Cynthia Bou Khalil is a Nutritional Consultant with Allurion, which offers a proven programme that takes a holistic approach to losing weight through a world first – a weight loss device that requires no surgery, endoscopy or anesthesia. Based in Dubai, she has been working at Allurion since May 2019, and here explains the safe way to go about losing weight – and it’s not a fad diet!
Post-Covid lockdowns, behaviour change for weight loss is more important than ever. Self-compassion is step one. But for those who want to lose weight, adopting healthier habits is also key. However, remember your body survived a pandemic. Don’t punish it with fad diets. Shockingly, many of us still have misconceptions as to what is the healthy way to lose weight. As seen in the Allurion 2021 survey, physical exercise and healthy diets are the most considered weight loss methods. Yet, nearly half the UAE population (49%) believes that extreme or fad dieting is safe!
Shockingly, nearly half the UAE population (49%) believes that extreme or fad dieting is safe!
Remember, no weight loss programme is a magic bullet and an effective one is based on good healthcare and science. With this in mind, the Allurion programme takes a holistic approach to losing weight and, more importantly, reducing the risk of having diseases attributed to being overweight or obese, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and polycystic ovary syndrome.
As the pandemic spread, UAE citizens were advised to isolate in order to keep healthy and protect others. For many, this meant living a more housebound life than normal. The country developed an intimate familiarity with the textures of its couches and grew deeply attached to the softest items in its wardrobes.
Now, as the UAE slowly emerges from its collective hibernation, it’s unsurprising that many bodies have changed. However, with this change, if there was ever a time that one should be kind to themselves and others, that would be now.
The Covid-19 pandemic changed many from the inside and out. For lots of people, those outward changes weren’t especially welcome. However, these weight changes have come with good reason, as people’s diets, activity levels, sleep habits, and daily routines have been turned upside down by the pandemic. As cited in the Allurion 2021 survey with YouGov, the pandemic has had a direct impact on weight for half the UAE population. Besides keeping in contact with family and friends (video calls and phone calls), one of the most increased activities during the pandemic was snacking, with 53% of UAE residents snacking more frequently between meals than they used to do.
The country developed an intimate familiarity with the textures of its couches
Indeed, besides being less physically active, the leading cause of weight gain in the UAE is snacking. And unfortunately, the result is now 47% of UAE residents eat more than they used to do before the pandemic. In fact, 51% of the UAE population says they have gained weight during the pandemic, with a significant increase of 8.0 Kg.
With over 40,000 patients who have sought out its help to date, the Allurion Balloon comes at a much needed time. Using a holistic method that requires no surgical insertion or even anaesthesia, it is a world-first technology that allows patients to lose an average of 10-15% of their body weight within a set timeframe and tackle their post-pandemic weight issue.