Excess weight gain is a major international public health problem in the world. The prevalence of obesity has continued to increase over time, and data suggest the same is true in all countries as well.
Many people want to lose weight in order to improve their health and lower their risk of problems like heart disease and diabetes, but it can be hard to get started on a program that is healthy, sustainable, and not overly restrictive.
Many people find that although they initially lose weight by dieting, they quickly regain the weight after the diet ends. Because it so hard to keep weight off over time, it is important to have as much information and support as possible before starting a weight loss plan.
You are most likely to be successful in losing weight and keeping it off when you believe that your body weight can be controlled.
While it can be challenging to make the lifestyle changes needed to lose weight and improve your health, if you set goals and commit to them, you can be successful, especially if you develop a long-term relationship with a knowledgeable, supportive health care provider.
It can really help to find a health care professional who has experience in helping people lose weight and make the lifestyle changes needed to keep the weight off. This could be a doctor, nurse, or other provider like a nurse practitioner or physician assistant. Developing a relationship with this person will help improve your chances of long-term success, as they can help you figure out the best plan for you, monitor your process, and provide advice and support along the way.
Different approaches and plans work for different people, so it’s important to try not to get discouraged and to keep trying until you find something that works for you.
Be careful about misinformation online and weight loss clinics with questionable ethics. Nothing out there is magic. Losing weight takes hard work, and keeping it off requires a plan that is sustainable long-term.
The first step is to determine your starting point, which includes weighing yourself and measuring your waist circumference. The body mass index (BMI) is calculated from your height and weight.
The BMI measurement provides an estimate of a person’s total body fat, which is why experts find it more useful for assessing cardiovascular risk than a person’s weight alone. However, it’s not a perfect measure because it does not factor in variability in body composition. While most professional medical societies continue to recommend using a person’s BMI when assessing risk, an experienced health care provider will also consider other factors (including a person’s overall health) when making recommendations for how to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
In general, a waist circumference greater than 88 cm in females and 102 cm in males increases the risk of obesity-related complications, such as heart disease and diabetes. People with obesity and who have a larger waist size may need more aggressive weight loss treatment than others.
Based on your situation and medical history, we can help you determine what combination of weight loss treatments would work best for you. Treatments must include changes in lifestyle, physical activity, approach to eating, and, in some cases, weight loss medicines or a surgical procedure. Weight loss surgery, also called bariatric surgery, is reserved for people with obesity who have not had success with other approaches.
It is important to set a weight loss goal. Your first goal should be to avoid gaining more weight. Once you know your starting point, it is helpful to create milestones and health-related goals in order to start tracking your success.
If you are overweight or have obesity, losing 5 percent of your body weight is a reasonable initial weight loss goal. In the longer term, losing more than 15 percent of your body weight and staying at this weight is an extremely good result.
However, keep in mind that even losing 5 percent of your body weight leads to important health benefits, so although your ultimate weight loss goal may be greater, try not to get discouraged if you’re not able to lose more than this initially. LIFESTYLE CHANGES
Programs that help you to change your lifestyle are usually run by psychologists, nutritionists, or other professionals. The goals of lifestyle changes are to help you change your eating habits, become more active, and be more aware of how much you eat and exercise, helping you to make healthier choices.
This approach to weight loss can be broken down into four parts:
Determining what triggers you to eat involves figuring out what foods you eat and where and when you eat them.
To figure out what triggers you to eat, keep a record for a few days of:
For some people, the trigger is related to a certain time of day or night. For others, the trigger is related to a certain place or activity, like sitting at a desk working or driving past a favorite fast-food outlet.
You can change your eating habits by breaking the chain of events between the trigger for eating and the act of eating. There are many ways to do this. For instance, you can:
The types of foods we eat on a regular basis are related to whether we gain or lose weight over time. Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and yogurt are associated with maintaining a lower weight, while foods like french fries or chips, sugar-sweetened beverages, and red or processed meats are associated with weight gain. High fructose-containing beverages, trans fats, and highly processed foods are particularly harmful for health and maintaining a healthy weight.
Rewarding yourself for good eating behaviors can help you to develop better habits. The idea is not to reward weight loss, but to reward yourself for changing unhealthy behaviors to healthy ones.
Do not use food as a reward. Some people find monetary rewards, personal care or leisure activities to work well. Giving yourself small rewards each time you make better eating choices helps reinforce the value of the good behavior.
Changing your behavior involves more than just changing unhealthy eating habits; it also involves finding people around you to support your weight loss, reducing stress, and learning to resist temptations.
While exercise alone is not likely to result in weight loss, getting regular physical activity has many other health benefits. In addition to improving physical health, it also lowers stress. You don’t need to do intense exercise or go to the gym daily to get these benefits; even small changes, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator and making sure to get up frequently if you work at a desk, can improve your health.
A calorie is a unit of energy found in food. Your body needs calories to function. If you are trying to lose weight, the goal of any eating plan is to burn up more calories than you eat.
How quickly you lose weight on a given calorie intake depends upon several factors, such as your age, sex, and starting weight. In general:
The number of calories you need per day depends on your current weight, sex, and activity level. We can help you figure out this number and how to modify your diet accordingly.
In general, it is best to choose foods that contain enough protein, carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, and vitamins. Try to avoid or at least limit alcohol, sugar-sweetened beverages and sweets, since they have calories but generally lack important nutrients.
One simple way to diet is to buy pre-packaged foods, like frozen low-calorie meals or meal-replacement canned drinks or bars. A typical meal plan for one day may include:
If you try a low-fat diet, you should increase the amount of healthy carbohydrates in your diet (eg, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables).
Low- and very-low-carbohydrate diets (eg, Atkins diet, South Beach diet, or “ketogenic” diet) are effective for weight loss and have become popular ways to lose weight quickly.
Carbohydrates are found in fruits, vegetables, grains, alcoholic beverages, and dairy products. Meat and fish contain very few carbohydrates. If you try a low-carbohydrate diet, it’s important to make healthy choices for fat and protein; eating a lot of saturated fats can increase your cholesterol level and raise your risk of heart disease.
The term “Mediterranean diet” refers to a way of eating that is common in olive-growing regions around the Mediterranean Sea. Although there is some variation in Mediterranean diets, there are some similarities. Most Mediterranean diets include:
Studies comparing different types of diets have not found a single “best” weight loss diet for all people. However, any diet will help you to lose weight if you are able to stick with it. Following a very restrictive diet may help you lose weight quickly, but it’s easy to gain the weight back as soon as you stop following the diet. Therefore, it is important to choose an eating plan that includes foods you like.
“Fad” diets often promise quick weight loss and may claim that you do not need to exercise or give up your favorite foods. Some fad diets cost a lot of money because you have to pay for seminars, pills, or packaged foods. Fad diets generally lack any scientific evidence that they are safe and effective, instead relying on “before” and “after” photos or testimonials.
Diets that sound too good to be true usually are. These plans are a waste of time and money and are not recommended. A health care provider can help you find a safe and effective way to lose weight and keep it off.
Medication may be helpful for weight loss when used in combination with diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes. However, it is important to understand the risks, benefits, and limitations of these medicines.
They can cause side effects that may be bothersome, and in many cases the long-term safety data are limited. In addition, these medicines may not be covered by insurance and can be expensive. Although weight loss medicines may not help you reach your “dream” weight, they can contribute to reducing your risk of diabetes or heart disease.
Weight loss medicines may be recommended for people who have not been able to lose weight with diet and exercise who have a:
Dietary supplements are widely used by people who are trying to lose weight. However, we do not recommend their use because some are unsafe, and other supplements have not been studied carefully and there is no proof that they are safe or effective.You may have heard of some of the following dietary supplements, which are often advertised for weight loss.