A good formula for losing weight

In Germany, as many as a quarter of adults (23 per cent of men and 24 per cent of women) are severely overweight (obese). Others just want to get rid of a few annoying »corona kilos«. Quite a few people start with a strict diet programme ambitiously, but then after a few days the enthusiasm drops and the yo-yo effect sets in. Expert advice at the pharmacy can help you find a strategy tailored to your needs which will prove effective in the long term. Certain foods, medical products or medicines can be supportive.

Effective and proven formula diet products are from providers such as Optifast, Almased or Slimfast, The Healthy Plus Vitalkost or Yokebe Aktivkost. Their composition is defined in the German Dietetic Food Regulation, or Diet Regulation for short. Lars Selig, Master of Education (M.Ed.) and specialist therapist in charge of nutritional medicine at the University Hospital Leipzig, has the following to say in an interview with the PTA-Forum: »These are balanced products with a balanced ratio of proteins, carbohydrates and fats, with certain vitamins and minerals also added.«

Formula diet products come in different forms. Available are drinks or nutrient powders to be mixed with fluid, and some manufacturers also offer ready-made meals. Doctors usually recommend the products only for people with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of more than 30 kg/m². Selig explains how the preparations are used: »We recommend that obese people replace all three daily meals with a formula diet for an initial period of five to seven days. This is followed by five to seven days in which two meals are replaced. The third normal meal should consist of a nutrient-rich, balanced diet.« After this phase of more radical calorie reduction, which lasts up to two weeks, severely overweight people should replace only one meal with the diet product. »This diet can be continued for up to twelve weeks. But the long-term goal should be to eat a balanced and calorically appropriate diet with natural foods and normal meals,« says the dietician and nutrition expert.