Obesity Treatment
Learn
- Overview
- What It Is
- Causes
- Risk Factors
- Diagnosis
- Symptoms
- Prognosis
- Living With
- Complications
- User Questions
Take Action
- Screening
- Medications
- Prevention
- Treatment
- Alternative Treatment
- Care Guide
- Questions for Your Doctor
- When to Contact a Doctor
- Find a Doctor
- Resource Guide
How to Treat Obesity
Overweight is difficult to treat, and success rates are not high. Cultural factors, personal habits, lifestyle, and genetics all affect obesity treatment.
The treatment and management of obesity involves major lifestyle changes related to your grocery shopping, food preparation, eating, and exercise habits. Medicines play only a small supplementary role, and surgery is limited to people with morbid obesity or those who have life-threatening complications.
The goal of treatment is to reduce your weight to a point where it is no longer a risk to your health. The initial goal is to lose approximately 10% of the baseline body weight or 1 to 2 pounds a week in the first six months of treatment. This may be less weight than you would like to lose, but it may be a more realistic goal. Once the weight is lost, it is essential to maintain and prevent the regain of weight through better eating habits and regular exercise. While that is happening, measures to preserve your health and prevent the onset of medical complications may also be recommended.
Treatment involves the following:
