Weight Loss Treatment

Unsure what your BMI is? Click here for the NHS Choices calculator

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. Other tablets, such as the XLS -Medical Fat Binder, readily bind with dietary fat creating a fat fibre complex. This then becomes too large for the body to absorb in the small intestine and is similarly 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.

Orlistat work 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

Are Prescription Weight Loss Pills For You?

If you are looking to lose weight, then a combination of Xenical or Orlistat prescription-only weight loss tablets, dieting, exercise and multi-vitamin pills may be right for you. Prescription weight loss pills can only be prescribed if you are unable to lose weight naturally through a balanced diet and exercise. Weight loss tablets may also be prescribed if you suffer from health issues caused by weight problems. This medication will not be prescribed for those who would like to lose a small amount of weight for cosmetic purposes.

If your objective is to lose weight and maintain it, you should aim to keep to both a sustained diet and exercise program. The average adult needs around 2 and a half hours exercise per week, and regular exercise is necessary when taking prescription weight loss pills. A long-term change in the way you manage your diet is also required to lose weight and keep it off. Instead of crash dieting, a complete lifestyle change is essential. Swap processed and prepackaged foods, that are high in both fat and sugar content, for nourishing foods that are low in saturated fats and full of natural sugars, such as fruit and nuts. You can find further information, tips and resources on the NHS Choices weight loss website.

Your online doctor will only consider prescribing weight loss pills if you have been unable to lose weight through maintaining a healthy lifestyle. You must also have a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 30, or a BMI greater than 27 if you have health problems related to obesity, including high blood pressure and diabetes.