What are the Best Obesity Solutions?

There are several types of obesity solutions including behavior modifications, drug treatments, medical intervention, and surgery. These solutions are sometimes only available in clinical settings, such as obesity treatment centers or hospitals, while others are implemented on an out patient basis, and may rely heavily on techniques such as a weekly meeting of an obesity support group or patient initiated diet and exercise programs. Once a patient has reached a weight that falls into the obese category, most medical professionals suggest medical supervision to monitor any potential health repercussions from losing weight in an unhealthy manner. It is very important to ensure the patient's overall condition doesn't deteriorate and create serious medical complications, especially if the patient has additional medical conditions.

Behavior modification is often the first weight loss strategy implemented by a doctor for an obese patient. This category of obesity solutions includes dietary changes, exercise, and often alternative therapies, such as relaxation techniques and meditation, to help combat stress and emotional eating. Some medical professionals prefer to have their patients make dietary changes slowly, and usually offer new ideas on healthy food preparation, portions, and food choices. In some cases, a patient may be placed on a severely restrictive diet that only allows for less than 800 calories consumption per day. Extremely low calorie diets should only be attempted under medical supervision, because it has a high risk of malnutrition if continued for too long.

Many types of prescription drugs are also used as obesity solutions to help patients reach a healthy weight and are used with varying degrees of success. There are medications like orlistat that helps patients' bodies from absorbing any unnecessary dietary fat, and fluexetine is used to help people dealing with depression while losing weight. In some cases, doctors have found that the most effective obesity solutions are to treat underlying conditions that contribute to obesity. For this reason it is often suggested that obese individuals seek guidance from a medical professional, as the treatment needed is likely to be unique for each patient.

Weight loss surgery is another popular obesity solution, and it is a decision that should be carefully considered by both the patient and the medical team. Procedures used to reduce a person's weight may include lyposuction or bariatric surgery. The lyposuction procedures remove fat cells from common sites such as the stomach, thighs, and hips. During bariatric surgery, a band is placed around a portion of the stomach to limit the amount of food the patient is able to eat at one time. In either case, surgery is usually considered a last resort treatment and only used when the person is severely obese and other treatment options have failed.