More than 40 per cent of adults in England have gained weight since the first lockdown in March 2020, according to a 2021 Public Health England survey. The research found that people gained more than half a stone on average, but one in five put on a stone or more. For those aged between 35 to 65, the average weight gain was more than 10lbs.
Separate NHS research found that people seeking help to lose weight during the pandemic were 5lb heavier on average than those starting a health service weight loss programme in the previous three years.
Five pounds might not sound like much, but it is considered “clinically significant”. Gaining even 2.2lb can increase a person’s risk of Type 2 diabetes by about 8 per cent, the NHS warns.
With life now bearing some resemblance to pre-Covid normality, we can think about getting ourselves on the road to a healthy lifestyle and weight. But anyone who has previously attempted to traverse the quagmire that is the dozens of diet plans out there will know that starting such a journey can be confusing and overwhelming.
Here, simplicity is your friend. Enter Optifast, a science-based, clinically proven weight loss programme that removes any guesswork. Whether you are looking to lose a lot of weight or a little, or you have even reached your target weight and are looking for healthy maintenance, there is a nutritionally complete meal plan for you that will fit into your lifestyle.
Click here to put Optifast to the test with a one-week trial
Health comes first
Optifast is a scientifically designed low-calorie diet centred on meal replacement products, including shakes, bars, soups and desserts in an array of delicious flavours. Nutrition underpins the programme, and the products provide your body with everything it needs, including a blend of 24 essential vitamins and minerals, when used as a total diet replacement.
Optifast isn’t a fad diet; it has been helping people achieve a healthy weight for over 40 years. The programme has featured in more than 120 publications and clinical studies that have proved its efficacy and safety. One study found that people lost an average of 2lbs a week over 26 weeks with Optifast, and most people managed to keep the weight off after three years. Another year-long study found that people reduced their waist circumference by an average of 16cm for women and 21cm for men when using Optifast.
So confident are medical experts of Optifast’s effectiveness and safety that the NHS selected the brand’s products for its low-calorie diet treatment pilot for people who are overweight and living with type 2 diabetes.
Click here to put Optifast to the test with a one-week trial
How does it work?
The Optifast programme consists of several diet plans – and there is something for everyone wanting to reach or maintain a healthy weight.
The six-week diet plan
This convenient plan involves replacing all your daily meals with Optifast products for the first three weeks before reintroducing conventional meals and regular light exercise. Choose from soups such as tomato and leek and potato, shakes including caramel and chocolate, chocolate or vanilla creme desserts and flavoured chocolate or cereal bars.
There’s no need to think about what to eat or cook, no calorie counting and no worry that you’re not giving your body what it needs because the Optifast products take care of the lot. And there’s plenty of recipe inspiration for the second half of the plan when you begin to reintroduce low-carb meals, such as spiced salmon, chicken curry and waffles.
The intermittent fasting plan
Intermittent fasting has become popular in recent years, and it’s little wonder when you consider the benefits for health conditions such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Optifast offers two types of fasting plans.
The four-week 5:2 diet involves feasting for five days, where you eat conventional foods totalling up to 1,200 calories a day for women and 1,500 calories a day for men, and fasting for two, when you consume four meal replacement products.
The three-week alternate-day fasting plan allows you to feast on conventional meals, totalling 1,200 calories a day for women and 1,500 calories a day for men, then fast the next day when you can enjoy four Optifast meal replacement products. It couldn’t be simpler.
Click here to put Optifast to the test with a one-week trial
The partial meal replacement plan
Those looking for flexibility will love this plan that puts you in control. There are two options, but both combine Optifast meal replacement products and self-prepared meals.
During the three-week intense level, you will enjoy three meal replacement products and one low-calorie meal of your choice a day for significant weight loss, while the five-week active level sees you having two meal replacement products and two low-calorie meals for more gradual weight loss.
The weight maintenance plan
You’ve stayed dedicated to your health and achieved your weight loss goals, so now what? You’ll want to do everything you can to maintain your healthy weight, and there’s an Optifast plan for that. You’ll replace just one of your daily meals with a shake, soup, bar or dessert, and the rest of your calories will come from a healthy balanced diet. Even having just one meal replacement product in your diet can make a big difference and help you stay committed to being your healthiest self. This option is available as either a four- or eight-week plan.
The programmes do all the hard work of planning and calculating for you, but you can still create your own diet and buy the Optifast products separately. Click here to shop the full range.
Head to Optifast.co.uk to kickstart your healthy weight loss journey. Visit during the summer sales event on 20-26 June to save 30 per cent on selected products and up to 40 per cent on diet plans.
Sign up for the Optifast newsletter to save 25 per cent on your first order and receive exclusive offers and recipes. Sign up here.
