Exercise and dietary change

Doctors recommend cautious, realistic weight-loss programmes, involving changes to dietary and exercise regimes and support from healthcare professionals.

Although fad diets abound, doctors typically recommend simple strategies to achieve weight loss and, just as importantly, to maintain lower weights.

The recommended strategy is to combine:

• a planned and balanced diet, to reduce the amount of energy consumed
• a planned exercise schedule
• behaviour therapy, which helps people think about how and why they eat, so they can avoid the cues that trigger over-consumption.

It is also helpful to have regular contact with a medical professional and to have a network of support that can be drawn upon. Research indicates that it is the combination of these approaches that is most likely to lead to successful weight loss.

Goals are typically to lose about 10 per cent of body weight, over about 3–6 months. Many people put some of this weight back on; it is helpful to have a plan to maintain a lower weight once it has been achieved.

More information on medical viewpoints on obesity and its treatment can be found on the BestTreatments website.