Because we recommend that all members discuss their weight loss and activity plans with a GP before joining bodyOPTIMISE and embarking on a slimming campaign, we’ve prepared an information sheet to provide your GP with the facts about Food Optimising and Body Magic so they can support and advise you in your plans.

bodyOPTIMISE’s approach is based on the philosophy and deep understanding that dieting alone is not the solution to long-term weight management. It is an integrated approach combining psychological and dietetic expertise to provide an effective, nutritiously balanced and practical solution to members, empowering them to make healthy lifestyle changes towards diet and physical activity.

bodyOPTIMISE uses an integrated approach to weight management, combining 4 key principles to help slimmers adopt a healthier lifestyle:

Safe and sound
Food Optimising, bodyOPTIMISE’s eating plan, is a weight control system based on current UK healthy eating guidelines enabling weight to be lost at a comfortable and healthy rate. Food Optimising promotes a reduction in fat intake, particularly that of saturated fat, and avoidance of too much alcohol and refined sugars. Essentially Food Optimising takes account of a foods’ energy density, its’ health-giving properties, ability to satisfy the appetite quickly, ability to maintain a feeling of fullness and peoples’ behavioural patterns.

Our methods adhere to current orthodox nutrition approaches to weight loss and incorporate the government’s Balance of Good Health guidelines to help members to adopt life-long healthy eating habits.

Eating for optimum health
Within Food Optimising we have two choices: Green and Original. Both choices encourage members to eat plenty of highly satiating foods, while controlling intake of energy dense, fatty and sugary foods. The choice offers flexibility in terms of members’ tastes and preferences. They differ only in the proportions of the food types a member chooses to fill up on and those added for extra nutrition, e.g. on a Green day, members will be encouraged to fill up on many complex carbohydrates and certain protein-rich foods such as pasta, rice, potatoes, pulses and grains can be eaten freely along with fruits and vegetables, while dairy products, bread and cereals, lean meats, poultry and fish can be consumed as Healthy Extra choices.

We encourage members to either follow Green days only or have a mix of Green and Original days within a week. We find this gives those new members whose initial eating habits are based extensively on a non-wholegrain and high meat intake improved compliance and results in them changing their eating pattern sustainably over time.

Members are encouraged to eat plenty of food so as not to feel hungry and consumption of a variety of foods is advised to obtain a nutritionally balanced diet, and in particular, consumption of plenty of fibre and calcium is promoted by building in two fibre rich and two calcium rich food choices per day.

No foods are ‘banned’. Instead learning healthy eating practices is encouraged through advice on eating plenty of lower energy dense foods such as fruit and vegetables to keep the appetite satisfied, whilst enjoying the more energy-dense ‘treat’ foods in controlled amounts.

Motivating targets
Members are encouraged to choose their own personal target weight (as long as this does not fall below a BMI = 20kg/m²). Interim targets are also encouraged and a 10% weight loss is very much recommended highlighting the potential health benefits of smaller weight losses rather than initially focussing on large losses.

Body Magic for moderate activity
Body Magic has been developed in collaboration with Professor Ken Fox of the University of Bristol and is in line with current government initiatives and objectives to help raise awareness of the benefits of regular physical activity and encourage and support people in becoming more physically active.

Membership requirements
Members will only be accepted with a BMI of 23 and above, aged 18 and over, have no medical contraindications, are not pregnant and, if breastfeeding, gave birth a minimum of 6 weeks prior to joining.

Features to inspire and motivate
A series of informative features and articles about healthy eating, becoming more active and overcoming personal and other barriers to slimming are readily available to help members develop strategies to deal with situations that may hinder behaviour change e.g. coping with negative emotions and stress, external pressures, ideas for eating out and holidays. The unique support system is designed to give individuals the awareness that they – not the food – are in control.

Support tools
Part of bodyOPTIMISE’s revolutionary support system is a series of advanced psychological and behavioural modification tools which address such issues as: