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Keep your customers on track

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Keep your customers on track

Help your customers steer clear of the fad diets this January by offering them personalised support and guidance combined with realistic goals and expectations

At a time when obesity levels are said to be ‘soaring’ to the point of an epidemic, 64 per cent of adults are classed as being overweight or obese, and it’s vital that pharmacy staff are confident about starting a conversation about all of the support options that are available to a customer who wants to lose weight.

Statistics from The Lancet Oncology, published in November 2014 show that obesity was to blame for 481,000 new cancers worldwide in 2012, and the vast majority of cases were in developed countries. Almost two in every three obesity-related cancers (64 per cent) were diagnosed in the US and Europe.

There is a lot of money to be made from finding the weight loss Holy Grail. Nestlé is currently working on a fat-burning additive that could be added to food. The idea would be for it to replicate the positive effects of exercise, potentially allowing the body to get the same benefits from an everyday brisk walk as it would from high-intensity training. The potential for big food companies such as Nestlé to incorporate this into diet drinks and weight-loss bars is massive.

Maintaining interest

For now, however, pharmacies depend on tried and tested weight loss products, but keeping customers motivated is a challenge. It’s easy to sell diet products and weight loss programmes to the masses at the start of the year, but just as the gym pass loses its attraction after a month or so, the diet programme loses its appeal before the weight loss goal is reached and sales often drop off again. So, how can you keep your customers motivated to stay the course?

Effective products and visible, quantifiable results are a sure fire way to keep your customers coming back, according to XLS Medical’s brand manager. ‘Introducing a weight loss support like XLS-Medical is a great way to help sustain motivation levels, as it can help dieters lose up to three times more weight than dieting alone.’

Trevor Jarman from Zotrim agrees. And he says: ‘The great differentiator for Zotrim is that it helps people to eat less, and that’s definitely the dieter’s key need. In addition to our original weight loss data, we published another study in 2013 which showed that when taking Zotrim, young women ate an average 112 calories less at a free-choice lunch and stopped eating sooner during their meal.’

Personalised support

When it comes to customers achieving long-term results, personalised support and tailored guidance within the pharmacy is essential. XLS-Medical offers a 12-week challenge support programme with a huge range of complementary tools, including health and wellbeing advice from its in-house dietician, progress tracking, weekly weigh-ins and free one-to-one consultations to kick-start the programme.

There’s also an XLS-Medical app, available from the App Store and Google Play, which can provide customers with on-the-go progress tracking, gentle reminders and access to support. XLSMedical’s brand manager explains: ‘Pharmacy staff are at the heart of the community, and well placed to offer ongoing support and advice to those wanting to lose weight. The capacity to provide personalised, professional advice to dieters, face to face in an informal setting is unique to pharmacists – and should be promoted as it is one of the most effective ways to encourage consumer loyalty.’

An XLS-Medical weight management training module focuses on category information and advice, scenario-based learning and product information on the range. It has been designed specifically for pharmacy, providing the tools needed to personalise the weight loss experience and help dieters meet their goals.

Weight loss service in practice

Since early 2012, St Clears Pharmacy in Carmarthen, Wales, has been helping customers manage their weight by signing them up to the Alphega Weight Loss Support Service.
Encouraged by Alphega Pharmacy business mentor Miles Benstead to offer the service to his customers, Chris Jenkins, owner of the pharmacy, says that the service hasn’t looked back since, and the team now has between 25 and 40 people on the weight loss programme at any one time.
St Clears encourages customers to get involved in the service by:

  • Putting up marketing posters in the window (provided as part of the Alphega Weight Loss Support Service)
  • Having leaflets on the counter to draw attention to the service
  • Getting existing customers to recommend a friend
  • Using the opportunity when customers come into the pharmacy to weigh themselves on the pharmacy scales to start a conversation about weight loss
  • Advertising in the local newspaper
  • Promoting the service on the pharmacy’s website.

Julie Glanville, senior counter technician, who looks after the programme with colleague Yvonne Makepeace, says she always books the patient another appointment before they leave, which helps to keep them on track. She advises customers to re-join once they finish the first six-months, even if they meet their target weight.

‘Many people find that as soon as they stop monitoring themselves they gain weight again, so we encourage them to re-join to help maintain their weight loss. They can come in monthly instead of weekly, until they are confident that they have made permanent lifestyle changes.’

For more information visit: www.alphega-pharmacy.co.uk/health-advice/weight-management

Offering a service

Alphega Pharmacy has developed a pharmacyled, professional weight loss support service offering an integrated approach to losing weight, and consisting of structured one-to-one sessions over a six-month period.

Trained pharmacy staff conduct the initial consultation in a private consultation area. During this consultation the customer’s desired weight loss is discussed along with the results of health checks, including current weight, BMI, body fat percentage and visceral fat levels.

The customer receives ongoing support in developing a weight loss plan that works for them, using the weight loss support service booklet provided. The service aims to:

  • Assess the customer’s weight and decide on a realistic, healthy target weight
  • Help them to understand the benefits of longterm lifestyle changes that will aid with weight loss
  • Show them how they can make the changes needed to work towards a healthy target weight by using a balanced, healthy eating approach and taking appropriate levels of activity
  • Regularly assess the customer’s progress and discuss techniques for keeping motivated throughout the programme
  • Provide advice on any other beneficial services, such as the Healthy Heart Service, the Diabetes Risk Awareness Service and the Stop Smoking Service.

A holistic approach

The reasons behind overeating can be a neglected piece of the puzzle. Holistic weight loss brands such as Bach Original Flower Remedies target some of the emotional reasons for eating and claim to make sticking to an eating plan easier.

As assistant brand manager for Bach Original Flower Remedies, Emma Wright explains: ‘The Bach Emotional Eating Kit was developed in response to the insight that many of those who struggle to lose or maintain their weight do so due to their emotional relationship with eating and food. We recently conducted a survey asking if there were any emotions people would like to manage better, and low self-esteem and lack of confidence were some of the highest.’

The survey found that 25- to 35-year-olds were most likely to report feelings of poor self-image and feeling ashamed of their appearance.

Wright adds that ‘helping people to understand how emotions can affect their personal relationship with food is the first step to understanding how best to manage their weight’.

The New Year is a key season where pharmacy would benefit from having weight loss products on display. Sales of the Bach Emotional Eating Kit for example, peak at this time of the year and again in the early summer as the customer’s focus shifts towards their waistline.

‘These are key seasons in which pharmacies should focus on visibility of this category, and where possible ensure staff are trained and available to advise consumers on the best approach to healthy, successful weight management. Providing a more personal advice service is unique value that the community pharmacy can offer, ensuring staff help tailor weight management options to the needs of the customers and drive higher success rates as a result too,’ says Ms Wright.

UK adults unclear about exercise

Almost half (44 per cent) of UK adults don’t know how much moderate-intensity exercise they should be doing every week, a survey by insurer Health-on-Line has found. The NHS recommends that adults between the ages of 19 and 64 should do at least 150 minutes of a moderateintensity activity every week, such as cycling or power walking. Alternatively, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise such as running would help to keep customers healthy. The survey also found that many respondents were unable to recognise which activities are classed as vigorous intensity and which are moderate intensity. Fiona Carter of Health-on-Line says: ‘It is essential the public are engaged in understanding what physical activity is recommended for them. Once this is done, we can help to ensure a healthier future for UK adults.’
Encouragement to pass on: Health and weight-loss coach Joanne Henson suggests these tips for customers who want to include more exercise in their weekly routine:

  • Make exercise fun, so less of a chore
  • Ease into exercise slowly
  • Make it a habit
  • Don’t expect a quick fix
  • Pick the right exercise for a goal
  • Track progress. Using a stopwatch or an app helps people to see each small gain.

Comment

Shaheen Bhatia, P&S Chemist Health and Advice Centre, Ilford ‘There is a lot of interest in the weight management service we run in my pharmacy. Lots of customers have heart disease and diabetes and I’ve found that at least 60 per cent of them are overweight but would be interested in a tailored weight loss programme. I always explain to patients that my knowledge about their medical history means I can offer a more targeted programme than the ones on offer at the local town hall. Before Christmas we were offering vascular risk testing to encourage customers to think about the impact that lots of Christmas food would have on their health and stop them from overdoing it.’

Bipin Patel, pharmacist at Broadway Pharmacy, Bexleyheath ‘We’re hoping to start a new weight loss programme to generate interest around losing weight as a New Year resolution. We always explain to customers who want to lose weight that it’s about making small changes with realistic expectations and goals. We stock the usual weight loss aid products and we’ve also started offering Lipotrim. We’re planning to promote the service in store and we’d consider putting out a local press release to encourage local members of the community to try the service. The most difficult challenge within this category is people who expect to find a quick fix. We explain to customers that if they fail they should not be too hard on themselves but it is worth persevering for the good of their health.’

Reena Barai, pharmacist at SG Barai Pharmacy, Sutton ‘We’ve run a 10-week weight management service and an NHS Health Walk scheme for two years. It is a group programme with a weekly weigh-in and we provide information about healthy living, simple lifestyle changes and portion control. At the end of the course the group goes on a free health walk with a member of staff who is a trained NHS health walker. We always advise customers to start with a food diary and to be honest about what they eat and why they eat it. The next step is educating customers about the right and wrong foods to eat, how to read food labels, the different food groups and how to portion them appropriately. We also give tips on how to swap unhealthy snacks for healthier ones. Successful slimming is about offering practical advice so your customers will lose weight and keep it off.’

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