Comparison of Treatments for Obesity
Options for Treatment
For anyone who has considered a weight loss program, there is certainly no shortage of choices. In fact, to qualify for insurance coverage of weight loss surgery, many insurers require patients to have a history of medically supervised weight loss efforts.
Most non-surgical weight loss programs are based on some combination of diet/behavior modification and regular exercise. Unfortunately, even the most effective interventions have proven to be effective for only a small percentage of patients. It is estimated that less than 5% of individuals who participate in non-surgical weight loss programs will lose a significant amount of weight and maintain that loss for a long period of time.
According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 90% of all people in these programs regain their weight within one year. Sustained weight loss for patients who are morbidly obese is even harder to achieve. Serious health risks have been identified for people who move from diet to diet, subjecting their bodies to a severe and continuing cycle of weight loss and gain known as “yo-yo” dieting.
The fact remains, morbid obesity is a complex, chronic disease.
For many patients, the risk of death from not having surgery is greater than risks from the possible complications of having the procedure. Patients who have had the procedure and are benefiting from its results report improvements in their quality of life, social interactions, psychological well-being, employment opportunities and economic condition.
In clinical studies, candidates for the procedure who had multiple obesity-related health conditions questioned whether they could safely have the surgery. These studies show that selection of surgical candidates is based on very strict criteria and surgery is an option for the majority of patients.
Weight Loss Surgery
Weight loss surgery is major surgery. Its growing use to treat morbid obesity is the result of three factors:
Diet & Behavior Modification
There are literally hundreds of diets available. Moving from diet to diet in a cycle of weight gain and loss - yo-yo dieting - stresses the heart, kidneys and other organs which can also be a health risk.
Doctors who prescribe and supervise diets for their patients usually create a customized program with the goal of greatly restricting calorie intake while maintaining nutrition.
Many patients on Very Low Calorie Diets lose significant amounts of weight. However, after returning to a normal diet, most regain the lost weight in under a year. Ninety percent of people participating in all diet programs will regain the weight they have lost within two years.
It is important for you to understand that your food choices and behavior modification will be instrumental to sustained weight loss even after surgery.
The surgery itself is a tool, not a cure
Exercise
Starting an exercise program can be especially intimidating for someone suffering from morbid obesity. Your health condition may make any level of physical exertion next to impossible. The benefits of exercise are clear, however, and there are ways to get started.
A National Institutes of Health survey of 13 studies conclude that physical activity:
- Results in modest weight loss in overweight and obese individuals
- Inreases cardiovascular fitness, even when there is no weight loss
- Can help maintain weight loss
When you reduce the amount of caloreis you take in, the body simply reacts by slowing metabolism to burn fewer calories. Daily physical activity can help speed up your metabolism, effectively bringing your set point down to a lower natural weight.
Good nutritional food choices and exercise play a key role in successful weight loss after bariatric surgery.
Over-the-Counter & Prescription Drugs
New over the counter and prescription weight loss medications have been introduced. Some people have found them effective in helping to curb appetites. The results of most studies show that patients on drug therapy lose around 10 percent of their excess weight and then experience weight loss plateaus after six to eight months. As patients stop taking the medications, weight gain usually occurs.
Weight loss drugs can have serious side effects. Still, medications can be an important step in the morbid obesity treatment process. Before insurance companies will reimburse/pay for bariatric surgery, you must follow a well-documented treatment path.