Dieting and Downton Abbey

I never thought I would use dieting and Downton Abbey in the same sentence and particularly not as a blog title*. Bear with me - and it might start to make sense.

Sunday evening sees the return of the blockbuster show. Series three follows the Crawley family and their servants into the early 1920s, as they all try and put the hardships of the Great War behind them. Gripping stuff, I'm sure. The first two series had a reported 5.5 million viewers per episode and it has its own wikipedia page. To put it simply - It is MASSIVE!!!!

Any marketing department who wants  to launch its television advertising during the series premier of a blockbuster show must think it has a winning product and so we arrive at XLS Medical.

XLS Medical claims to help you lose three times more weight than diet alone. Now this is a big claim. Its nearest rival Alli came off prescription a few years ago and has at best a claim to double your weight loss. Not to mention the unpleasant side effects (diarrhoea) from Alli and the fact that a manufacturing issue has left it unavailable for months and this seemed like an ideal product to add to our weight management service at Barnton Pharmacy.

So, in the interests of providing a personal recommendation, I started taking it myself.

It was time to admit defeat. My second son was six months old and the baby weight was not shifting.....mainly due to too many latte and cake mornings with my mummy friends. In truth I hadn't fully lost the baby weight since my first son!

It ought to be simple and we all know the principles: eat less and move more and you will lose weight. In practice it is harder. There is a toddler and a baby who leave food and I hate waste so I pick at there plates. My partner and I both love our food and will often make something the recipe claims will feed four -  but rarely does in our house! And because of aforementioned baby, toddler, partner (and dog) I no longer have time to go to the gym!! I didn't like the fact that all my clothes were getting tighter and I don't want to buy a new wardrobe in THAT size.

I'm 10 days in to my new regime of healthy eating and XLS medical and so far so good - I've lost four pounds. I know that isn't masses but its a start and it is certainly the kickstart I needed.

The benefits of the tablets which need to be taken after every meal are that you really do not feel hungry. If anything I feel quite bloated. I need to remember this and stop eating when I feel full rather than when the plate is empty.
There are no unpleasant side effects so far.
The hard bit is remembering to take the tablets.

Alongside a massive marketing campaign XLS medical have celebrity endorsements and a great website which will support you with meal plans and recipe ideas as well as an online weight tracker.

XS medical is available at Barnton Pharmacy as part of our weight management service and we will even weigh you every week to help keep your weight loss on track. Pop is to ask me how it is going and find out what we can do to get you on the right plan for you.


*I should point out that I have never watched it and don't intend to start now!!!!

Time to lose weight?

The new year is twenty days old already. How did that happen so fast?

Many of us will have already broken our New Year's resolutions, but if you are serious about losing weight in 2012, then we are here to help.

The team at Barnton Pharmacy will listen to what you want to try to achieve and how you want to reach your goals and try to tailor a plan for you.

We use a range of weight loss methods to support you. These include:

Motivational support
You come in for a weigh in on a weekly basis and we give you hints and tips at each visit to keep you on track and motivated to reach your goals.

Lipotrim
Lipotrim is a total meal replacement programme, consisting of milkshake drinks or bars.
It is not for everyone, but if you are committed on the Lipotrim programme, you can see rapid results in a very sort space of time.

Participation requires the completion of a medical questionnaire and then you come to the pharmacy each week for a weigh in a motivational support as well as another week's supply of meal replacements.

Alli

We also stock Alli, which if taken alongside a low fat healthy diet, can help you lose 1lb more for every 2lb you lose on your own.

If you are serious about losing weight in  2012, come and speak to the team at Barnton Pharmacy to find out how we can help you.

Remember that Curves Barnton is just upstairs from the pharmacy and Aly and her team will be delighted to help design a fitness regime to complement your weight loss goals for 2012.