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.

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.

Medically supervised fasts are very low calorie diets which provide from 400 to 800 calories per day. While most of these diets are low in calories, the protein provision is very high. The purpose of these diets is to promote fat loss, not muscle loss. The high protein content helps prevent large losses of muscle tissue. Electrolytes, vitamins and minerals are also supplemented.

Proper use of these diets requires close monitoring and follow-up. To promote lasting weight loss, lifestyle changes must be made by the dieter while on the fast.

To achieve lasting weight loss, commitment must be given to making real changes in eating patterns. Individuals are who not committed will gain back their weight.

Binge eating is like bulimia, but does not include purging behaviors. A diagnosis of binge-eating disorder is made when a person binges an average of two days per week over a six month period.

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.

When the muscle's capacity to store fat is exceeded, excess fat is then stored outside the muscle, around body organs and under the skin. The fat that is now being added to the body results in the person becoming overfat and overweight.

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.

Height and weight tables are generally used to determine how person's weight compares to a standard. However, weight in these tables is an overall measure of all components of the body. Individuals may differ in muscle, frame size and percentage of body fat. The waist to hip ratio of body composition assessment provides information on where the majority of body fat is located.

The most recent drug in the fight against obesity is Xenical. A new class of non-systemic anti-obesity drug called lipase inhibitors which act in the gastrointestinal tract to prevent the absorption of fat by about 30 percent. Drugs in this class do not achieve their effect through brain chemistry or central nervous system stimulation. In other words, Xenical is not an appetite suppressant or metabolic inducer.

Brand names of the most effective prescription diet medications on the market today are: Phentermine, Adipex-P, Fastin, Ionamin, Bontril, Plegine, Tenuate, Xenical.

Maximum weight loss usually occurs within six months of starting medication treatment. Weight tends to level off or increase during the remainder of treatment. Studies suggest that if a patient does not lose at least four pounds over four weeks on a particular medication, then that medication is unlikely to help the patient achieve significant weight loss.

When considering long-term appetite suppressant medication treatment for obesity, you should consider the following areas of concern and potential risks. Currently, all prescription medications to treat obesity are controlled substances, meaning doctors need to follow certain restrictions when prescribing appetite suppressant medications. Although abuse and dependence are not common with non-amphetamine appetite suppressant medications, doctors should be cautious when they prescribe these medications for patients with a history of alcohol or other drug abuse.

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.

Terms used on this page

FDA

• 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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