Weight Loss

Weight Loss

According to government statistics, over 60% of adults in the UK are estimated to be overweight or living with obesity. 1 

Obesity is not only an aesthetic concern; it is a medical condition that heightens the risk of various diseases and health complications. These include diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, liver disease, and certain cancers. 2

Oxford Online Pharmacy weight loss support 

At Oxford Online Pharmacy we know how important health is. We provide advice and a range of treatments that can support successful, healthy weight loss.

Taking your first steps with treatment may be overwhelming, with the range of treatments available today, we are here to help offer advice and treatment knowledge and provide helpful articles to find the best solution for your weight loss journey. You can get in touch with a trained member of our medical team if you need some help and advice or continue reading to learn more about the available treatments for weight loss. 

Understanding the available weight loss treatments

Our range of weight loss drugs consists of tablets, capsules and injections:

Weight loss injections

• Mounjaro 2.5 mg, 5mg, 7.5mg, 10mg, 12.5mg, 15mg injections
• Wegovy 0.25mg, 0.5mg, 1mg, 1.7mg, 2.4mg injections
• Saxenda injections (no longer available)

Weight loss tablets

• Mysimba 8mg /90mg tablets

Weight loss capsules

• Orlistat 120mg capsules
• Xenical 120mg capsules
• Orlos 60mg capsules (available without a prescription)
• Alli 60 mg capsules (available without a prescription)

A comparison of our most popular weight loss treatments

These prices are as of 27.06.24 and are subject to change.

For more detailed information about these treatments, select a product or read the patient information leaflets.

Weight loss injections vs tablets

While there are differences between weight loss tablets and weight loss injections UK, they are all approved for weight loss and are safe when used as directed.

The differences between weight loss injections and weight loss tablets include how they're taken, how they work, how well they work, side effects, cost, and suitability.

How they are taken

Injections: Administered via syringe into the stomach, thighs or upper arms.

Tablets: Taken orally, convenient if you are not comfortable using needles.

How they work

Injections: Often work by mimicking hormones that regulate appetite and insulin, reducing hunger, and increasing fullness (e.g., GLP-1 receptor agonists like weight loss injections Mounjaro, tirzepatide and Wegovy, semaglutide).

Tablets: Can reduce fat absorption (e.g., orlistat weight loss treatment) or suppress appetite (e.g., Mysimba weight loss tablets). 

How well they work

Injections: Overall weight loss of up to 15-20% of a person's starting weight

Tablets: Overall weight loss of more than 5% of a person's starting weight

Side effects

Injections: May cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, and injection site allergic reactions; more severe risks include pancreatitis.

Tablets: Side effects of weight loss pills vary but can include gastrointestinal issues, increased heart rate, and insomnia.

Cost considerations

Injections: Generally more expensive while losing weight and maintaining the loss.

Tablets: Generally more affordable and readily available, including over-the-counter options.

Who are they suitable for

Injections: Best for individuals needing significant weight loss who haven't responded well to oral medications or lifestyle changes, or have regained weight previously lost with diet and exercise.

Tablets: Ideal for those seeking a convenient, less invasive option, often used alongside diet and exercise.

Summary

Injections: They work well for most people and can result in greater weight loss. However, they cost more, and it can take a while to get used to the side effects.

Tablets: Tablets and capsules are convenient, especially if you don't want to use injections, and they may cost less. However, they don't support as much weight loss and can have unpleasant side effects.

Choosing between injections and tablets should involve consulting a healthcare provider who will consider personal health, weight loss goals, and potential risks and benefits.

How to order weight loss treatments online

You can start your order for weight loss treatment using our online doctor service. Follow these steps:

1. Complete our medical consultation. This allows the doctors to check that the treatment is safe and appropriate for you. 
2. Select your preferred strength and quantity to add to your basket before completing checkout. 
3. One of our UK-registered doctors will review your order and prescribe your preferred treatment if appropriate. Occasionally, we need extra information and will contact you via our confidential message centre. 
4. Your order will be packaged and posted from our pharmacy via our tracked delivery service.

How do I know if I am overweight?

The most commonly used practice to understand your weight category is through a BMI (Body mass index) test. BMI is categorised into 4 different categories:

Doing a BMI test

Finding out your BMI is a simple way to check whether you are underweight, healthy, overweight or obese. There are many BMI calculators online, such as the NHS BMI calculator, which only requires your weight, height, age, sex and ethnicity. 

You can also manually calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared. 3

The formula is:

• BMI = kg/m², where kg is the person's weight in kilograms and m² is their height in meters squared.

Is a BMI test reliable?

BMI is used by medical professionals worldwide, although it isn’t the most accurate representation of weight status for everyone, like bodybuilders, it is appropriate for the majority of people.

For example, a muscular person with minimal body fat can have the same BMI as an obese person with much less muscle. Additionally, BMI varies among people of different ages and activity levels because average body fat percentage differs. This means BMI can sometimes be misleading.

A helpful tip: Measure your waist circumference as it should be less than half your height. It is important to note that according to health body NICE, an adult's waist should be less than half their height to reduce health risks.

Understanding weight loss

Losing weight can be a challenge. Many people experience weight fluctuations, try yo-yo diets or find they struggle with consistent motivation. It is hard to lose weight and keep it off. Using medical treatment to help is not wrong, and it is not cheating.

Losing weight involves maintaining a calorie deficit.

To have a calorie deficit, you should consume fewer calories than you burn. Here are a few tips on how to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight:

• Learn your maintenance calories - your maintenance calories are what you should consume in a day to maintain your weight. To roughly estimate maintenance calories for a moderately active person, multiply your body weight in pounds by 15. This means you need approximately 15 calories per pound of body weight to maintain your current weight. A handy calorie calculator can be found here.
   
• Make sure you're in a calorie deficit - So now that you know your maintenance calories, you can work out how many calories you should be consuming to be in a deficit. Being in a calorie deficit means that you will lose weight.
  
  The best way to maintain a calorie deficit is with increased physical activity and by eating a reduced-calorie diet by consuming healthy foods. 

More about Orlistat

When taken as part of a healthy lifestyle plan, Orlistat (Xenical brand) prescription weight loss medication helps you to lose weight. Prescribed weight loss capsules, work by absorbing fats in your digestive system; the excess fat is then excreted from the body.

Combined with regular exercise and a healthy diet, prescription weight loss pills help to stimulate an average weight loss of 5-10% of total body weight within a year. This amount of weight loss can also help to drastically improve blood pressure levels, blood glucose levels and insulin sensitivity.

These can be prescribed for weight loss if diet and exercise have failed to produce results. Orlistat is the only one licensed for use in the UK. It can be prescribed in individuals with a BMI >30, or those with a BMI>28 and other risk factors such as high blood pressure. It works by preventing the absorption of fats from the gut. These pass out with the stools which as a result can be a bit fatty in appearance, float and have an unpleasant odour. It should be used in conjunction with a low-calorie diet and results should be evaluated after 3 months of treatment.

Orlistat works best when combined with a low-fat diet and the right type of regular exercise

You can find the Top 12 tips for losing weight on this NHS choices page.

The science behind weight loss

Have you made some recent lifestyle changes? Perhaps you’ve started exercising a bit more, snacking a bit less and having an overall slightly healthier outlook on life. However, when you step on the scales, your efforts are not quite realised.

Theoretically it should be easy. Balance your calories in so they amount less to your calories out. In practice this is not often the case. The main reason is that people usually don’t have an accurate idea of the actual amount of food they eat in a day and its calorific value. This brings us to the first tip for sustainable weight loss…

Track as you snack

It’s important to log what you are eating. Men need around 2500 calories a day and women 2000 calories to maintain their weight. So, to lose weight, you need to consume less than this. On average, a calorie reduction of 500 calories per day should lead to 1 pound of weight loss. There are many apps which allow you to do this, but it involves careful weighing and logging of everything you eat. 

It is also good practice to log your exercise. Most smart phones and watches will track your steps per day, every movement counts! 

Reduce portion sizes

It helps to take a small portion to begin with, and if not full after this try to fill up on lower calorie foods such as vegetables. Often eating from a smaller plate can help and be more visually satisfying to the individual.

Drink plenty of water

People who drink on average 1-2 glasses of water before meals have been shown to lose more weight than those that don’t.  This is because often, we mistake hunger for thirst. The water also fills the stomach, making it easier to achieve satiety. 

Getting enough sleep

Studies suggest that sleeping for less than 5 hours a night can be associated with weight gain. This is because of the effect of sleep deprivation on the hormones Leptin, Ghrelin and Insulin. Leptin is a hormone that’s released from fat cells, its presence signals to the brain that you are full, whilst Ghrelin does the opposite and suggests hunger. There is an association between reduced sleep, increased Ghrelin levels and reduced Leptin levels which may lead to weight gain or poor progress with weight reducing goals. 

Insulin is involved with blood sugar regulation and increased levels cause sugar to be stored as fat. Lack of sleep can reduce the body’s sensitivity to insulin, which leads to vicious cycle of further increasing Insulin levels causing further fat storage…. and so the cycle continues…. 

Mindful eating 

Not paying attention to what we are eating can be a consequence of today’s fast paced, hectic lifestyle. Being constantly on the go means that we don’t take time to register, let alone savour our food. Here are a few steps towards mindful eating. 

• Sit down, preferably at a table for meals. Allowing all your senses to be fully engaged will increase satisfaction and your enjoyment of the food. 
• Eat slowly; take your time to savour the meal. This will allow more time for the satiety signals to reach your brain and prevent over-eating. 
• Avoid distractions; try not to eat while watching tv or looking at your mobile phone.
• Make considered food choices; opt for nourishing foods that will sustain you for longer amounts of time. 

Avoid refined foods and carbohydrates

Chocolate bars, cakes and cookies are full of sugar and are unhealthy options. But so are refined carbohydrates such as white rice, white bread, and pasta. ‘Refined’ refers to the fact they are processed so that very little fibre and nutrients remain. The carbohydrates are broken down into sugar, subsequently being released quickly into the blood. This provides an almost instant gratification but can lead to hunger feelings just one hour after consumption, resulting in over-eating and weight gain. 

So, are all carbohydrates bad for you?

Absolutely not. There are three types of carbohydrates; starches, fibre and sugar. Consumption of the latter in excess amounts will undoubtedly lead to weight gain. Starches are complex carbohydrates that take longer for the body to break down, producing slow-release energy that keeps you feeling fuller for longer. They also contain essential vitamins and minerals. Legumes, such as lentils and chickpeas, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains such as brown rice, wholemeal bread, wholemeal pasta, and oats are all examples. 

Fibre is a complex carbohydrate essential for gut health, helping to regulate blood sugar and lowering cholesterol. It cannot be digested in the small intestine, so this can contribute to a feeling of fullness. All the previously mentioned foods are high in fibre, with the addition of nuts and seeds. 

Eat more protein, particularly at breakfast

Protein can regulate appetite hormones to help people feel full. This is mostly due to a decrease in the hunger hormone ghrelin and a rise in the satiety hormones peptide YY, GLP-1, and cholecystokinin. 

Studies in adolescents have shown that increased protein intake, particularly at in the morning leads to an increase in perceived satiety and increases levels of peptide YY. 

Reduce stress levels

Increased levels of stress can cause weight gain for a few reasons. One is ‘stress eating’. Try to be more mindful of this and find stress relief in other ways such as meditation, going for a walk or even a just a long overdue chat with a friend. 

Chronically elevated stress levels also lead to a rise in the hormone cortisol, which acts to increase blood sugar levels, the excess sugar is ultimately stored as fat due to the action of insulin. 

What type of exercise is good for losing weight?

The answer is anything and everything. Walking running and cycling are excellent forms of aerobic exercise. Walking 10,000 steps a day will in one week burn approximately 2000 extra calories. 

If you can’t devote that sort of time, keep your workouts short and tough with High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). This uses short bursts of intense activity and is effective in burning fat and building muscle. Weight training also increases muscle mass, and as muscles burns energy faster than fat this boosts metabolism.

Do specific diets work?

The best type of diet is one that produces sustainable weight loss and doesn’t restrict your lifestyle too much. 

A very low-calorie diet of <850 calories per day for 3-5 months has been shown in the ‘DIRECT’ scientific study to result in a weight loss of 15kg or more in more than half the patients, and a remission of diabetes in over half. However, these patients were closely monitored and supervised throughout the trial. 

You should seek medical advice before embarking on any extreme form of dieting. 

One diet is certainly not suitable for all. For example, the ‘Keto ‘diet allows almost unrestricted intake of ‘healthy fats’ which could consequentially lead to rises in Cholesterol. This diet certainly would not be suitable for some one with heart disease. 

Benefits of weight loss

Now you may be thinking, that’s a lot of information to digest and even with the best of intentions, losing weight can be just so…… difficult? Tedious? Call it what you want but it’s certainly not easy! 

Here are just a few reasons why its worth the effort. Being overweight increases your risk of heart disease, liver disease, high blood pressure and cancers such as endometrial cancer, oesophageal cancer, colorectal cancer, and breast cancer to name just a few.  By losing weight you are reducing your risk of developing these conditions. Obesity also puts more stress on the joints and can affect sleep and energy levels, so you can also expect better sleep, healthier joints, and more energy if you shed those pounds. 

To find out more about sustainable weight loss, please visit the NHS weight loss plan website.

References

Obesity Profile: short statistical commentary May 2024 - GOV.UK 
Obesity - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic
Calculate your body mass index (BMI) for adults - NHS