Weight Management

An integrated system to treat obesity and overweight

Weight management and maintaining a healthy weight is the trend of modern medicine in order to preserve public health after knowing the negative effects of obesity on all body organs and their functions. Today, weight loss is not only an aesthetic issue, but is also a health trend given its association with the body’s ability to properly maintain its vital functions.

Obesity is a serious, chronic disease that can have a negative effect on many systems in your body. People who are overweight or obese have a much greater risk of developing serious conditions, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, bone and joint disease. Respiratory problems associated with obesity occur when added weight of the chest wall squeezes the lungs and causes restricted breathing.

Sleep apnea is also associated with high blood pressure. Obesity can cause resistance to insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar. When obesity causes insulin resistance, the blood sugar becomes elevated. Even moderate obesity dramatically increases the risk of diabetes. Extra weight can raise the heart rate and reduce the body’s ability to transport blood through the vessels.

“Weight management” is a relatively modern and popular medical concept. Doctors specialized in the treatment of obesity study the medical condition of obesity and then develop an integrated system that includes the reasons leading to gaining the extra weight and what is the right treatment to the condition. Certainly, each patient has their own treatment system.

Roadmap

Your doctor may review your weight history, weight-loss efforts, exercise habits, eating patterns, what other conditions you’ve had, medications, stress levels and other issues about your health. Your doctor may also review your family’s health history to see if you may be predisposed to certain conditions.

The doctor starts with determining the weight that the patient should lose through calculating the body mass index (BMI) by dividing the weight in kilograms by the height (in meters) squared. The WHO designations include the following: Grade 1 overweight (commonly called overweight), Grade 2 overweight (commonly called obesity), Grade 3 overweight (commonly called severe or morbid obesity). Although there are genetic, behavioral and hormonal influences on body weight, obesity occurs when you take in more calories than you burn through exercise and normal daily activities. Your body stores these excess calories as fat. The main causes of obesity include inactivity and unhealthy diet and eating habits. Leptin and ghrelin seem to be the big players in regulating appetite, which consequently influences body weight/fat. One of the many hormones produced by your fat cells is leptin, which plays a role in appetite control. Research has found that excess body fat can cause a condition known as leptin resistance, which means your brain isn’t affected by leptin even though your body contains higher levels of it.

After a comprehensive study of the patient’s condition suffering from obesity, the doctor sets up a treatment plan that is similar to a roadmap that should be followed by the patient through regular visits until they reach the desired weight.

Treatment may include following a special diet and the consumption of some medications to treat the imbalance that led to gaining weight or the doctor may resort to weight loss surgery which is determined according to the patient’s weight and general health condition. It is very important that the medical procedure suits the patient’s condition in order to ensure the best results and reach the ideal weight; the more accurate the procedure, the greater the body’s ability to get rid of excess weight.

Therefore, the type of obesity should be determined so that the patient is placed on the right track towards achieving the desired goal, which is losing excess weight then teaching him how to manage the weight so he doesn’t put the pounds back on.

Obesity: Types and treatments

The treatment starts by determining the type of obesity because it shows the doctor the treatment plan that should be followed.

Simple weight gain: The patient is not overweight or suffer from obesity. It is one of the most common types of obesity in the world and is the least dangerous to the health, as the person in this case only needs to lose a few kilograms to make them look better. In this case, the patient should follow a diet suitable for their general condition after determining their body mass index and knowing their body fat, muscle mass, and water percentage. Hence, the nutritionist will set up a balanced diet that the patient can follow while adding some exercises that increase the fat burning process accumulated in the cells so they return to normal size.  The most important thing is to follow up regularly with a doctor or nutritionist not only to reach the ideal weight but to maintain it and not put the pounds back on, therefore, this diet must become a lifestyle.

Obese Class I (Moderately obese): When the extra pounds affect the physical appearance and it becomes obvious that the person is suffering from body deformities, hence, the person suffers from moderate obesity. This type of obesity is caused by an imbalance in the distribution of body fat in general, and we find fat deposited in the same place as the buttocks and thighs in women and stomach in men. This type of obesity is mainly caused by genetic factors. It is true that it is difficult to get rid of it permanently. However, losing excess weight reduces the appearance of fat, allowing the patient to feel much better. This type of obesity is dangerous because, if neglected, it will lead to weight gain thus the person becomes severely obese. First, this condition can be treated with a special diet to break down the concentrated fats; in addition to following some special exercises under a coach supervision who will determine the right exercises to burn fat. After shedding some pounds, you can undergo mesotherapy sessions that dissolve the concentrated fat.

Obese Class II (Severely obese): The risk of diseases caused by obesity begins at this stage and doctors treat this condition as a high-risk disease that can lead to problems in the knees, bones or cause sleep apnea, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol or stroke. The patient may also suffer from a weak immune system and become prone to many bacterial and viral diseases. This condition requires medical supervision as the patient may need to undergo surgery because diet alone is not enough, and the doctor is able to conduct a thorough assessment of the patient’s condition to set up the right treatment plan.