Losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight is a lifelong journey. If you've been thinking about trying a weight-loss program, you're not alone. A number of these programs are advertised on social media, the internet, magazines, and other media. But are they safe? Here's a comprehensive look at various weight loss programs, approaches, and essential considerations for achieving sustainable results.
Understanding Weight Loss
A weight-loss program is more than a book or app that promises to help you lose weight. If you have overweight or obesity, losing weight may prevent or reduce weight-related problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. Losing weight may also improve your quality of life.
Science has taught us that obesity is the result of numerous factors. It can also cause many health-related conditions; such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, cancer and arthritis.
Initial Steps
Talking with a health care professional about your weight is an important first step. Sometimes, health care professionals may not address issues such as the benefits of choosing healthy food and drinks, physical activity, and weight during a general office visit. If you feel uneasy talking about your weight, practice talking about your concerns before your office visit and bring your questions with you. If your health care professional advises you to lose weight, ask about safe and effective ways to do so.
Comprehensive Weight Loss Centers
Weill Cornell Medicine's Comprehensive Weight Control Center (CWCC)
The Comprehensive Weight Control Center (CWCC) is part of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, & Metabolism at Weill Cornell Medicine. It is a center of excellence in the area of obesity evaluation and treatment directed by Louis J. Aronne, MD, Professor of Clinical Medicine and the Sanford I. Weill Professor of Metabolic Research. The goal of the Center is to take a multidisciplinary approach to managing patients with obesity, and to provide evidence-based, compassionate clinical care.
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Our team provides an in-depth personal assessment to evaluate the source of our patients' weight-related issues. For example, where possible, we find solutions for medication-induced weight gain, and we evaluate for sleep disorders that can contribute to weight gain. We also address and manage weight issues associated with other chronic medical conditions, including disordered eating patterns related to craving and binging behaviors. In addition to behavioral strategies, we utilize medications and minimally invasive devices to assist in the weight loss process. Once the plan is established, we work closely with our patients to evaluate their response over time, and make changes as needed.
Inova Weight Loss Services
The Inova Weight Loss Services team is dedicated to helping you achieve a lifetime of improved health. Our experts will help you choose the most appropriate weight loss option for your personal situation. You have access to a world-class team of bariatric surgeons, bariatricians, dietitians, exercise physiologist, psychiatrists, psychologists, and nurses with special expertise in weight loss.
Cooper Weight Management
You don’t have to struggle alone. Whether you’re looking for a medical solution or considering surgical options, our expert team is here to guide you every step of the way. We understand that weight loss is not one-size-fits-all.
Personalized Weight Loss Programs
For many adults, treating overweight and obesity starts with lifestyle changes. Your health care professional may work with you to develop a weight-loss program tailored to your needs and preferences. They may also refer you to a registered dietitian or a specific program. Overweight and obesity may also be treated with weight-loss medicines and weight-loss surgery, also called metabolic and bariatric surgery. Health care professionals most often recommend lifestyle changes along with medicines or surgery.
Personalized Plans: No two patients are the same, and neither are our programs. Meet with our team to discuss your weight loss goals, medical history, and lifestyle. We’ll assess your needs and explore the most effective treatment options for you.
Read also: Comprehensive Weight Loss Program
Key Components of Successful Weight-Loss Programs
Successful weight-loss programs help you set realistic goals for weight loss. Successful weight-loss programs provide guidance and support for adopting a healthy eating plan that is low in calories. Find out if the program offers ways to help you be more physically active.
Nutrition
Proper nutrition, exercise and other lifestyle modifications are essential to a successful and long-lasting outcome.
Exercise
The weight-loss program should include a plan for getting regular physical activity. The amount and type of activity will depend on your personal health and ability. Over time, some people may work up to 150 minutes or more per week of aerobic activities-activities that make you breathe harder and make your heart beat faster. Although increased physical activity may not have a big impact on your weight loss, it has important health benefits that are independent of weight loss itself.
Behavioral Strategies
In addition to behavioral strategies, we utilize medications and minimally invasive devices to assist in the weight loss process.
Long-Term Maintenance
Maintaining weight loss can be hard. Sticking with your new lifestyle habits is key to long-term success. At Cooper, we believe in lasting change.
Read also: Healthier You with Sentara
Digital Weight-Loss Programs
Most weight-loss programs use the internet, smartphones, or other digital devices in some way. Digital weight-loss programs, also called virtual weight-loss programs, are still being researched. Whether a program is virtual or in person, you should get as much background as you can before you decide to join.
Questions to Ask
Talk with your health care professional about these types of claims. Find out if there is evidence that the program works. How is the program delivered? In person? Online? Do I have to buy special meals or supplements? Does a doctor or other certified health professional run or oversee the program? What type of certifications, education, experience, and training do staff members have?
Research and Clinical Trials
NIDDK conducts and supports clinical trials in many diseases and conditions, including overweight and obesity. Clinical trials-and other types of clinical studies-are part of medical research and involve people like you. You can view a filtered list of federally funded, open, and recruiting clinical studies that focus on weight-loss programs at ClinicalTrials.gov. You can expand or narrow the list to include clinical studies from industry, universities, and individuals; however, the National Institutes of Health does not review these studies and cannot ensure they are safe for you.
NIDDK has supported many research projects to learn more about weight-loss programs, including the Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) study. The Look AHEAD study showed that people who had type 2 diabetes as well as overweight or obesity can lose weight and maintain some of that weight loss through a program of intense lifestyle changes, such as healthy eating and increased physical activity.
Specific Weight-Loss Programs
The Habit Change Program
The program has been updated and is designed to help you reshape your lifestyle by adopting healthy new habits and breaking unhealthy old ones. It focuses on changing your daily routine by adding and breaking habits that can affect your weight. Simple habits, such as eating more fruits and vegetables, not eating while you watch TV, and moving your body for 30 minutes a day, can help you lose weight.
The Mayo Clinic Diet
The Mayo Clinic Diet is the official weight-loss program developed by Mayo Clinic experts. The program focuses on eating delicious healthy foods and increasing physical activity. It emphasizes that the best way to keep weight off for good is to change your lifestyle and adopt new habits that you enjoy and can stick with.
Phases of the Mayo Clinic Diet
- Lose It!: This two-week phase is designed to jump-start your weight loss, so you may lose up to 6 to 10 pounds (2.7 to 4.5 kilograms) in a safe and healthy way. In this phase, you focus on lifestyle habits that are associated with weight. You learn how to add five healthy habits, break five unhealthy habits and adopt another five bonus healthy habits.
- Live It!: This phase is a lifelong approach to health. In this phase, you learn more about food choices, portion sizes, menu planning, physical activity, exercise and sticking to healthy habits. You may continue to see a steady weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilograms) a week until you reach your goal weight.
Key Principles of the Mayo Clinic Diet
- Portion Control and Meal Planning: The Mayo Clinic Diet makes healthy eating easy by teaching you how to estimate portion sizes and plan meals. The program doesn't require you to be precise about counting calories.
- The Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid: Mayo Clinic experts designed the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid to help you eat foods that are filling but low in calories. Each of the food groups in the pyramid emphasizes health-promoting choices.
- Physical Activity: The program recommends getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day and even more exercise for further health benefits and weight loss. It provides an exercise plan with easy-to-follow walking and resistance exercises that will help maximize fat loss and boost mental well-being. If you've been inactive or you have a medical condition, talk to your doctor or health care provider before starting a new physical activity program.
- Variety and Flexibility: The Mayo Clinic Diet provides a choice of five different eating styles at several calorie levels.
- Sweets in Moderation: You can have sweets but no more than 75 calories a day. For practicality, consider thinking of your sweets calories over the course of a week.
Safety and Considerations
The Mayo Clinic Diet is generally safe for most adults. For most people, eating lots of fruits and vegetables is a good thing - these foods provide your body with important nutrients and fiber. Also, the natural sugar in fruit does affect your carbohydrate intake - especially if you eat a lot of fruit. This may temporarily raise your blood sugar or certain blood fats. If you have diabetes or any other health conditions or concerns, work with your doctor to adjust the Mayo Clinic Diet for your situation. For example, people with diabetes should aim for more vegetables than fruits, if possible.
Medical Weight Loss Programs
Our medical weight loss programs are designed to help you lose weight safely with the support of prescription medications, nutritional counseling, and personalized fitness plans.
Surgical Options
For individuals who have struggled with obesity and have not found success with traditional methods, weight loss surgery may be the answer.
The Importance of a Multidisciplinary Approach
The goal of the Center is to take a multidisciplinary approach to managing patients with obesity, and to provide evidence-based, compassionate clinical care. You have access to a world-class team of bariatric surgeons, bariatricians, dietitians, exercise physiologist, psychiatrists, psychologists, and nurses with special expertise in weight loss.
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