One You East Sussex, the county’s healthy lifestyle service, is urging residents to sign up for a new free healthy eating programme this month after nearly 800 East Sussex residents on its weight loss programme shed more than two tonnes of weight between them over the last year.
A recent survey found that almost two-thirds of people in the UK (64%) want to lose weight by June 21, when most Covid restrictions are planned to be eased. If that figure was reflected across the county, that could be as many as 287,000 people in East Sussex wanting to lose weight. In the last year, 791 people who started on the One You East Sussex weight loss programme achieved a combined weight loss of over 2,500kg.
One You East Sussex is teaming up with Seahaven Community Food, which aims to give residents access to healthy and affordable food close to home, for a campaign throughout May aimed at getting all East Sussex residents eating more healthily.
A series of blogs posted on the One You East Sussex website throughout May will feature recipes taken from ‘Budget Bites’, a recipe book produced by Seahaven Community Food, whilst also promoting ‘Eat Well’, one part of the One You East Sussex Core Behaviour Change service.
Getting confidence to make changes
Residents who self-refer to the ‘Eat Well’ service will receive six telephone sessions with a health coach, who will offer support, act as a sounding-board and provide the confidence needed to make changes to the way you eat. They will also help participants reflect on their lifestyle and habits and identifying any issues they may have around food.
All One You East Sussex services are completely free and open to anyone over the age of 16 as long as they live in East Sussex. There is no means-testing. So, there should be no barrier to participation to clients on very tight budgets, or with a lack of confidence or knowledge on how to cook. With time an issue for many people – especially those feeding families – the recipes selected for the campaign have been chosen specifically because they are quick to cook.
If you like and share One You East Sussex’s posts on Facebook or like and retweet posts on Twitter during May you’ll be entered into a competition to win a locally-sourced veg box worth £20 or one of ten ‘Budget Bites’ recipe books from Seahaven Community Food.
“Our health coaches are not dieticians or nutritionists and don’t recommend a specific diet,” explains Dan Ford, Engagement Lead from One You East Sussex.
Focussing on their individual needs
“This is not a quick fix; we aim to help deliver long-term, sustainable changes with clients focussing on their individual needs, whether that is weight loss; cutting down on salts and sugars or increasing fruit and vegetable intake.”
Clients usually accessing the Eat Well service for weight loss, do so for a number of reasons. Aside from general weight loss, these can include their GP advising them that they are pre-diabetic, have high cholesterol or high blood pressure; because they are experiencing joint pain and need to lose weight, or because people feel they’ve been hibernating during successive lockdowns and want to lose weight now the world’s opening up again.
Residents can self-refer to the ‘Eat Well’ service online at www.oneyoueastsussex.org.uk by clicking the ‘get started’ button, or by telephone on 01323 404600.
A Rye Case Study
52-year-old Rod Crew from Rye was told by his doctors that he needed to change his lifestyle to get himself back on a healthier track. When he was referred to the One You service by his doctor, he wasn’t watching what he ate or drank and did little if any exercise.
However now, with support, his diet has changed, he drinks within the recommended units and has progressed so much with his exercise that he is now running on average 8 kilometres a few times a week. He has been able to come off or reduce some blood pressure medication and pain relief and, in terms of his BMI, he has gone from ‘obese’ to ‘healthy’.
“My GP explained to me that we had tried all blood pressure medication, which has proved to be of little effect,” says Rod.
“In her opinion, I needed to change my lifestyle, if the medication was going to work effectively. I had been told before by doctors that I needed to change my lifestyle, but I didn’t really understand what that meant. Now that I have lost weight, it has totally changed my life.
“Not only has my blood pressure come down to a safe level, but I genuinely feel so much better. My clothes now fit my frame properly and it has given me more confidence than I’ve ever had before. With this and regular exercise, I feel my general mental wellbeing has also greatly improved. I feel like a new man.”
Source: One You East Sussex
One You East Sussex is provided by Thrive Tribe Ltd and commissioned by East Sussex County Council
Image Credits: One You East Sussex .