NHS Help

[Pacx]

Two weeks ago, I weighed 15st 8lb. The GP sent me for blood tests and the nurse took my blood pressure too - it was 152/ 88. She asked me to come back a week later for a second test - 140/90. So, she refereed me to the GP who I saw yesterday.
The high blood pressure has been a wake up call. I've started trying to diet again and I intend to stick to it this time. I've lost 10lb so far. The doctor doesn't know that though.
I asked him for help. I pointed out that my weight seems to be the underlying cause for a couple of health issues.
The nurse also wrote on my notes that I am keen to reduce my blood pressure naturally, not just get a prescription for blood pressure pills.
However, when I asked the GP, he didn't help. He simply ignored my request.

He just sent me away to buy a blood pressure testing machine and to come back to him in a month with readings.
Its not what I was expecting given the almost daily obseity crisis news and the NHS can help messages.
AIBU to be surprised that the GP ignored my request for help?

If you've lost 10lb's in 2 weeks, you're obviously doing something right. Actually, that's probably a little more than you should lose, or perhaps it was 7-8 the first week and 2-3 the following week? That happens, and it's best to keep it at 2 or so from now on.

Keep doing what you've done to get this loss I say!

First off, don't make separate meals for your family - they should get healthy stuff, eg, lean protein, light on the fat & lots of veg. But give them the carbs, baked potato, rice, etc, which you skip.
Get the wine out of the house, sweetie! It is empty calories, a depressant & disinhibits you.
Comfort eating is a big issue, but there are lots of books on that; pick up one, & start becoming aware of when your emotions trigger binging.
When I went to the NHS to discuss diet, the go was fatter than me, so I didn't ask!
Good luck!

I lost about 6 or 7lb the first week and 4lb in the last 5 days. Most of it will be water, but I am still glad to be rid of it.

Unfortunately, my blood pressure has crept up. An hour ago, I bought a monitor from the pharmacy on the Gp's advice and they measured my BP. It has gone up again - 160/ 106. That's really bad, isn't it?

the woman at the pharmacy who took my blood pressure (to show me how to sue the machine) and weighed me suggested a subscription to Slimming World too.

Slimming world is £5 a week, and it really works. It's also very family-friendly meals so you won't need to do anything different for the rest of your household.

I've recently joined a gym, when you first go you will get a one to one session so ask them for advice on what to do to lose weight - it's their job! If you can't afford a gym then go for walks or get a bike and go out on that (less pressure on your knees).

I understand that you don't feel your GP was helpful, but they wouldn't advise you on exercise anyway in my experience, they may offer a cheap gym membership (our area they only do a reduced price membership if your BMI is 35+) in which case you would still be asking for help from the same people as you would if you joined by yourself anyway!

thanks everyone for the advice.

If the GP had calculated my BMI based on the weight the nurse noted for me last week, he'd have got 36.

TBH I just want to know if I should be doing pilates and then I'll buy a DVD or something.

Losing weight for many people is 80% food 20% excersise. I would focus on food for now with as pp said walking as excersise and then introduce more excersise once you have the diet down.

I've been looking at slimming world. Is this right: its £5 to join the meeting based ones and £5 every week. So over 12 weeks that's 13*5 = £65 and that's all you have to pay (there's no extras that you need to have in order to follow the diet?)

However, online its exactly the same thing without attending the weekly meetings and its £60 as long as you don't want the magazine?

TBH That's affordable, even for me, just as long as there aren't hidden costs that aren't really optional.

I know that I've been asked what I was expecting from the GP -0 the short answer was help.
I had some questions I wanted to specifically ask, but I never got the chance.
So, this morning I was wondering if I had misunderstood. I think I am always seeing references to "speak to your GP to get help if you need to lose a lot of weight". I need to lose about 1/3rd of my body weight, so io thought that qualified as a lot.

From all your responses, I am beginning to learn that this is not how it works in practice.
I just googled and found this:-
www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/WhataGPcando.aspx

but I wasn't offered anything like this. Am I simply not heavy enough?

I'm not sure if I've missed something in your posts but I'm not sure why you're specifically asking about Pilates?
I do Pilates, btw and don't think a video is the way to go, you need an instructor to make sure you're engaging the right muscles for it to both be effective and safe.
I also echo that you don't need to obsess over doing exercise. Exercise because it is good for your mental and physical health, but not in the hope it's a magic weightloss solution.
Walking is an excellent, low impact, cheap way to start.
I used to be 15st 10, by the way. Now around 10st 4. I did this by finding a sustainable way to eat less that works for me

That's correct about the cost of slimming world. Personally I would always recommend the meetings over the online membership!

Me too. Meetings are the only thing that works for me (in conjunction with the diet obviously.) I need the motivation/support and to be "accountable." Without that i just eat what I want and think "noone will know." Would be good to be someone who could just decide to "eat less, simple as that" but I'm not sure I'd have become overweight in the first place if I had the willpower to do that!

It is willpower, isn't it?

It is strange because I can be very focused on other things, but not this. Food comforts me. I started to put on weight in my first pregnancy and just never stopped.

Its like an addiction. If it was alcohol or smoking such that I could just give it up completely, and every time I wanted some, I'd know the answer was no, then it would be easier. Instead, I know I've got to say yes sometimes. Its a constant thinking about it.

The DC are fussy eaters. They dislike vegetables intensely and moan whenever I serve them. DH thinks he'll eat anything, but really he screws up his face at most vegetables too - they are too "watery" (celery, cucumber, radishes, courgettes, cucumber, cabbage, spinach, green beans). He does like carrots, broccoli and peas but not much else that I can think of.

So, its easier to cook for myself rather than eat looking at all of them pushing things to the side of their plate or eating so slowly that dinner takes 90 mins.

With SW basically you have a third of your meals "speed" (most fruits and veg) but the rest is things like pasta, rice, potatoes, meat etc. So I'll quite often just fill 1/3 of my plate with salad then eat the same as DH and DCs. Basically the idea is that you fill yourself up on fruit and veg, so you eat less of the other things (very simplified explanation!).