‘The independent programme is simple enough to get on with’
THREE WEEKS into his health plan, a Winnersh man is encouraging other people to download the Government’s Better Health app.
As part of the campaign to get Britain healthy, the app has been created to act as a hub of information.
David Fitzgibbon, 53, who has previously lost five stone using the Weight Watchers programme, said the app was very motivating.
“It’s an independent programme that’s simple enough to just get on with,” he said. “I’ve lost half a stone in three weeks, people recommend losing 1lb to 3lbs per week, that’s a sensible amount.
“It’s a 12-week plan of no more than 1,900 calories a day for men or 1,400 calories for women.”
The Better Health app includes a body mass index (BMI) calculator, which has been heavily criticised by the fitness industry.
It uses height, weight and age to calculate whether someone is overweight, obese or a healthy weight. But by not considering a range of factors, it has been disregarded by many experts.
“At the moment, I’m in the obese category,” said Mr Fitzgibbon. “I feel offended by that, but in a good way. It’s motivating. It’s also about what weight you’re happy being.
“If you’re happy with your lifestyle, with what you eat with what exercise you do, that will be good in itself. Because I think a healthy mind means you have a healthy body in a lot of ways.
“BMI is a guide but it isn’t a bible.”
He added: “Everyone wants everything yesterday. To lose weight you need to know your targets, analyse your relationship with food, plan it out and dedicate about half a year to working on it. It’s a lifestyle change, it doesn’t happen in three weeks.”
Mr Fitzgibbon has focused on power walking during the last three weeks, but hopes to try some more of the exercise options on the app soon.
“As you lose weight, your energy increases,” he added.
For more information about the Better Health campaign, visit: www.nhs.uk/better-health
