The Keys to Successful Weight Loss

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.

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.

Sources:

• How Are Overweight and Obesity Treated?; NHLBI.
• Gastric bypass surgery; Mayo Clinic.
• Endocrine and Nutritional Management After Bariatric Surgery; Hormone Health Network.