Are you struggling with weight loss and feel like you’ve tried everything? Inpatient weight loss clinics offer a structured and supportive environment where you can focus on losing weight and improving your health. If you’ve tried everything else - counting calories, keeping track of your fat consumption, and trying out a variety of workout DVDs - and nothing has helped, an inpatient weight reduction program may be able to help you achieve the physique and lifestyle you desire.
Introduction
Obesity is a clinical condition characterized by increased body weight resulting from excessive fat accumulation. The global prevalence of this disease has doubled between 1990 and 2022, and now more than 1 billion people are living with obesity in the world. In Brazil about 20% of adult population has obesity. Owing to the multiple interactions of causal factors, treating obesity requires an interdisciplinary and integrated therapeutic approach focused on lifestyle changes. Inpatient weight loss clinics provide a safe and supportive environment where you’ll work with a team of medical professionals to overhaul your lifestyle and shed those extra pounds. These programs offer a comprehensive approach to weight management, addressing medical, nutritional, exercise, and behavioral aspects. Very low-calorie diets with hospitalization have demonstrated promise as a viable therapeutic option for severe obesity and its associated comorbidities.
How Inpatient Weight Loss Clinics Work
Inpatient weight loss clinics vary in structure and offerings. Options include:
- Residential programs: You’ll live at the clinic, participating in daily fitness classes, group therapy sessions, and workshops.
- Outpatient programs: Involve regular visits to the clinic while living at home, with guidance from healthcare professionals and support groups.
Benefits of Inpatient Weight Loss Clinics
Inpatient weight loss clinics offer a multitude of benefits that contribute to successful and sustainable weight management. These include:
- 24/7 Medical Supervision: Ensures safety and support throughout your weight loss journey. Daily clinical evaluations are conducted, with periodic consultations by endocrinologists, cardiologists, orthopedists, and psychiatrists.
- Reduced Distractions: Removes temptations and promotes accountability, allowing you to focus on your goals. Many wise dieters start their weight-loss journey away from home to avoid the behaviors and lifestyle choices that led to their gaining weight in the first place. If you can manage it, it’s a good strategy.
- Behavioral Therapy: Addresses emotional triggers and unhealthy eating patterns that contribute to weight gain. The patients undergo individual one-hour CBT sessions with a psychologist twice weekly.
- Post-Program Support: Essential for preventing relapse and sustaining weight loss over time.
- Holistic Approach: Provides comprehensive support and tools for lasting transformations.
Eligibility and Considerations
Inpatient weight loss clinics typically cater to individuals with a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 30. You may need a referral from your doctor to participate. The cost and duration of these programs can vary significantly.
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Choosing the Right Inpatient Weight Loss Clinic
Consider the following factors when choosing a clinic:
- Reputation
- Staff experience and qualifications
- Range of services offered
Virtual and In-Person Options
Inpatient weight loss clinics offer both virtual and in-person options. Virtual clinics provide flexibility and accessibility, while in-person programs offer direct access to healthcare professionals.
The Different Types of Premium Weight Loss Programs
The popularity of residential weight loss programs that use non-surgical approaches is constantly increasing. These programs are intended to assist and support those who are looking to make a big lifestyle change in order to lose weight and improve their health. While program details vary, depending on the facility, most include nutrition and fitness coaching, cooking classes, and lots of gym time.
What to Expect From a Premium Residential Weight Loss Program?
Are you thinking of going to a residential weight-loss program? Searching for a fitness retreat to kick start your new workout routine? Or do you want to go on a vacation where you can keep up your training routine while relaxing and resetting? During your time in a program, you are able to choose from fitness classes as you work on developing a healthy exercise routine. As part of a program, facilities offer several support groups where participants can discuss topics related to weight management. Participants receive a follow-up fitness evaluation. Additionally, all participants who stay in the program for two or more weeks receive individual sessions in each of their second, third, and fourth weeks. These sessions may include personal training, life coaching, and nutrition counseling, and are offered at no extra cost. It’s your life and your journey, so you should make the decisions!
Innovations in Weight-Loss Programs At Premium Weight Loss Retreats
If you can manage it, it’s a good strategy. A visit to a fitness club, health spa, or weight-loss resort, on the other hand, is not cheap, so do your research before deciding where to go.
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Advantages of Going to a Weight-Loss Resort
Many wise dieters start their weight-loss journey away from home to avoid the behaviors and lifestyle choices that led to their gaining weight in the first place.
Hospitalization with Low-Calorie Diets and Immersive Lifestyle Changes: A Study
A retrospective cohort study was conducted using secondary data from the medical records of patients hospitalized in a controlled environment for weight loss from October 2016 to October 2022. The research was conducted at a Brazilian hospital specialized in obesity treatment. The sample size was convenience-based, initially comprising 1,151 individuals with severe obesity hospitalized for 3 and/or 6 months. The inclusion criteria were age over 12 years, obesity grade II or III upon admission, and at least 3 months of inpatient treatment. There was no patient with recent slimming surgeries or gastric bypass among patients admitted to obesity treatment in the hospital, during the period of this study. 295 patients without data from laboratory tests and/or bioimpedance were excluded. 856 patients were included in the analysis. Of these, 323 presented complete data at 3 and 6 months, 454 presented complete data at 3 months alone, and 79 presented complete data at 6 months alone. Therefore, the analysis included 777 patients with data available at 3 months and 402 with data available at 6 months.
Data was imported directly from the electronic medical records of each patient into an Excel table and then converted directly into SPSS format using SPSS software ver. 29.0.1.0 (IBM corporation, New York, USA) for statistical analysis. Data was assessed from electronic medical records for research purposes. Both diets provided a higher percentage of protein (70 to 100 g/day or 0.8 to 1.5 g /kg of ideal body weight/day) and a low carbohydrate content. These diets were supplemented with vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, and essential fatty acids to ensure adequate nutrition, following Brazilian guidelines for treating obesity. As patients were at inpatient treatment, every meal of each patient was precisely done and administered as prescribed by their nutritionist; acceptance was monitored in the dining room.
Daily clinical evaluations were conducted, with periodic consultations by endocrinologists, cardiologists, orthopedists, and psychiatrists. All patients had their weight and height measured and underwent bioimpedance testing upon admission and at 3 and/or 6 months. Height was measured using a stadiometer (Tonelli Medical Devices, Brazil), and weight was measured using a bioelectrical impedance device. Body composition was assessed using a 3-frequency bioelectrical impedance device (5kHz, 50kHz, and 5,00kHz-Ottoboni-inbody570), utilizing a tetra polar system with eight points (tactile electrodes) to obtain 15 impedance measurements of each of the five body segments (right arm, left arm, trunk, right leg, and left leg).
Measurements of gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), blood glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and high-density cholesterol (HDL) were performed using the enzymatic colorimetric method; low-density cholesterol (LDL) was calculated using the Friedewald formula. Serum zinc levels were measured using the flame atomic absorption spectrometry method. Electrochemiluminescence was used to measure ferritin and basal insulin levels. Oxaloacetic (GOT) and pyruvic (GPT) transaminases were measured using the UV-kinetic method; creatine phosphokinase (CPK) by the UV method; glycated hemoglobin HbA1c by turbidimetric inhibition immunoassay; C-reactive protein (CRP) by immunoturbidimetry.
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The bioimpedance parameters were described as median and inter-quartil interval. To compare values measured at admission with those observed after 3 and 6 months of hospitalization it was used the Wilcoxon test. The percentage change in each bioimpedance parameter was calculated by subtracting the values measured at admission from those obtained at 3 and 6 months of hospitalization, respectively. This difference was divided by the original hospitalization value and multiplied by 100. These percentage values were compared between men and women and between elderly (≥60 years) and non-elderly patients (<60 years) using a Mann-Whitney test.
Laboratory measurements on admission and at 3 and 6 months of hospitalization were compared using a Wilcoxon test. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to compare the time to reach 20% weight loss and 35% fat mass reduction between male and female and between elderly and no elderly patients. To evaluate the factors associated with the success to reach median values of fat mass loss at 3 and 6 months of hospitalization, a multivariate logistic regression was performed: the dependent variables were the success of reach the median percentage of fat mass loss in each period of hospitalization (17% and 35% at 3 and 6 months hospitalization, respectively). The independent variables were included in the model, using the “forward conditional" method, the initial following dummy variables were used in the analysis: age ≥ 60 years, male sex, Diabetes Mellitus, current smoking, drinking habits, hypothyroidism, hepatic steatosis, sedentary life style and altered admission levels of glycated hemoglobin (> 5.6%), zinc (< 69.93 μg/dL), CRP (> 6 mg/L), and CPK (> 200 U/L).
This research was conducted following the principles of bioethics in accordance with resolution 466/2012 (CONEP/Brazil) and met aspects related to the Declaration of Helsinki. The Research Ethics Committee of the State University of Bahia (UNEB) approved the project with CAAE number 65578822.1.0000.0057. Informed consent paperwork could not be obtained due to the retrospective design of this analysis; patients were no longer available to sign informed consent.
Study Results
Three months of hospitalization yielded significant reductions in weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat, skeletal muscle mass, glucose, inflammatory, and lipid parameters. These reductions were more pronounced after 6 months, nearly doubling those observed at 3 months. In women, BMI and fat mass reduced by 10.4% and 15.2% at 3 months and 20.4% and 31.3% at 6 months, respectively. In men, BMI and fat mass decreased by 12.9% and 25.3 at 3 months and 23.6% and 45.3% at 6 months, respectively. Elderly individuals (aged ≥ 60 years) had smaller reductions in BMI and fat mass than non-elderly individuals (aged < 60 years) but still presented significant improvements.
Women were the majority (70%) with a median age of approximately 44 years, not differing significantly between the groups by length of hospitalization. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia were high and did not differ significantly between groups by length of hospitalization. Hepatic steatosis, sleep apnea and depression were prevalent in both periods of hospitalization, not differing between them. Patients with 6 months of hospitalization had a higher percentage of most severe obesity (grade III) than patients who remained hospitalized for 3 months (75.9% vs. After 3 months of hospitalization, men exhibited a higher percentage of reduction than women in the following bioimpedance parameters: weight, BMI, fat mass, body fat percentage, and WHR. Similarly, but to a greater extent, at 6 months of hospitalization, men exhibited higher percentages of loss in weight, BMI, fat mass, body fat percentage, and WHR.
After 3 months of hospitalization, the elderly (≥ 60 years) demonstrated a lower percentage of loss in weight, BMI, fat mass, body fat percentage, and WHR than the non-elderly. Similarly, after 6 months of hospitalization, the elderly had a lower percentage of loss in weight, BMI, fat mass, body fat percentage and WHR. Three months of hospitalization yielded a significant reduction in the levels of fasting glucose, insulin and glycated hemoglobin; triglycerides, HDL, LDL, and total cholesterol. Regarding liver injury and inflammatory markers, CRP, ferritin, and GGT levels significantly reduced after 3 months of treatment. Similarly, but to a greater extent, after 6 months of hospitalization, almost all parameters evaluated reduced significantly, including fasting glucose; insulin; glycated hemoglobin; triglycerides; LDL, and total cholesterol. However, HDL levels remained unchanged. Regarding liver injury and inflammatory parameters, a significant reduction was observed in the values of GGT, GPT, CRP, and ferritin.
After three months, male sex, drinking habits and CPK above normal range were associated with a higher odds ratio to reach the median percentage of body fat mass loss. At six months of hospitalization, some of these predictors lost significance, with male sex, hepatic steatosis, and elderly remaining significant. Similar to the results at 3 months, elderly people presented a lower odds ratio to reach the median percentage of body fat mass loss at 6 months, while males presented higher odds ratio to reach such loss.
Most hospitalized patients were women, presented with drinking habits, and had a sedentary lifestyle. The most prevalent comorbidities were hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hypothyroidism, coronary artery disease, sleep apnea, hepatic steatosis, and self-reported depression. The group that underwent 6 months of treatment had a higher percentage of patients with grade III obesity, which partly justifies the longer hospital stay in this group.
In a study of patients with obesity grade III who underwent outpatient dietary treatment in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, most participants were women (76.3%) and adults (average age of 45 years), similar to this study. However, there was a higher prevalence of hypertension (80%) and diabetes (46%) and a lower incidence of drinking habits (37%), sleep apnea (31%), and dyslipidemia (16%), compared to the patient profile of this study.
After 3 months, a significant decrease in weight, BMI, fat mass, body fat percentage, skeletal muscle mass, basal metabolic rate, and WHR was observed. These results indicate a positive response to short-term treatment, suggesting the effectiveness of hospitalization in promoting weight loss and improving body composition. This finding aligns with a study that investigated the effects of short-term multidisciplinary interventions in patients with obesity and demonstrated significant reductions in fat mass, percentage of body fat, and BMI. Skeletal muscle mass and basal metabolic rate also reduced significantly but at a magnitude approximately six times smaller than the fat mass loss (1.6 kg vs. Patients hospitalized for 6 months demonstrated more significant changes in body composition measured by bioimpedance. In both periods, men exhibited higher percentages of loss in weight, fat mass, percentage of body fat, and WHR, in addition to lesser loss of skeletal muscle mass compared to women.
In addition to the differences in bioimpedance parameters previously discussed, the unequal reduction in WHR between men and women was notable in both periods of hospitalization. Men demonstrated a significantly greater reduction (almost double) in WHR. Reduced WHR is associated with cardiovascular benefits and reduced health-related adverse events. Epidemiological studies highlight that a lower WHR reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. This association lies in the direct relationship between WHR and visceral fat and, consequently, with insulin resistance and inflammation caused by excess of this fat, factors that play crucial roles in increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Regarding elderly and non-elderly patients, a reduction in weight, BMI, fat mass, percentage of body fat mass, and WHR was observed in both periods. However, non-elderly patients presented better results than elderly patients. A previous study also evaluated the repercussions of treating severe obesity in an inpatient setting in elderly a…
Conclusion of the Study
This study suggests the viability of treating severe obesity by hospitalization with low-calorie diets and immersive lifestyle changes.