Obesity management: our approach

DRIVEN BY DATA

We’re redefining weight management by treating obesity as the chronic disease it is. Our work combines clinical science with behavioural insight to deliver care that’s personalised, evidence-based, and built for lasting health.

The state of obesity in the UK

The UK’s relationship with obesity is changing, slowly but measurably. Our 2025 State of Obesity report shows the blame narrative is weakening, medical understanding is rising, and public confidence in evidence-based treatment is growing. For the first time in decades, national obesity rates have begun to level off.

But progress is fragile. Nearly half the public still frames obesity as a personal choice, stigma remains the biggest barrier to care, and uncertainty is replacing outright denial rather than resolving it.

Read the full report here

The science

In a 90-day study of 2,366 people, those combining weight loss medication with personalised coaching and digital support lost more weight than those using medication alone. Average weight loss reached 11.3% with full programme support, compared with 7.5% without it.

The results point to the value of integrated, clinician-led care, and continue to shape how we design long-term obesity treatment.

When medication meets support

When we looked at outcomes for more than 18,000 people taking tirzepatide, we found that those who stayed connected to their care through our digital programme consistently lost more weight than those who were less engaged. By nine months, people who regularly used the app, checked in with a health coach, or tracked their progress had lost around 21% of their body weight, compared with 16.6% among those who didn’t.

This reinforces is that having ongoing clinical support and practical behaviour-change tools alongside treatment helps people get more from it, making progress easier to maintain over time.

Improving public perception of obesity

Our UK survey of 1,000 adults shows that obesity is still widely misunderstood. Over half of respondents saw it as a matter of personal choice, with little recognition of the roles played by biology, genetics, or environment, and those views were closely linked to scepticism about medical treatment.

When obesity is framed as willpower alone, stigma follows and people delay care. Changing that narrative is essential if evidence-based treatment is to reach the people who need it.

Human support is a necessity for weight loss

As incretin-based weight loss medications become more common, our research suggests the prescription alone isn’t enough. In a survey of Numan health coaches supporting over 11,000 patients, medication-related questions were the most frequent, particularly around plateaus, side effects, and dose changes.

Just as often, patients asked for help with motivation, emotional eating, and staying consistent. Together, this shows that effective obesity care depends on personalised, human support to help people manage both the medication and the realities of long-term change.

Augmenting care with AI

People using anti-obesity medication alongside our digital programme often used AI support for quick, practical guidance, especially around day-to-day questions on food, movement, and routines. It offered immediate answers, helping people stay on track without needing to wait for an appointment.

Health coaches played a more personal role. Patients turned to them for reassurance, motivation, and tailored advice when weight loss felt challenging or emotions came into play. Many used both together, with AI supporting day-to-day decisions and coaches providing longer-term support, accountability, and human understanding.

Turning down food noise

In a real-world evaluation of people using anti-obesity medication alongside Numan’s digital programme, many reported a noticeable drop in “food noise” - the constant, intrusive thoughts about food that can make weight management exhausting. Around 70% saw improvements, with average scores falling over time and the number experiencing the most severe symptoms reduced by half.

When medication is paired with structured digital and behavioural support, it appears to lessen the mental load around food. For many, that shift helped restore a sense of control over eating and made long-term change feel more manageable.

OUR EXPERTS

Meet our experts, leaders in behavioural change and obesity research. With a diverse range of expertise across renowned institutes in the UK and globally, their collaborative efforts have spearheaded our research arm to facilitate the delivery of personalised and effective wellness strategies.

Dr Rebecca Jones

Dr Rebecca Jones is Head of Coaching and Clinical Research at Numan and an award-winning clinical researcher specialising in obesity, behaviour change, and long-term weight health. With a PhD from the University of Cambridge and over 13 years’ experience across clinical research and digital healthcare, she works at the intersection of science, care, and real-world behaviour change.

Her work spans behavioural and pharmacological weight management, digital health innovation, mental wellbeing, and the development of more equitable, scalable models of long-term weight support. She has authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications and leads Numan’s work bridging clinical research, coaching, and behavioural science. Rebecca also serves as Events Team Lead for the Association for the Study of Obesity (ASO) Operational Committee.

Areas of expertise
• Behavioural and pharmacological weight management
• Behaviour change and health coaching
• Sustainable weight maintenance
• Weight stigma and discrimination
• Mental wellbeing
• Digital health interventions

Zoe Griffiths

Qualifying as a registered dietitian over 20 years ago, Zoe has worked in the behavior change and obesity treatment space for the majority of her career, formally as a member of the global science team at Weight Watchers International and heading up the Behavioral Medicine team at Allurion Technologies.

Zoe currently leads Numan's Behavioural Medicine and Health Coaching services, working to support patients to lead healthier lives across obesity, women's health, men's health and preventative care domains. Zoe is a SCOPE certified obesity practitioner, passionate about delivering high quality, evidence based care.

Areas of expertise:

R&D implementation across B2C and B2B channels
Behavioural change in obesity
Evidence based Healthcare

KNOWLEDGE

Dive deeper into obesity

weight loss

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Evaluating the effectiveness of Numan's Weight Loss Programme: a 90-day review

At Numan, we've always believed in a holistic approach to weight loss, combining medical treatments with behavioural changes and lifestyle support - and now, it's official. Our comprehensive 90-day retrospective study highlights just how effective this strategy can be.

WEIGHT LOSS

OUR APPROACH