Politics Home Article | Living with obesity needs more than medication

We recently announced the launch of a new suite of dedicated GLP-1 support, designed to help people using weight loss medication build the healthy habits they need to achieve and, crucially, sustain their weight loss long-term.

We steadfastly believe our methods can help anyone to lose weight, and for more than 55 years, our mission has been to support anyone and everyone who wants help to do that, with no judgement. The dawn of weight loss medication has not changed this.

We understand the hurt and desperation that overweight can bring. No matter which route people take to lose weight and improve their health – especially through surgery and injections – the decision is unlikely to have been made lightly.

Evidence shows that these medications don’t work long-term on their own, and from speaking to members who have joined us since starting medication, regaining weight when they stop taking it is a worry. The emotional impact alongside the physical toll of regaining weight is why weight loss medication must be partnered with evidence-based wraparound support delivered with empathy and compassion.

Over the past five decades, through our healthy, balanced eating plan, active lifestyle programme and behaviour change support, we’ve helped millions of people reduce their risk of long-term health conditions, improve their weight, fitness and overall metabolic health, and develop healthier habits that last. Our body of evidence doesn’t just show effective – and cost-effective – weight loss, though; it also demonstrates improvements in our members’ self-esteem, confidence and mental wellbeing.

Slimming World’s newly launched GLP-1 support reflects our clear and consistent belief: while medication can play a role in weight loss, lasting success comes from getting the support to make changes around food, drink and exercise, develop strategies and resilience, and build positive lasting habits for life – not medication alone. The GLP-1 support offers an additional layer to our existing programme of tailored guidance specifically for people who are using weight loss medications. It provides practical, evidence-based guidance on nutrition, muscle strengthening activity and appetite management, alongside the emotional and behavioural support people need – areas increasingly recognised as critical for long-term GLP-1 outcomes.

We’ve made a conscious decision not to follow others in the weight management sector in offering a weight loss medication prescription service, and we believe our in-person model sets us apart from those offering digital-only or short-term, medication-led solutions.

Our 12,000 groups are located in the heart of communities across the UK and run by expertly trained consultants who have all been members themselves. They’ve walked in their members’ shoes, they’ve made the decision to lose weight, and they know what it feels like to regain weight. I became a Slimming World member myself in my 20s after putting on weight while at university, and I truly believe the personal understanding and empathy that our consultants have makes all the difference.

Whether members lose weight with Slimming World alone or alongside medication, our commitment is clear: to help people not just lose weight, but stay healthy, confident and at the size and weight they want to be for life.

We share the same ambition as policymakers: a healthier population, reduced pressure on the NHS and lives transformed for the better for the long term. We wholeheartedly believe Slimming World is more relevant than ever in our ability to support the government and the NHS in achieving these goals.

We would welcome the opportunity to meet with the government to discuss our commitment to supporting its efforts to help people whose lives are adversely impacted by obesity and introduce them to our members, some of whom are using weight loss medication, who have lost weight and created lasting healthy habits.

For more information on our latest research and outcomes or our programme, please visit slimmingworld.co.uk.