Bringing star quality to weight management education
By ahhb
Saturday, 28 March, 2015
Saturday, 28 March, 2015
The latest National Nutrition Survey indicates more than 2.3 million Australians aged 15 years and older are on a diet to lose weight or improve their health. Despite this, rates of overweight and obesity are rising in Australia and it is the third contributor to burden of disease, behind smoking and high blood pressure.

- The American Cancer Society鈥檚 Cancer Atlas which highlights that soaring rates of obesity will be a major contributor to the expected 50 per cent increase in cancer cases to 21.7 million by 2030.
www.hospitalhealth.com.au/news/cancer-atlas-highlights-obesity-epidemic/
- Obesity and extreme obesity have the potential to reduce life expectancy by up to 8 years and deprive adults of as much as 19 years of healthy life as a result of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
www.hospitalhealth.com.au/news/health/obesity-can-reduce-life-expectancy-eight-years/
- A team at the University of Adelaide鈥檚 Robinson Research Institute has discovered how damage caused from obesity passed from mother to child can be reversed, and the findings could have major implications for future fertility research.
www.hospitalhealth.com.au/news/negative-impact-obesity-fertility-reversable/
- Urban Planners Play a Big Role in Fighting Obesity according to health and urban research experts at the University of Melbourne.
www.hospitalhealth.com.au/news/cancer-atlas-highlights-obesity-epidemic/
The researchers, including those with backgrounds in biology, physiology, psychology, epidemiology and neuroscience are looking for evidence-based answers and it seems this multi-disciplinary approach may be the way to end the global obesity epidemic.
And this is exactly why Sonja Bella, Founder of the Australian Institute of Weight Loss Consultants has established the inaugural Global Weight Management Conference which is happening in Brisbane this May. The conference is using 鈥榦ut of the box鈥 content to engage its audience, and has recruited Australia鈥檚 fittest man, Guy Leech, as its patron.
It鈥檚 not common to see a 鈥榗elebrity鈥 as an ambassador for a health, but Ms Bella explains aligning with Leech鈥檚 principles will be a useful tool in their professional practice.
鈥淕uy was chosen as the ambassador because of his philosophy and attitude to everything he does; for Guy, failure is not an option and he uses the same principles that made him successful in sport in every other area of his life. 鈥淲e need to adopt that philosophy into the weight management industry as we can no longer sit back and operate in our own 鈥榮ilos鈥 and just hope that obesity will go away,鈥 Ms Bella said.
鈥淭he trends and forecasts for obesity are frightening and if the current practices were working, we would have seen a turn-around in the statistics. 鈥淭he Congress aims to cross-pollinate the multi-disciplinary fields that co-exist within the weight management industry and give practitioners a platform to network, engage and learn from other experts, leading authorities and professors so that we can offer clients a new way forward and a new way of thinking about weight management.
鈥淭he other reason Guy was chosen is that while fitness is certainly one aspect of weight management, we didn鈥檛 want this to become another fitness convention as the market place is flooded with fitness information; instead we wanted to focus on cutting edge research and methodologies that will make a significant impact on the way we currently address obesity and eight management, so if we had to select just one person to represent fitness, we wanted Australia鈥檚 best.鈥
There is no doubting Guy鈥檚 passion for helping to tackle obesity. As well as being recognised as 鈥楢ustralia鈥檚 fittest guy鈥, he has helped many people, including celebrities such as Jonathon Coleman and Casey Donovan with their battle of the bulge. Seeing their transformations can inspire the general public to work towards their own personal health goals.
鈥淓very year in Australia five million people set health and fitness goals in the year 鈥 whether they are to lose weight or stop smoking,鈥 Guy said. 鈥淥ut of those, may be 250,000 reach their goal 鈥 that鈥檚 one in 25 people who get to the finish line. 鈥淭he strength those people have is knowing the reason why they want to lose weight and having a plan and strategy in place. 鈥淚 call it their unfair advantage鈥.
Guy has a good understanding of the health ramifications of being overweight or obese and is working as an ambassador with Diabetes Australia.
鈥淭here are real concerns where we are going in this country,鈥 Guy says. 鈥淭ype 2 diabetes is something you can do something about 鈥 changes in your lifestyle can turn things around.鈥
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