Swindon nutritionist tells people to not to throw out biscuits as New Year’s resolution
She says our eating habits are only one of many reasons for our weight.
Last updated 13th Jan 2025
A nutritionist from Swindon is urging people to recognise that our weight does not only depend on what we eat, but is heavily affected by our environments and social circles.
It is after Chief Pharmacist in the country, Hira Malik, called on the NHS to treat obesity as a medical condition rather than a lifestyle choice.
According to the latest data from the Department of Health & Social Care (DSHC), 30% of adults in Swindon are obese and about two thirds are overweight.
Clare Moran, a registered nutritionist from the Swindon area, said: “We know, for example, that people who live in different parts of the country, people who don’t have the same access and availability to different foods, that can affect weight”.
She added: “So, instead of just blaming it all on the individual – your weight is not acceptable, you need to go and change that – it’s understanding all those environmental factors.
“Stress, diet, activity, someone’s job, the air they breathe – all these things can have an impact”.
This means that while many people are trying to stick to their new year’s resolutions and hit the gym or cut carbs, a more widespread approach is needed to reach those goals.
Hira Malik is an Obesity Management and Weight Loss Specialist and stressed that achieving weight loss, especially for those who are classed as ‘obese’, “requires comprehensive treatment”.
She believes that weight is “less about a personal choice and more about your environment and social factors such as lack of bike lanes, screen time, and working from home”.
Ms Malik added: “It indeed could be down to a lack of affordable healthy food options instead of cheaper, unhealthy alternatives”.
Swindon currently comes in as the 38th worst (place 116) out of England’s 153 counties and unitary authorities studied by the DHSC.
Wiltshire places a full 40 counties above Swindon, coming 76th in the overall ranking, with just over a quarter of adults classed as obese and 58% as overweight.
The South West region as a whole comes in as third best in England with 25.7% of the population being obese – just below the South East (24.3%) and London (20.9%).
For those wanting to lose weight in 2025, Ms Moran suggests to start small.
She said: “It’s understanding that even small, little shifts are perhaps the better way to go rather than this idea that come January, I’m gonna go through the cupboards, I’m gonna throw out all the biscuits and chocolate”.
Instead of overhauling our lives completely, she recommends doing what feels good, even if it is just going on a 10 minute walk, and, most importantly, still giving ourselves the permission to eat.