Treatments for Obesity

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Although there are many modalities that can be used as treatments for obesity, the only thing that truly works is to consume less calories than are expended.

Treatments for obesity are aimed at supporting a person create a negative energy balance in which they are burning more calories each day than they absorb. Treatments for obesity may include pharmacologic agents, diet, exercise, psychotherapy, surgery or any combination of these.

Drugs as treatments for obesity are either aimed at reducing a person’s appetite, increasing their metabolic rate, treating concommittant mental health issues that can increase the dependency on food, or decreasing the absorption of macronutrients.

Diets as treatments for obesity may be prescribed by a doctor or nutritionist. There are a variety of commercially available diets both available with and without medical supervision.

Treatments for obesity will be augmented with the addition of exercise. Excercise should not only include aerobic activities that stress the cardiovascular system, but also should include weight bearing activities. Weight bearing exercises build muscle and strengthen bone and therefore stimulate the metabolism.

Psychological treatments for obesity can support a person as they journey through the weight loss process which is often difficult and long.

Finally, one of the most drastic treatments for obesity is weight-loss surgery. In this surgery, the stomach is usually bypassed or made smaller to decrease the amount of food a person can eat in one sitting. Over time they lose weight as their calories as significantly decreased.

Treatments for obesity are often multidisciplinary, combining drugs, diet, exercise, counseling, and sometimes even surgery for the best success.