In this article, we explore some of the pros & cons of getting weight loss help from your local pharmacy and provide some examples of the type of weight management products and services now being offered by pharmacies across Australia.
Benefits of getting weight loss help from your local pharmacy
The major benefits of getting weight loss help from your local pharmacy include:
- Easy Access - Most people have pharmacies close to where they live.
- Trust - Pharmacists are trained professionals who are usually very highly trusted.
- Existing Relationships - Many of us already have a relationship with our local pharmacist whom we buy medicines and other health management products from.
- Cooperation - Pharmacists have a track record of working well with other health professionals such as GP's, dietitians, etc.
- Condition Management - In addition to helping us to lose weight, pharmacists are also in a unique position to be able to assist us in the management of weight related conditions such as diabetes for example.
- Cost Savings - Getting weight loss help from a pharmacy can be less expensive than some other weight loss program options.
- Ongoing Support - Pharmacists and trained Ultra Lite Practitioners (Pharmacy Assistants) can provide ongoing support which is a critically important factor in successful long-term weight loss.
- Professional Weight Management Options - Pharmacies are now offering a range of professional weight management products and services, such as the, Tony Ferguson Weightloss Program, and other 'in-house' type programs such as ones based on popular diets such as the CSIRO diet.
Professional Weight Management Options
One of the greatest benefits of getting weight loss help from your local pharmacy is that many of them offer proven, professional weight loss programs such as Ultra Lite Weight and Health Management program
In fact, some pharmacists are dedicating sections of their pharmacy, equipped with consulting rooms and specialist trained staff, just to assist the growing number of clients who want to lose weight.
This is certainly the case for the growing number of pharmacies who are offering the Ultra Lite Weight Management Program.
For those who don't know a lot about the Ultra Lite program, it was originally developed and delivered only by naturopaths but is now offered by community pharmacies employing trained consultants.
Pharmaciss and Ultra Lite trained Pharmacy assistants are extremely well equipped to o provide the Ultra Lite Weight and Health Management program advise clients to follow a modified diet that balances protein and carbohydrates in the correct portion sizes so that their body burns fat rather than carbohydrates.
The Ultra Lite Weight and Health Management program is an educational one that empowers people to make better food choices and is therefore usually very successful over the long-term.
Pharmacies who promote the Ultra Lite program offer it as either a 5 or 10 week weight loss program, a 3 week detox and weight loss program, or as a maintenance program for those who have achieved their goal weight or wish to lose only a little bit of weight.
Ongoing support, which is a key element to maintaining long-term weight loss, is provided by the pharmacy for the duration of the three, five or ten week program period, which helps clients to fully develop and establish their new healthy eating habits.
After the pharmacy has helped clients complete the weight loss part of their program, additional support is available during the maintenance program if required.
According to our friends at Ultra Lite, there has been nearly a 100% increase in the number of pharmacies choosing to offer their program over the past year (2006 versus 2023), making it even easier to find a fully trained consultant.
As we mentioned earlier, getting weight loss help from a pharmacy can be less expensive than some other weight loss program options and more and more health insurance companies are offering rebates for participating in weight loss programs, making them even less expensive.
For example, the health insurers providing rebates for participating in the Ultra Lite program includes:
- Australian Unity
- Grand United
- CBHS
- Health Care Insurance Limited
- Manchester Unity
- Medibank Private
- NRMA Health
- SGIC Health
- SGIO Health
- Queensland Teachers Union Health Fund
- St Lukes Health
In this article we've only explored some of the many benefits of getting weight loss help from your local pharmacist and only briefly reviewed one of the weight loss programs on offer.
For more information on what your local pharmacist can do to help you lose weight, visit them and ask.
Meal Replacement Options
While meal replacements may be effective for short-term weight loss or convenience, they are not sustainable long-term for several reasons.
Firstly, humans were not designed to live on a liquid diet. Our bodies are adapted to digest and metabolize solid food, and a liquid diet can cause confusion for our metabolism and the mitochondria the powerhouse of our cells has a memory in our cells.
Secondly, a healthy and balanced diet of protein and complex carbohydrates is essential for long-term health and weight loss. Meal replacements often lack important nutrients and fibre that come from whole foods.
Thirdly, a ketogenic whole food diet has been shown to be a sustainable and effective long-term solution for weight loss and overall health. This type of diet emphasizes healthy fats, protein, and non-starchy vegetables.
Fourthly, meal replacements were originally designed not as a lifestyle program but is a program to support people who may not be able to digestible whole food or sustain them prior to surgical procedures but not suitable for active healthy people striving to lose weight.
Finally, meal replacements can be a disaster for a whole family's healthy lifestyle. It is important to promote healthy eating habits to children and to lead by example. Meal replacements do not teach healthy eating habits or provide the necessary nutrients for growing bodies.
In summary, while meal replacements may be a quick fix or convenient option, they are not a sustainable long-term solution for healthy weight loss and overall health and should be discouraged for those seeking a permanent solution.. A whole food diet with a balance of nutrients is essential for optimal health and reducing inflammation and obesity.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6327254/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2851659/
Conclusion
More and more Australian's each year are turning to their local pharmacy for weight loss help. In response to this, more and more pharmacies are beginning to offer professional weight management products and services.
In this article, we explored some of the benefits of getting weight loss help from your local pharmacy and provided some examples of the type of weight management products and services now being offered by pharmacies across Australia.
Good luck with your weight loss and thanks for visiting weightloss.com.au.
© Copyright Ultra Lite
This article was written by Malcolm McLean.
Malcolm is the is the founder of Ultra Lite Weight and Health Management program and has overseen the growth over 24years and the support of 550,000 clients both in Australia New Zealand and the USA. Malcolm and his team have developed an expertise in fitness and nutrition, and their roles in weight loss, which led him to launch the pharmacy model as an educational fee for service program under the Pharmacy weight Management category. . Today, Ultra Lite Weight and Health Management program provides the pharmacy with support and fitness information, including hundreds of healthy recipes, weight loss tools and tips, articles, and more, to millions of people around the world, helping them to lead happier, healthier, lives.
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