Alexandra Fraisova, Czech Republic

Transcript

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In the Czech Republic, in treating obesity, we are using the CBT, cognitive behavioral therapy, which has a long tradition in our country. Lately, we prepared the combination of the CBT with internet programs, because we work with the internet page, the page for our patients, and we prepared a new program for them called Stop Wheel. It’s from Stop Obesity Wheel, and it’s like a wheel of change.

We work with the degree of motivation of patients. We work with them from the very beginning. The first step is to decide if they are ready for a change of their lifestyle already, if they are ready to change anything at all, if they are willing to change anything.

If they are, they can go to another step of the wheel and find some tools. They find information. We, of course, have those information for them.

We have materials, we have tools we can offer them on our page, and we have the print materials for them as well, and they can work with this. If they find the tool that is suitable for them, they can go on for another step of that wheel and implement that step, implement the tool, use it, use it properly, find their way of eating, their way of exercising, and we can help them with our tools. Again, we have prepared the traffic light system, which works as a game and as a warning system as well.

People can just sign what they eat and how they exercise in a day, what they drink for the day, and the traffic light system tells them if it’s okay or if it’s enough, if it’s enough of nutrients, if it’s enough of water, if it’s enough of exercising, of movement in a day. And if they go through this step, they can change their lifestyle. Then there’s the phase of the maintenance, another step, and people can learn the steps necessary for maintaining the weight loss, which is even more important than losing the weight.

So they learn how to continue in their life with normal way of eating, so-called normal way of eating, healthy eating, healthy moving, because you can’t exercise for two or three hours every day for a lifetime. It’s impossible for almost anybody. So they go for the next step of the wheel and try to learn how to do it in their life, exactly in their work life, in their family life, how they can continue with healthy living, healthy lifestyle forever.

If there is a relapse, which is quite common, unfortunately, then they can get back on the wheel to the step they need. They can go through those steps again and get to the end of the wheel and win in the end and live a healthy lifestyle with healthy diet and healthy movement. So that’s another tool which works quite well.

We presented it to our users last winter and we have the first results. The first people went through the wheel and are trying to maintain and to live, let’s say, normally. So we hope it will help them and it will help more people in the future.