Overweight lifestyle programme

What is a lifestyle programme?

A lifestyle programme helps you lose weight and live healthier if you are overweight. Depending on the intervention you participate in, you will receive guidance from a lifestyle coach, dietician, physiotherapist or remedial therapist, or a combination of these doctors. Together with them, you will work over two years to make lasting changes to your lifestyle.

These programmes are called Combined lifestyle interventions (GLI). In the first year you learn to live healthier, in the second year you learn how to sustain these changes.

You will receive practical tips and guidance on:

• Healthy eating
• Move more
• Sleep better and relax
• Dealing with stress and other issues that get in the way of a healthy lifestyle

So you work step by step towards a healthier life that suits you - at your pace, with support.

When can I join a lifestyle programme?

Ask your GP or specialist whether you can take part in one of the programmes below. These are reimbursed from the basic insurance. You are eligible for this in the following two cases:

You are overweight: your BMI is 25 or higher. In the process, you also have one of these problems:

• an increased risk of cardiovascular disease
• an increased risk of diabetes
• diabetes
• osteoarthritis
• sleep apnoea

Or, you are overweight: your BMI is 30 or higher. It is also important that you yourself are keen to participate.
Your GP or specialist can give you a referral. Then make an appointment with the lifestyle coach.

Entry moments of the programmes

Each GLI programme has its own intake moments. Some programmes have continuous intake while others have only a few intake moments in the year. Be aware of this when making your choice.

Continuous inflow

• X-Fitt. Entry is possible from Monday to Saturday.
• MiGuide (CooL) (Online)
• Smarter Powered by Ancora (Online)

Loose intake moments

• Smarter (Amstelveen): May 28, 2025
• Reverse Diabetes - Start of new group: June 2025

Procedure for prescribing Ozempic and similar drugs

GP practices are increasingly receiving requests from patients without chronic conditions - especially those without diabetes - to be prescribed Ozempic or similar drugs.

Practices often prescribe these drugs only for when the following conditions are met:

• The patient has diabetes and/or obesity;
• The patient takes for at least one year participate in a Combined lifestyle intervention (GLI);
• The patient meets certain medical criteria.

In doing so, the practice adheres to the guidelines of the NHG (Dutch College of General Practitioners) for diabetes and obesity. Note that the NHG currently still advises against the use of these drugs in obesity, read more here about that.

What is ozempic?

Ozempic is a medicine intended for people with type 2 diabetes. Ozempic's active ingredient, semaglutide, mimics the action of GLP-1 hormone, which affects blood sugar levels and appetite.