There is a variety of commercial weight – loss programs available such as Weight Watchers and Life steps as well as support groups like Overeaters Anonymous. These programs vary greatly from reputable clinics that are run in conjunction with hospitals to quick weight loss regimes that could harm your health with their untested miracle cures.
When you have made the decision to embark on a weight loss program be sure to research your choice well, asking about qualifications of the staff members and whether they also offer counseling. Weight loss campaigns that use before and after pictures of celebrities should be avoided as they will usually turn out to be totally unrealistic.
Medications
The majority of weight loss medicines that are designed to help with obesity work by making you feel less hungry or making you feel fuller sooner. These are designed to be used in conjunction with healthy eating and exercise.
Medication is normally only available to those with a BMI of over 30, although individuals with a BMI of over 27 who are at risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes etc are also considered candidates.
Choice of Medication
There are a number of choices of medication available which include:
– Orlistatalso known as Xenical – this is a prescription medication which prevents some of the calories from food being absorbed. This is the only weight loss medication that can be used by children over the age of 12.
– Orlistat also known as Alli is available over the counter and contains half of the medicine that is in Xenical.
– Appetite suppressants such as phentermine are only approved for short term use. This medication is no longer available in Europe due to the link with lung and heart problems.
– Lorcaserin also known as Belviq is another prescription only medication that is taken twice daily and helps the person to eat less and feel satisfied by smaller amounts of food.
– Phentermine/topiramate also known as Qsymia is a prescription only medication that when taken once a day can help the person to eat less.
Medication Warning
Medication will not work for everyone and the medicine used alone will not be as effective as when it is used in conjunction with a healthy eating plan and exercise.
Medication that is available over the counter is not recommended as some have dangerous side effects and or no proven benefits.
Surgery
Those with a BMI of over 40 may look at the option of surgery and this could be the only option for those with a BMI of over 35 coupled with an additional health problem that is weight related.
The aim of surgery is to provide significant weight loss and it should reduce obesity related health problems. Surgery can help a person to lose weight in two ways. Restrictive operations such as an adjustable gastric band reduce the amount that can be eaten and makes the stomach shrink. Malabsorptive operations work by making it harder for the body to digest and absorb food.
It is very important that those undergoing surgery realize that they may still be obese or overweight after the surgery, and surgery requires extreme changes of how much you eat.
Nutrition concerns
Once a person has undergone surgery they need to learn new ways of eating. They must eat very slowly and chew their food well. They may not be able to drink half an hour before, during and a further half an hour after they have eaten. If these changes are not implicated the person could find that they are constantly vomiting and experience pain. The person could also develop nutrition problems.
Considerations
No surgery is without risk and it is imperative that you discuss treatment options with your doctor or health care provider to ensure that you make the right choice for yourself.
The majority of people that undergo surgery to treat obesity will find that they begin to lose weight very quickly and this weight loss will normally continue for up to two years after the operation.
The risks that are shared by all types of weight loss surgery include the possibility of infection in the incision that has been made into the body, leaking from the stomach into the abdominal wall, peritonitis which is an infection
where the intestine is connected with the stomach, a blood clot that blocks the blood flow from the lungs, a pulmonary embolism and some people may develop anemia or osteoporosis. Therefore it is essential to compare the risks of being obese to the risks of the surgery.
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