A COUNTY-WIDE campaign to help people lose weight has been launched as new figures reveal almost 70 per cent of adults in Oxfordshire are overweight or obese.

The ‘Calorie Creep’ campaign aims to tackle the worrying rise in obesity, which can contribute to a range of health issues such as heart disease, cancers, and Type 2 Diabetes.

Achieve Healthy Weightloss Oxfordshire, funded by Oxfordshire County Council, will be holding events throughout April designed to get people active and help encourage them to curb their calorie intake.

The campaign says adults should aim to consume around 400 calories for breakfast, 600 for lunch and 600 for dinner, plus a couple of healthier snacks and drinks in-between.

Achieve Oxfordshire say most adults consume about a quarter of their calories when eating out, with many unsure how many calories they need each day.

Lead Dietitian for adults at Achieve Oxfordshire, Karen Davies, said: “The 400-600-600 tip is a guide designed to give people choice and flexibility in their diet, particularly when eating outside the home.

“Using this rough guide means that people can be aware of how many calories they are consuming – especially when grabbing food out and about.

“And with the opportunity to receive exclusive resources, now is an exciting time to sign up for a service.”

The tip will help adults reduce excess calorie consumption and stay within their recommended daily intake – 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men each day.

To launch the campaign, Achieve Oxfordshire is making available free food-related resources, to help people avoid the extra calories that can cause unhealthy weight gain.

The materials include online videos with tips from Achieve Oxfordshire Adult Weight Management Advisors, tips for food swaps and recipe suggestions.

Free and informal outreach events will be held throughout April where trained advisors will be on hand to explain the personalised healthy lifestyle services that are available.

Such services include free weight management vouchers, and a ManvFat Football League.

Achieve Oxfordshire’s Head of service, Hannah Pearce, added: “On average we are eating 200-300 calories more than we should every day.

“Our Achieve Oxfordshire service is on-hand to advise people through the website, social media, local events, or by giving the service a call.”

For more information visit www.achieveoxfordshire.org.uk or call 01865-338119.

Last month it was revealed the number of people diagnosed with Diabetes in Oxfordshire had risen to 29,469, with almost nine in 10 of those suffering from Type 2 Diabetes.