Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust is planning another round of its popular free weight loss groups for the start of September.

The Trust’s team of health trainers, who work in the community to support people to live healthier lives, will run each of the four groups for 12 weeks.

During this time, the health trainers will teach people about the small changes they can make to their everyday lives to lose weight, feel healthier and maintain their new lifestyle in the longer-term. They aim to show people that they can achieve their weight goals without missing out on family life, spending lots of money or giving up the things that they enjoy.

Topics covered at the sessions include food groups and nutrition, portion sizes and food swaps to make favourite meals healthier. To get the full benefit of attending the groups, attendees will need to attend all 12 sessions and set a target to lose at least five per cent of their body weight. For example, a person weighing 140 pounds (10 stone) might aim to lose seven pounds (half a stone). The health trainers will help each attendee decide their own target.

The Trust’s Health Trainer Locality Lead, Janet Williams, said: “It’s important when trying to lose weight that you have a goal to work towards. Five per cent is a realistic target for everyone, no matter what their current weight is, and once they have lost the weight we can teach them how to maintain their new size without missing out on the food they love, or making any dramatic or unrealistic changes to their lifestyle. At some of our past groups, people have been successful in losing ten per cent of their body weight which is a brilliant achievement in only 12 weeks.”

Sessions will run from locations across Bradford and Shipley. To find your nearest weight loss group, visit the Trust’s website (http://www.bdct.nhs.uk/health-trainer-service/), call 01274 322666, or email healthtrainers@bdct.nhs.uk.