Client Charter

Welcome to LighterLife

 

Congratulations. You’ve just taken your first step on your LighterLife journey.

 

At weekly group meetings, you will be exploring why you overeat and learn effective ways to deal with problems, feelings and difficult situations without turning to food.

 

Every day, you’ll use LighterLife’s nutritionally balanced soups, shakes and bars to lose your excess weight, safely and sustainably.

 

Only when you understand what’s going on in your head and not just what’s going into your mouth, can you make the changes that help you say hello to a healthier, lighter life for the rest of your life.

 

This charter describes what you can expect from LighterLife and our terms and conditions.

 

Our commitment to you

We respect our clients and believe you’re entitled to the best possible service. Wherever you are on your LighterLife journey, we aim to provide clear information about the products and services we offer. We will:

  • Provide you with the tools you need, not just to lose weight but to change the way you think, helping you to keep the weight off not just for a few weeks or months but for life.
  • At weekly group meetings, provide you with a safe, single-sex environment in which to explore your relationship with food.
  • Value your health and wellbeing.
  • Listen to your views with the aim of improving our programme, so we can inspire and encourage more people to live lighter, healthier lives.

 

LighterLife Weight-Management Counsellors

Whether you’re on the LighterLife Programme or LighterLife Lite, both programmes are delivered by a national network of LighterLife Weight-Management Counsellors, all of whom have undertaken LighterLife’s extensive training programme.

 

LighterLife Weight-Management Counsellors train towards a Diploma in Building a Weight-Management Consultancy, accredited by Edexcel, the UK’s largest awarding body. This qualification is equivalent to an NVQ at level 4 or the first year of a foundation degree.

 

LighterLife Weight-Management Counsellors deliver both programmes under licence to LighterLife UK Limited. Their Licence to Practise as a LighterLife Counsellor is displayed at their premises.

 

The LighterLife Licence to Practise is awarded and maintained when the Weight-Management Counsellor has passed the initial LighterLife training and is:

  • attending ongoing LighterLife training
  • adhering to and working under the LighterLife practices, policies and protocol.

 

Counsellors are self-employed and operate within a strictly monitored environment.

 

Medical assessment

LighterLife Lite

Prior to joining LighterLife Lite you’ll be asked to complete a health questionnaire. Providing you aren’t contraindicated or taking certain medications you’ll be able to join LighterLife Lite following LighterLife approval.

 

If you’re taking certain medication (ie. hypertensive, diabetic or diuretic medications) prescribed

by your GP, or are over 70 years old, your health questionnaire will need to be completed at your registered GP’s surgery.

 

LighterLife Programme

Prior to joining the LighterLife Programme, which is a clinically monitored programme, a GP needs to complete your health questionnaire. If you’re taking medication prescribed by your GP, or are over 70 years old, please have your health questionnaire completed by your GP at your surgery.  The completed health questionnaire must then be approved by LighterLife.

 

You will need to have an ongoing check-up every 28 days while you’re abstaining from conventional food.  Again, if you’re taking medication prescribed by your GP, please have your ongoing check-up completed by your GP at your surgery. If you’re not taking prescribed medication, you may be able to have your ongoing check-ups completed with a Registered Nurse or at some pharmacies.

 

It’s your responsibility to get:

  • The health questionnaire completed.
  • Medical checks done.
  • The appropriate forms stamped and given to your LighterLife Weight-Management Counsellor.

 

If any medical checks are missed your LighterLife Weight-Management Counsellor is, under no circumstances, allowed to supply you with LighterLife Total Balance Foodpacks.

 

If you’re returning to the LighterLife Programme after a time away, you need to complete a form detailing your current state of health. Depending on

  • the length of time you’ve been away
  • if there has been any significant change in your health
  • if you’re over 70

you might need to complete another health questionnaire.

 

Your GP is entitled to make a charge for filling out the health questionnaire and ongoing check-ups when appropriate. It’s your responsibility to pay this charge.

 

LighterLife Total Balance Foodpacks

LighterLife Weight-Management Counsellors are licensed to sell Foodpacks only to clients participating in the LighterLife programmes.

 

Foodpacks are not for resale and are not to be advertised for resale.

 

LighterLife reserves the right to stop supplying you with Foodpacks if at any time:

  • confidentiality hasn’t been respected
  • we are concerned you’re misusing or reselling Foodpacks or programme materials.

 

Low-Calorie Week

Low-Calorie week is only applicable if you are on the LighterLife Programme.

 

After abstaining from conventional food for 12 weeks you must increase your intake by 500 kilocalories a day. Adding milk to Foodpacks is an easy way to do this. This is to comply with guidelines on the use of very-low-calorie diets (VLCDs) from the UK’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

 

At the end of Low-Calorie Week you can return to mixing Foodpacks with water for up to a further 12 weeks, after which you must repeat Low-Calorie Week, and so on, until you reach your target weight.

 

Confidentiality

It‘s important that all matters discussed or disclosed in the group sessions are kept confidential by you and by us. LighterLife undertakes to keep all medical and statistical information confidential. We comply with the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998.

 

However if, for any reason, LighterLife believes you pose a serious physical or emotional risk to yourself or others while participating in any of our programmes, we will advise you to stop the programme and seek medical advice.  In more serious circumstances, your GP may be informed.
 

Weekly meetings

At your weekly group meeting you will be able to collect and pay for your Foodpacks.

 

If, exceptionally, you’re unable to attend your group you must inform your LighterLife Weight-Management Counsellor so that alternative arrangements can be made for you to collect and pay for your Foodpacks.

 

Your commitment

LighterLife Lite

You commit to buying 21 Foodpacks every week.

 

On the Lite Route to Management Programme you commit to buying enough Foodpacks to complete Lite Route to Management.

 

LighterLife Programme

You commit to buying 28 Foodpacks every week whilst you’re in abstinence.

 

On the LighterLife Programme Route to Management you commit to buying enough Foodpacks to complete LighterLife Programme Route to Management.

 

On the Refresher Programme you commit to buying a four-week supply of Foodpacks in the first week of every four-week module.

 

Use of interpreters

If you need to use a language or British Sign Language interpreter, it’s your responsibility to pay their fee. The interpreter you choose must:

  • be the same sex as yourself
  • agree to keep all matters discussed or disclosed in the group confidential.

You can use a family member or a friend as an interpreter.

 

How to rejoin

If you’ve left LighterLife Lite and wish to come back, you can rejoin at the beginning of the next appropriate Lite module. You may be asked to pay for two weeks in advance at the start of your first module.

 

If you’ve been away from the LighterLife Programme for some time you can rejoin as a Refresher. The Refresher Programme is divided into four-week modules and involves abstinence from conventional food.

 

Your feedback

We actively seek your views about the service LighterLife provides.

 

While you’re participating in LighterLife you may be contacted by telephone or email by our Quality Assurance team or agency acting on our behalf and invited to complete a short questionnaire. This will take around 15 minutes and provides us with valuable feedback which we can use to continuously improve our programmes.

 

If you have a compliment or complaint please contact Quality Assurance on 01279 636998 extension 3015 or by email to inform@lighterlife.com

 

You can also write to the address below:

LighterLife
Cavendish House
Parkway
Harlow Business Park
Harlow
Essex CM19 5QF

 

 

 

Nina
Going back to the way I used to eat is not an option for me. 

Nina (read my story)

Maintained since December 07
Was size 16, now size 10