The quantity of food ingestion and its composition are most important in the long term for loss and maintenance of reduced body weight. This is due to the fact that dietary fat does not promote its own oxidation as do protein and carbohydrates, thus it is stored more readily. Also, dietary fat is highly caloric, palatable (tastes good) and has been shown to be directly proportional to the amount of stored body fat.
There have been hundreds of methods offered to help reduce the amount of stored fat in the human body but, unfortunately, most fail. While not all methods flop, a majority of those who lost weight tend to regain most of, or more than they lost within 5 years. This statistic suggests the need for a more effective long term solution. Faced with such poor prognosis, many clinicians have adopted a 6 month standard for determining the efficacy of treatments and the morbidities (illnesses) related to obesity.
The industry of weight loss products has grown to an estimated 50 billion dollars annually. Manufacturers promise safe and efficient programs, but offer limited and questionable data to back their claims. Though true, some commercial programs are effective in the short term, there exists extremely little long term data to back the promises given. As each new program and drug is introduced to the marketplace, long term surveillance is needed to fully determine success rates. Some conservative approaches
Low calorie diets are the primary methods of weight loss practiced by the conservative physician and cautious consumer, usually 1000 to 1500 calories daily. It is considered ideal that not more than 1% of the initial body weight be lost each week, thus insuring the continued metabolic and physiologic balance of the body. These diets may cause some mild side effects such as muscle weakness, tiredness, light- headedness and loss of lean body mass.
Though low calorie diets can result in modest losses, the comorbidites (diseases) are directly affected. Reduces blood pressure, increased glycemic control and reduction in sleep apnea are among the positive effects of the weight losses. Among the non-medical improvements to be experienced, the obese person can expect improved functional status, better social interaction, greater productivity and an easing of pains associated with the obese.
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