A Simple Guide to Obesity Part 2

A Simple Guide to Obesity Part 2
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What is the Treatment of Obesity?
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Motivation:
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Motivation is the key to weight control.

Knowing the dangers of obesity will help to motivate a person to lose weight.

Set realistic goals for losing weight eg. reduce 10% in 6 months
Gradually reduce weight and maintain it at a healthy weight.

Even if you fail to reach your targeted healthy weight, any reduction helps your health and prevents diseases associated with obesity.

Regular Exercise:
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Regular exercise daily, or at least three times a week is good for the body.
It helps to improve blood circulation and breathing.

Start with a regime of walking or cycling or swimming.
Slowly increase the level of activity to more intense physical exercise like jogging.

Lead an active lifestyle.
Do not sit and watch TV all the time.

Diet Control:
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Choose a healthy diet with with reduced calories and which is nutritionally balanced

Take plenty of vegetables and fruits.
Eat less food which is high in fat and sugar

Low Fat and high carbohydrate diets may reduce the weight but may have long term bad effect on your health.

A combination of diet and exercise is more effective in reducing than either one alone.

Medication:
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Two main types of medications are available to help control weight:

1.Appetite suppressants:
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help promote weight loss by reducing appetite or increase the sensation of being full.
They increase serotonin or catecholamine - brain chemicals that affect mood and appetite.

They also help by increasing metabolism thus burning away the fat.
They may have limited effect on weight loss as the patient's weight loss level off after 4 to 6 months.

They have the side effects of irritability, insomnia, palpitations and tachycardia.
They should be avoided in heart disease, anxiety, insomnia, pregnency.

They should be used for short term (6-12 months) as there is also a danger of dependency.

2.Fat absorption suppressant:
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prevents the absorption of fats by interfering with the enzymes which dissolves the fat and absorbs the fat into the body.

Instead the fat is not absorbed into the body and passes out in the stools undigested.
The fat in the body is then used up to provide energy and production of hormones.
Less fat is available for putting on weight.

They should be avoided in malabsorrption syndrome, liver disease or pregnancy.
The side effects of these medicines are usually diarrhoea due to the fat passed out in the stools.

They can be taken for a longer peroid of 2 years.

Surgery:
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Surgical treatment may be required for the severely obese (those with a BMI of 40 or greater) or with other health problems.

Surgery should be used only drug therapy, diet, exercise have failed.

Minor surgery may involve liposuction (sucking out the fats in the abdominal wall,under the chin, buttocks and other obvious parts of the body.

Lapband surgery is done for the very obese when other methods have failed and there is a risk of obesity related disease.
A band is placed over the middle of the stomach making it narrow and not capable of taking much food.

Surgery has some complications such as infections.

How do you prevent recurrence of Obesity?
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Many studies showed that most people will regain weight within 5 years.

You can maintain your weight by
1.eating a low calorie diet, low in fats

2.maintaining a healthy exercise regime

3.maintaining motivation and self esteem

4.monitoring your weight food intake and exercise