Providing weight management support for someone living with obesity can be complex. Many people experience embarrassment or shame because of their weight. For parents with children who are above their ideal weight, this can be combined with feelings of guilt or denial.
Individuals may also experience weight discrimination or face the social stigma that weight gain is caused by a lack of self-discipline or personal responsibility. In fact, 19-42% of adults have experienced discrimination because of their weight, with the higher rates for those with a greater body mass index (BMI). Women are also more likely to be discriminated against than men.
Stigma can therefore become a significant barrier to seeking or accepting help. And this can have a damaging impact on an individual’s mental health. But with one in every four adults and one in every five children aged 10 to 11 living with obesity, it is essential that we ensure people feel comfortable accessing support.
Here’s how our free healthy lifestyle programmes are providing a personalised, holistic approach to weight management – and breaking health stigmas in communities across the UK.
Using the right language
Labelling someone as overweight or obese can be emotionally damaging – and simplifies their individual circumstances into a single word. That’s why we avoid generalising people through medical terminology, using more sensitive language such as ‘someone above their ideal weight’ or ‘a person living with obesity.’
We use similarly deliberate language when describing our services. Phrases like ‘adopting healthier lifestyles’ and ‘finding fun ways to get moving’ encourage a more engaging and realistic way to think about weight management, avoiding the negative connotations of traditional weight loss words like ‘diet’ or ‘workout.’
Our focus isn’t on telling people what they can and can’t eat. It’s about alleviating food-related guilt and helping them to understand the health benefits of balanced meals. That’s why we never label foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ – and why we reframe ‘treats’ as ‘every now and then food.’
And this emphasis on language isn’t just to support our programme participants. We provide resources and training for referrers too, helping them to understand how using the right words can create a more inclusive, supportive environment for someone who may feel vulnerable because of their weight.
No diets or trips to the gym
Our decision to avoid words like ‘diet’ and ‘workout’ isn’t just based on language – it’s because our weight management support doesn’t involve removing food groups, enduring extreme exercise or attending public weigh-ins.
Feeling guilty about the food on your plate or having to step on the scales in front of other people can cause anxiety and distress, creating unnecessary pressure to lose weight quickly.
Instead, our programmes focus on helping people make small, manageable changes that build long-term habits. It’s all about understanding nutrition and food groups, drawing upon the Eatwell Guide to create delicious, balanced meals and practical portion sizes. And it’s about incorporating achievable physical activity into the daily routine, whether that’s walking the school run or doing a bit of gardening.
The aim is to help people build long-lasting change that they can continue to implement once they’ve finished the programme. And understanding that each participant’s journey will be different.
In-person and online support
Creating a personalised experience where people feel comfortable is key to achieving sign-ups, boosting engagement and ensuring programme completion.
Some people might feel more motivated or inspired by attending our in-person programmes, where they can meet other local people on the same health journey. But for others, face-to-face sessions may be difficult due to the time or location – or could cause anxiety for some individuals, making them less likely to engage.
That’s why we also provide online programmes, enabling people to gain the same expert support from the comfort of their own homes. And because their camera doesn’t need to be turned on, it helps to reduce pressure and allows people to feel more relaxed.
We can even provide support for those with the busiest lifestyles. Our online self-learning platform, Beezee Academy, contains a range of bespoke courses for adults, families and teenagers that individuals can learn at their own pace.
Bespoke content
Our healthy lifestyle programmes are also tailored to specific target groups. Beezee Adults, Beezee Families and Beezee Youth provide support based on specific age ranges, whilst Gutless offers dedicated support for men.
By sharing the programme with people from similar experiences, it not only ensures that participants receive relevant, tailored support, but can also reduce stigma and feelings of anxiety. Families can meet other local children and parents at our in-person sessions, helping people establish meaningful support networks.
And because men are 67% more likely to be overweight than women, Gutless offers an informal and relaxed environment for this hard-to-reach demographic to meet other people on the same health journey.
Teenagers can be another challenging group to engage, which is why Beezee Youth utilises co-production to create a programme for young people, created by young people. It ensures the focus always remains on the topics that matter most to teenagers, such as body image, exam stress and anxiety, drawing upon the experiences and perspectives of real individuals to shape our programme.
Expert, tailored advice
Our programmes are designed and delivered by our expert teams of wellbeing coaches, nutritionists and behaviour change experts, who incorporate proven techniques into our services, each tailored to the specific demographic we are supporting.
But we know there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to weight management.
A report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Obesity found that 94% of respondents believe there is not enough understanding about the cause of obesity amongst the public, politicians or other relevant stakeholders. It’s therefore essential that we make information on lifestyle changes clear, accessible and engaging to the people we work with and support.
That’s where Habit before the Habit has a huge impact. It encourages people to run unique experiments tailored to their lifestyle and health goals as a way to determine long-term healthy habits that work for them. This could be helping their child to discover a balanced vegetable dish that they enjoy or supporting a busy adult to find a form of exercise that fits into their busy routine.
It’s never about deadlines or target weights – it’s about finding enjoyable, achievable ways to feel healthier. And it’s about accepting that setbacks will be part of that process, forming useful learning experiences to move forward from.
Discover more our weight management programmes
Our healthy lifestyle programmes are helping to eradicate the stigma of weight management, creating welcoming and inclusive environments that inspire people to work towards long-lasting change.
Discover more about our expert-led support today.
