Obesity Obese people should be evaluated for medical consequences of their obesity. Motivated persons are encourage to enter medically supervised treatment programs that use a multidisciplinary approach to weight loss. Many people are tempted by ads that use celebrities to tout liquid fasting diets for weight loss. Ads claim quick and easy weight loss with use of such products. Very obese patients may be referred to these types of diets. Their diets are carefully supervised by their healthcare provider. Fasting diets for weight loss may be right for obese persons who have serious weight-related medical problems. Rapid weight loss is the primary advantage of using these diets. This may be helpful in motivating the individual to continue with the program. This may help to support lifestyle changes which are needed for continued weight loss. During a binge, 10,000 to 20,000 calories can be consumed throughout the day. Binges usually consist of foods like cookies, candy, chips, ice cream and many other high calorie foods. Binges are often done in secret. After a binge, many of the feelings that caused the binge, like stress, may have subsided only to be replaced with feelings of guilt and lack of self-control. The following guidelines have been developed that may help control binge eating:
- Eat only at established meal times.
- Avoid keeping foods around that may trigger bingeing.
- Avoid fad or very restrictive diets.
- Keep a food diary and log to assess what prompted the binge. Binge eating can be difficult to control because many people turn to food as a way of dealing with their feelings. Keeping a food diary can be beneficial in identifying specifically what feelings are likely to trigger binge eating as well as what types of foods are consumed during a binge. Strategies can then be employed to reduce the urge to binge when the impulse strikes.
Appetite suppressant medications Appetite suppressant medications help weight loss by diminishing appetite or increasing the feeling of being full. These medications diminish appetite by rising serotonin or catecholamine two brain chemicals that affect appetite. Appetite suppressant medications are used with a course of behavioral treatment and dietary counseling, designed to help you make long-term changes in your diet and physical activity. Several appetite suppressant medications are available to treat obesity. In general, these medications are effective, leading to an average weight loss of five to twenty-two lbs. above that expected with non-drug obesity treatments. Over the short term, weight loss in obese individuals may reduce a number of health risks. Studies looking at the effects of appetite suppressant medication treatment on obesity-related health risks have found that some agents lower blood pressure, blood cholesterol, triglycerides (fats) and decrease insulin resistance (the body's inability to use blood sugar) over the short term. Long-term studies are currently being done to determine if weight loss from appetite suppressant medications can improve health. However obesity, is more appropriately considered a chronic disease than a lifestyle choice. Other chronic diseases, such as diabetes, and high blood pressure, are managed by long-term drug treatment, even though these diseases also improve with changes in lifestyle, such as diet and exercise. Although this issue may concern physicians and patients, social views on obesity should not prevent patients from seeking medical treatment to prevent health risks that can cause serious illness and death. Because appetite suppressant medications are used to treat a condition that affects million of people, many of whom are basically healthy, their potential for side effects is of great concern. Most side effects of these medications are mild and usually improve with continued treatment.
Overweight or overfat? Many people may actually be overfat but not overweight. Fat can also be hidden throughout the body. A person may be overfat without the appearance of being overweight. As we age, muscle tissue is replaced with fat. This occurs despite regular exercise. Studies show that a 20 percent increase in body weight increases the risk for heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. Knowing your body composition can help you design a fitness program to build more fat-burning muscle. Resolving to change your body composition and not simply to lose weight, can improve your overall health. The risk of developing weight associated medical problems increases if the majority of body fat is located in the abdominal area. This risk decreases if body fat is primarily located in the hips, buttock and thigh region.
Definition interpretingFDA
- Food and Drug Administration: A government agency that oversees public safety in relation to drugs and medical devices. The FDA gives approval to pharmaceutical companies for commercial marketing of their products.
Fat blocker
- Drugs that block the absorption of fat or calories, and lose substantial weight.
Overweight
- Weighing more than is normal, necessary, or allowed, especially having more body weight than is considered normal or healthy for one's age or build.
Appetite
- An instinctive physical desire, especially one for food or drink. Decreased desire to eat is termed anorexia, while polyphagia (or "hyperphagia") is increased eating. Disregulation of appetite contributes to anorexia nervosa and cachexia, or oppositely, overeating.
Diabetes
- Any of several metabolic disorders marked by excessive discharge of urine and persistent thirst, especially one of the two types of diabetes mellitus.
Diet
- A regulated selection of foods, as for medical reasons or cosmetic weight loss.
- A solutions designed to reduce or suppress the appetite.
Fat
- Any of various soft, solid, or semisolid organic compounds constituting the esters of glycerol and fatty acids and their associated organic groups.
Obesity
- The condition of being obese; increased body weight caused by excessive accumulation of fat.
Stress
- A state of extreme difficulty, pressure, or strain.
- A physical and psychological response that results from being exposed to a demand or pressure.
Suppress
- To curtail or prohibit the activities of.
- To inhibit the expression of (an impulse, for example).
- To bring to an end forcibly as if by imposing a heavy weight.
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