Weight Management
Calorie Deficit Explained
Energy balance in plain English: estimate your energy needs, plan a gradual deficit you can live with and track your week, NHS-style.
£14.99Buy
Weight management courses for steady, realistic change
Learn how energy balance works, what UK guidance says about a safe pace and how to build habits that fit real life, without crash diets or quick fixes.
- 6 courses
- Tools in every course
- Certificate included
Weight is one of the most searched health topics in the UK and one of the most confusing, with online advice ranging from sensible to risky. The NHS approach is calmer: eat a balanced diet based on the Eatwell Guide, move more, and make changes you can keep up for months rather than days. NHS guidance describes losing around 0.5kg to 1kg (about 1lb to 2lb) a week as a safe pace for most adults who are trying to lose weight.
Our courses explain the ideas behind that advice in plain English: what a calorie deficit is, why the scales jump about from day to day, how portions and drinks add up, and how to plan meals that keep you full. You work out your own approach with the tools; nobody hands you a target.
These courses are for adults. They are not designed for anyone who is pregnant or breastfeeding, under 18, below the healthy weight range or with a history of an eating disorder. If you live with a condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure, or take medicine for weight, talk to your GP, practice nurse or pharmacist before you change how you eat. In England, eligible adults with diabetes or high blood pressure can be referred to the free NHS Digital Weight Management Programme by their GP or some community pharmacies.
All weight management courses
Weight Management
Meal Planning for Weight Loss
A steady, NHS-guided way to plan filling meals, with a calorie-aware 7-day planner, a portion plate, a shopping list and snack swaps.
£17.99Buy
Weight Management
Emotional Eating and Weight Loss
Notice what drives eating when you are not hungry, ride out urges and try other ways to cope, with a trigger journal and urge-surfing card.
£17.99Buy
Weight Management
Understanding Food Cravings
Why cravings happen and calm ways to handle them, with a craving log, a craving type checker, 10-minute delay cards and swaps.
£9.99Buy
Weight Management
Healthy Midlife Weight Management
For men and women in midlife: food, muscle, movement, sleep and alcohol, with a waist tracker, protein tracker and 7-day meal plan.
£17.99Buy
Weight Management
Preventing Weight Regain
Life after weight loss: work out maintenance energy, check in weekly, plan for high-risk situations and get back on track after a slip.
£14.99Buy
Where to start
Start with Calorie Deficit Explained if you want to understand the basics first: estimating your energy needs, what a sensible deficit looks like, filling meals built on the Eatwell Guide and tracking progress without becoming fixated on numbers.
Further courses in this topic look at meal planning, cravings, emotional eating, weight in midlife and keeping weight steady once you reach a point you are happy with. Each one is added to the course list above when it opens.
Your waist measurement adds useful information that weight alone misses. NICE guidance uses waist-to-height ratio alongside BMI, so the trackers let you record both.
What the weight management tools do
- Energy needs calculator: a general estimate of the energy you use each day from your age, height, weight and activity level. It is a starting point for planning, not a prescription.
- Deficit planner: lays out small swaps across meals, snacks and drinks so you can see where a change comes from.
- Weekly progress tracker: records weight and waist once a week and charts the trend, which tells you more than any single weigh-in.
- Quick-reference cards: calorie counting basics, label reading and eating out, where larger food businesses in England must show calories on menus.
When to get support
Pause the course and speak to your GP if:
- you are losing weight without trying
- you find yourself skipping meals, making yourself sick, using laxatives or exercising to make up for eating
- thoughts about food, weight or your body take up most of your day
- you feel dizzy, faint or shaky when you eat less, especially if you take medicine for diabetes
Beat, the UK's eating disorder charity, runs helplines for each of the four nations, and the NHS eating disorders pages explain how to get help.
Weight management courses: your questions
Is this a diet plan?
No. The courses explain how weight management works and give you planners to design your own routine around ordinary food. There are no meal replacements, banned food lists or set menus.
Can I take a course while using weight-loss injections?
General nutrition education can sit alongside treatment, but the courses do not advise on dosing, obtaining, stopping or switching any medicine. Questions about weight-loss medicines belong with your prescriber or pharmacist.
Why don't you promise a set amount of weight loss?
Bodies respond differently, and UK advertising rules do not allow promises of a precise result in a set time. The courses teach the steady approach described by the NHS and help you track your own trend.
Who should not take a weight management course?
Anyone under 18, anyone pregnant or breastfeeding, people whose BMI is below the healthy range and anyone who has had an eating disorder. If you are unsure, check with your GP first.
Do I have to count calories?
No. Counting is one tool among several. Many people prefer a plate-based approach using the Eatwell Guide, and the courses show both so you can choose what suits you.
Will I need to buy special foods?
No. Everything in the lessons and meal ideas uses ordinary foods from UK supermarkets, with lower-cost options where possible.
Official sources
Swap the quick fix for a plan
Start with Calorie Deficit Explained and use the energy needs calculator to see where you are now.