coach and yourself
To lose 30kg, about 4 stone 10lb, the safest route is a team of 3, your GP, a coach and you. Each has a clear role. Your GP looks after your health, the coach helps with meals and habits, and you hold the course from day to day.
A club coach looks at your situation with you and gives you the best advice.
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Losing 30kg, a long journey
30kg is not lost in a few weeks. It is a journey of many months, sometimes longer, with steady phases and slower ones. Nobody manages that alone and nobody should try. A gradual pace protects your muscle and your energy, and it gives new habits time to settle. Our page on lasting weight loss explains why slow tends to hold.
The role of your GP
Start with an appointment before you change anything. Your GP checks your blood pressure, may suggest a blood test and reviews any medicines that could need adjusting as your weight falls. The NHS page on overweight and obesity explains that a GP can also refer you to a weight management programme, and in some cases discuss medicines or surgery. Some areas even let you self-refer to local weight loss services.
Your GP can also point you towards support if food has become a comfort. Our article on emotional load and weight looks at that link. Agree on regular check-ups at a rhythm your GP sets with you.
The role of the coach
A coach helps with everything that happens between 2 appointments. The shopping, the busy days, the evening cravings, the meals to plan for the week. A coach does not diagnose and does not touch your treatment. If something seems worrying, the coach sends you back to your GP.
When the 3 talk to each other
The plan works better when everyone knows what the others are doing. Tell your GP you are working with a coach. Tell the coach what your GP has decided. Bring your test results if you are happy to share them. This avoids mixed messages and keeps you safe.
Your role
You live the plan every day. A few habits make that easier.
- Build meals on the NHS Eatwell Guide, with vegetables, starchy food, protein and a little fat.
- Move a little more each week. Walking is a perfect start, as our page on getting back in shape shows.
- Keep a note of what goes well, not only what goes wrong.
At the club in Witney
At Witney Nutrition Club, coaches trained in nutrition support members every day, which suits a long journey like this. Your first assessment is free and starts with your habits, not a number on the scales.
This article does not replace advice from your GP or another health professional.
Your weight loss curve
Enter your profile and the curve redraws straight away.
At the median pace, it would take about 11 weeks to lose 8 kg. At the gentlest pace, about 4 months.
The benchmark most often given for lasting weight loss is 500 g to 1 kg a week. That is the ideal zone of the chart. Above 1 kg a week on a regular basis, the body draws on its muscles as much as on its fat. That is the hatched zone.
An indicative projection. Every journey is personal and results vary from person to person. The calculation runs on your device, nothing is saved or sent. Over 65, talk to your doctor first.
How this curve is calculated
The top edge of the zone matches 500 g a week, the gentlest pace. The bottom edge matches 1 kg a week, the risk threshold.
The first weeks go faster, mostly water, then the pace slows. After 40, the median curve slows gradually, because metabolism slows. For the same effort, a man usually loses weight a little faster than a woman.
The journey curve adds plateaus of a few days and small regains, as in real life. It does not predict your own journey.
This advice is general. It does not replace medical advice.
Further reading
For day to day support, see the healthy eating programme.