Boubelka Club organises event to help people lose weight

Photo: www.boubelka.cz

At the weekend the Czech Republic saw its first ever Den boubelek - or Chubbies' Day - dedicated to helping people lose weight. Organised by the so-called Boubelka Club and health professionals, the day was meant to raise awareness and try to encourage people with weight problems to make a new start. Temporary walk-in sites were opened at 12 different areas throughout the country.

We spoke with Boubelka Club's Katerina Havelkova to find out how the day went.

"We've had lots of reaction and excellent response with many new people signing up but because of extremely hot weather the day itself didn't turn out as well as we hoped. Fewer people showed up because of the heat. It didn't really reflect the fact that obesity in this country is a major problem: the Czechs are among the most overweight in Europe, as many studies have shown."

The number of visitors only ranked in the dozens, but those who showed up received professional information and counselling. According to Katerina Havelkova, many of those who showed up had tried to lose weight before but had been unsuccessful on their own.

"Of the many women who came - and there were many more women than men since men don't seem to have the courage yet to take part in this kind of event - many had a lot of previous experience with slimming. Some have tried everything, though not always with the proper advice, and they are very frustrated or desperate. Through this event we wanted to show people we could be a partner in the slimming process, which is never easy and requires all kinds of sacrifices and changes in lifestyle. Since losing weight is largely psychological, and we want to be there to help tip the balance in people's favour, so they know they're not alone."

And, how does Katerina Havelkova see peoples' chances at shedding weight for good? She says people trying to lose have to remain realistic about their goals.

"It's important to keep your feet on the ground. If you weigh a hundred kilos you can't expect drastic changes in two months. We take an individual approach, since a diet that works for your friend won't necessarily work for you. Everyone needs their own individual programme, programmes with achievable goals. Together we set targets we think our members can reach."

The Boubelka Club is now 400 members strong and, interestingly, none of its members are men. One would think that some would be inclined to join but, says Katerina Havelkova, men take a more individual approach, and need less support when they finally decide to act. Even if they don't there is generally less pressure on men than women in Czech society to be thin.