What are the recommended lifestyle interventions for managing obesity in adults?

Recommended lifestyle interventions for managing obesity in adult patients include:

• Dietary changes: Tailor dietary interventions to create a sustained energy deficit by reducing total energy intake while maintaining nutritional balance, considering personal preferences, cultural factors, and comorbidities. Encourage a nutritionally balanced diet long term, including fibre-rich foods, wholegrains, fruits, and vegetables, while limiting high-fat, high-sugar foods, fried foods, sugary drinks, and alcohol. Specific dietary goals should be agreed and monitored with professional support, ideally from a registered dietitian or nutritionist ¹,²,³.
• Physical activity: Encourage sustainable increases in physical activity integrated into daily life, such as walking, cycling, gardening, and stair climbing, aiming to meet or build up to the UK Chief Medical Officers’ physical activity guidelines. Reduce sedentary behaviour and consider supervised exercise programmes led by qualified instructors when appropriate. Tailor activity plans to the individual’s medical conditions and fitness level ¹,²,³.
• Behavioural support and goal setting: Set achievable, staged weight loss goals with regular monitoring and review. Foster independence and self-management including self-monitoring of weight and behaviours. Address barriers to change and provide ongoing support, including family involvement and access to community or online resources after formal interventions end ¹,².
• Long-term maintenance: Emphasise lifelong behavioural changes to prevent weight regain, including maintaining healthy dietary habits and physical activity levels. Discuss strategies to overcome difficulties in maintaining changes and encourage support networks ¹,².