Our body weight is determined by the amount of energy we take in as food and the amount of energy we lose by using it in our daily activities. Healthy body weight can be achieved and maintained by physical activity, healthy eating, stress reduction, and optimal sleep. Many other factors may also be helpful to maintain a healthy body weight. Healthy eating includes a variety of healthy diets. Junk and unbalanced food can be unhealthy and affect your body weight.
Obesity, being a chronic condition, affects more than 33% of adults and about seventeen percent of children and adolescents in the USA. Overweight and obese people have a greater risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, stroke, kidney disease, and other health problems.
Obese and overweight
Being overweight and obese are two separate things. Those who are overweight or obese weigh more than universal standards for their height. The extra weight may come from body water, bone, muscle tissue, or fat. Body mass index (BMI) is described as a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the height in square meters. While a high BMI can indicate high body fatness, it is just a screening tool. It is not diagnostic, and other factors, such as high muscle mass, may interfere with the accuracy of BMI.
Purpose of weight management
Weight management helps patients to achieve and maintain the best possible weight in the context of overall health, occupation, and living conditions. It is also useful for the prevention and treatment of diseases related to obesity. These disorders include diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.
Obesity is associated with an increased risk for health problems. Some medical conditions related to obesity include:
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Stroke
- Sleep apnea
- Osteoarthritis
- Some types of cancer
- Increased blood cholesterol levels
It is pertinent to note that a reduction in weight for those who are overweight can positively impact their health condition. After losing weight, many overweight people improve their mood, self-esteem, and motivation. Overall, they enjoy better health.
Steps towards weight management
Since the 1980s, healthcare professionals and nutritionists have recognized that successful weight management programs have the following three characteristics:
- Weight management is a lifetime activity with healthy patterns of eating and exercise, rather than ensuring strict dieting alternating with careless eating habits.
- Each patient’s age, general health, living conditions, and other individual factors are taken into account.
- The psychological, emotional, and spiritual facets of a patient’s life are crucial factors for people to navigate as they adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Positive attitude
Be confident and bear in mind that the future will be much better than the past. When you overeat, learn to be careful in the future and move on, as each new day is the beginning of healthy eating habits.
Nutrition
Ensure a healthy eating pattern of whole, unprocessed foods that are rich in fiber, lower in fat, and contain fewer protein sources. The nutritional method for weight management programs includes motivation about healthy eating and changing food intake. Most weight management programs are based on foods that provide sufficient vitamins and minerals. Ideal weight-management diets teach people how to make the best food choices for gaining gradual weight loss. Some diets may have fixed venus, while others are based on exchanges in food.
Understanding nutrition is crucial to successful weight management because many people don’t understand how their body uses food. People with eating disorders may try to reduce their weight in unhealthy ways.
A recent study of adolescents revealed that 17% of men and 32% of women were using potentially harmful methods of weight control, such as fasting, smoking, laxatives, or over-the-counter diet pills.
Eat responsibly
One should eat mindfully and responsibly, paying attention to portion sizes and avoiding overeating. Look at the nutrients labeled on the packages, including their serving sizes. Use smaller bowls and plates to help choose smaller portions at meals. Fix your mealtime, eat slowly with a focus on your meal. Stop eating when you don’t want it.
Exercise
Regular physical exercise is an important part of weight management as it enhances the number of calories used by the body and helps the body to replace fat with thin muscle tissues. Exercise also helps lower emotional stress levels and promote a general sense of well-being.
Patients should consult a physician before starting an exercise program to ensure the activity they intend to start is safe with any health problems they may already have. For instance, those with osteoarthritis should avoid high-impact sports that are hard on the ankle and knee joints. Ideal exercises for most people include walking, cycling, swimming, and stretching.
Weight loss medications
The market for weight loss medication is rapidly changing, and prescriptions for these medications are quickly rising.
Weight loss medications for prescription are FDA-approved and appropriate for people over 12 years old, with a BMI of 30 or greater, or a BMI of 27 or greater if the person has health conditions associated with their obesity. Weight loss medications are not indicated for pregnancy.
Each individual must discuss their health situation with their provider to find the correct weight loss medication. These medications regulate hormones in the brain, digestive system, and adipose tissue to suppress appetite and cravings and promote satiety.
Weight loss medications come in oral and injectable forms. Like all medications, there are side effects and risks associated with their use. These side effects can include:
- Gastrointestinal issues: nausea, diarrhea, constipation, and vomiting
- Neurological symptoms: headache, dizziness, and insomnia
- Fatigue and decreased appetite
- Cardiovascular effects: high blood pressure, rapid or irregular heart rate, and tremors
- Abnormal sensations and altered taste
- Dry mouth and dyspepsia
Additionally, certain medications may have contraindications for individuals with uncontrolled hypertension, coronary artery disease, hyperthyroidism, glaucoma, sensitivity to stimulants, seizures, or chronic opioid use.
Weight loss medications are meant to be used with diet, exercise, and/or surgery.
Weight loss surgery
Weight loss or bariatric surgery involves changing the digestive system for weight loss. Surgery can limit how much a person can eat, how much they can absorb fat, or a combination of both. Bariatric surgery can help reduce weight and, in turn, help with weight-related medications such as heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, fatty liver, sleep apnea, diabetes, and certain cancers.
Weight loss surgery is approved for BMIs greater than 40 or 35-39.9 if major health-related problems such as the ones mentioned above. This medical procedure is expensive and may not be covered by insurance. The risks and benefits must be discussed with a healthcare provider to determine if surgery is the right option. Risks to surgery include excessive bleeding, infection, blood clots, respiratory issues, gastrointestinal problems, reactions during surgery, and even death. Weight loss surgeries also include complications such as:
- Bowel obstruction - A blockage in the intestines.
- Dumping syndrome - Causes symptoms like diarrhea, flushing, lightheadedness, nausea, or vomiting after eating.
- Gallstones - Solid particles that form in the gallbladder.
- Hernias - Bulging of tissue through an abnormal opening.
- Low blood sugar (Hypoglycemia)
- Sudden drops in blood sugar levels.
- Malnutrition - Insufficient nutrients due to changes in digestion.
- Ulcers - Open sores in the stomach or intestines.
- Vomiting - Expelling contents from the stomach.
- Acid reflux - Backflow of stomach acid into the esophagus.
- Need for revision surgery - Additional procedures may be necessary.
- Rarely, death
The types of weight loss surgery
Roux-en-y gastric bypass decreases the amount of food one can eat in one sitting and reduces the absorption of fat and calories.
Sleeve gastrectomy: This surgery removes 80% of the stomach, so it can’t hold as much food and reduces the appetite-regulating hormone.
Biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch: This is a sleeve gastrectomy followed by closing the middle section of the intestine and attaching the last part to the first part of the small intestine. The separated section left behind is reattached to the intestine, allowing bile and pancreatic digestive juices to flow in.
Single-anastomosis duodeno-ileal bypass with sleeve gastrectomy: a sleeve gastrectomy followed by a section of the small intestine being closed off just below the new stomach. The new opening is connected to the lower small intestine, causing less distance for less fat and calories to be absorbed.
Results
Making healthy lifestyle adjustments is paramount for achieving and maintaining ideal body weight. You can easily keep the weight off if you exercise regularly, eat whole foods, and spend less time in front of computer and television screens.
Most people in weight management programs can’t change their eating habits because they’re motivated by friends or family, or media messages that encourage overeating as a mood-enhancing device. More effective weight management programs depend on broad-based changes in society and personal will.
Works cited
- https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-weight-growth/about/index.html
- https://www.medicinenet.com/weight_loss/article.htm
- https://health.clevelandclinic.org/smart-tips-lose-weight-and-keep-it-off
- https://obesitymedicine.org/blog/weight-loss-medications
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/bariatric-surgery/about/pac-20394258