Obesity
What is obesity?
In obesity, i.e. severe overweight, an excessive amount of adipose tissue accumulates in the body. A person is considered overweight (obese) if their body mass index (BMI) is over 30. The body mass index is calculated by dividing the body weight in kilograms by the height in meters squared.
What is the goal of obesity treatment?
The goal of obesity treatment is to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. This improves overall health and reduces the risk of complications associated with being overweight.
All weight loss programs require you to change your eating habits and increase your physical activity. The appropriate treatment for you depends on your weight, general health, and your willingness to participate in a weight loss program.
Dietary change
Reducing calories and eating healthier are the keys to overcoming obesity. Even if you lose weight quickly at the beginning, steady weight loss is the safest way to lose weight in the long term. This is also the best way to maintain your weight permanently. There is no such thing as the best diet for losing weight.
We will help you change your diet. Dietary changes in the treatment of obesity include, but are not limited to:
Fewer calories.
Getting full on fewer calories
Making healthier choices.
Beware of quick fixes! Fad diets that promise quick and easy weight loss can be tempting. But in reality, there are no magic foods or quick fixes. Fast diets may help in the short term, but the long-term results do not appear to be better than other diets.
Likewise, you may lose weight on a crash diet, but you are likely to gain it back when you stop dieting. To lose weight – and keep it off – you need to develop healthy eating habits that you can stick to over a longer period of time.
Exercise and activity
More exercise is an essential part of treating obesity:
Physical activity
People with obesity should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. This can help prevent further weight gain or maintain a small weight loss. As your endurance and fitness improve, you will probably need to gradually increase the amount of exercise you do.
Keep moving
Although regular aerobic exercise is the most efficient way to burn calories and lose weight, any extra movement you do burns calories. For example, park further away from the entrance of a store and take the stairs instead of the elevator. With a pedometer, you can measure how many steps you take in a day. Many people try to take 10,000 steps a day. Increase your daily step count slowly to reach your goal.
Behavior Therapy
A behavior modification program can help you change your lifestyle to lose weight and keep it off. This includes examining your current habits to see what factors, stresses, or situations may have contributed to your weight gain.
Counseling
Talking with a mental health professional can help address emotional and behavioral issues related to eating. Therapy can help you understand why you overeat and you can learn to deal with your anxieties in a healthy way. You can also learn to monitor your eating and exercise habits, understand binge eating and deal with cravings. Counseling can be done individually or in a group.
What can you expect on your first visit to the obesity consultation?
Gathering your medical history
Your weight history, your efforts to lose weight, your physical activity and your exercise habits will be recorded. You can also talk about your eating behavior and appetite control. We will also ask you about other medical conditions, medications you are taking, stress levels and other health-related questions. To determine if you are at increased risk for certain diseases, we will also look at your family history.
A general physical examination
This includes measuring your height, checking your vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure and temperature, listening to your heart and lungs, and examining your abdomen.
Calculating your BMI
We will determine your body mass index, or BMI for short. A BMI of 30 or more is considered obese. Values above 30 indicate a significant health risk. Have your BMI checked at least once a year. This can help determine your overall health risk and find out what treatments are available for you.
Measure your waist size
The distance around your waist is called your waist size or abdominal girth. The fat that accumulates around the waist, also known as visceral fat or belly fat, can increase your risk of heart disease and diabetes. Women with a waist size greater than 89 centimeters (35 inches) and men with a waist size greater than 102 centimeters (40 inches) may have a higher health risk than people with smaller waist sizes. Like BMI, waist circumference should be checked at least once a year.
Detecting other health problems
We will also examine you for other possible health problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, hypothyroidism, liver problems and diabetes.
Based on this information, we will select the most appropriate treatment for you.
Do you need a referral to see Dr. Konstantinou?
Generally not. However, some health insurance funds may require you to have a referral from your GP. Talk to us about your insurance plan so that the rules of your insurance company can be followed. This way, you can save money and avoid unpleasant surprises.
Why should you consult Dr. Konstantinou for the treatment of your obesity?
Medications for weight loss should be used in combination with diet, exercise, and behavior modification, not in place of them. Before selecting a medication for you, Dr. Konstantinou will consider your medical history and possible side effects.
Weight loss medications do not work for everyone and their effect may decrease over time. If you stop a weight loss medication, you may gain a large amount or all of the weight you lost.
Dr. Konstantinou will support you closely in this process.