One of the keys to successful weight loss is to have
realistic goals.
The treatment for
obesity is weight loss, and there are a number of ways to achieve that,
including:
- Diet
and lifestyle changes
- Prescription
medicines
- Weight-loss
surgery
For adults,
particularly those using diet and lifestyle modifications to lose weight, the
following are generally considered realistic goals:
- Aim to
lose 5 to 10 percent of your body weight over six months.
- Lose
weight slowly, at a rate of no more than 1 to 2 pounds a week.
- Once
you've lost 10 percent of your body weight, focus your efforts on keeping
it off before attempting further weight loss.
Obesity and Lifestyle
Modifications
Overeating is a major
contributor to obesity, and some of the most common reasons for overeating
include:
- Fatigue
- Boredom
- Stress
or anxiety
- Feeling
happy or wanting to celebrate
- Eating
too fast
- Eating
mindlessly, or without paying attention to what you're eating
- Eating
to please someone else or to fit in with a social group
- Trying
to follow a too-strict diet
- Going
too long between meals and getting overly hungry
Lifestyle
modifications that can help to address these reasons and help with weight loss
include:
- Getting
enough sleep
- Becoming
aware of the habits and/or emotions that lead you to overeat
- Being
mindful of how hungry or how full you are before, during, and after you
eat
- Following
a healthy diet that provides enough calories and enough variety
- Choosing
foods that are high in water and/or fiber, such as fruits, vegetables,
whole grains, and legumes
- Engaging
in regular physical activity
- Joining
an in-person or online weight-loss support organization
Obesity Medications
Only a few
prescription drugs are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for
the long-term treatment of obesity.
These drugs include:
- Belviq
(lorcaserin)
- Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion)
- Qsymia (phentermine/topiramate)
- Xenical (orlistat, also available as a lower-dose,
over-the-counter product called Alli)
Xenical is approved
for use in adolescents and adults; the other three drugs are approved for use
in adults only.
Each of these drugs
works differently and has different side effects. Choosing which to try is a
decision best made with input from your doctor.
The average amount of
weight lost as a consequence of using one of these drugs ranges from 3 to 9
percent of body weight.
In studies, use of
Qsymia results in more weight loss than any of the other three.
In all cases,
weight-loss medications are intended to be used along with a reduced-calorie
diet and increased physical activity, and their effects stop when the drug is
stopped.
Some other weight-loss
drugs are approved for short-term use, but their usefulness is limited, because
most people regain the weight they lost when they stop using the drugs.
Obesity Surgery
Surgery for weight
loss, called bariatric surgery, can result in significantly more weight loss
than medications, but results vary from person to person.
There are several
forms of bariatric surgery, including the following:
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: This is the most common type of
gastric bypass surgery.
In it, the size of the
stomach is reduced to about the size of a walnut, and the middle portion of the
intestine is attached directly to the stomach.
This limits the amount
of food you can eat and reduces the amount of nutrients absorbed into the body.
Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding: This procedure involves
positioning an inflatable band around the stomach and effectively dividing the
stomach into a small upper pouch and a larger lower portion.
The pouch limits how
much you can eat at one time, and the band can be tightened to further reduce
the size of the upper stomach.
Sleeve gastrectomy: This is a newer type of surgery in which about
80 percent of the stomach is removed.
This creates a
tube-shaped stomach, which limits how much food you can eat.