Diet, behavioral, drug and exercise therapy for obesity.
Diet control is essential in treating obesity. The basis of diet therapy is limiting energy intake. However, while limiting energy intake, you must still get all other essential nutrients by eating a variety of foods evenly and at regular times. It is especially important to correct problem eating habits so that you not only lose weight but also keep it off.
- Eat the prescribed amount in 3 meals a day at regular times, slowly and chewing well.
- Drop bad habits such as eating fast, skipping meals, snacking instead of eating meals, eating to relieve stress, snacking while reading or watching TV, and driving even short distances.
- Eat plenty of vegetables and seaweed first, then rice, fish and other side dishes.
- Choose steaming or grilling over frying or stir-frying, and use less sugar and oil.
- Eat less salty food.
- Drink plenty of water, 6-8 cups a day, right after waking up or between meals.
- Avoid eating after dinner as much as possible.
- Avoid alcohol as much as possible.
- When eating out, avoid oily foods (fried foods, Chinese food, fast food), choose dishes with lots of vegetables, and order only 2/3 of a bowl of rice.
- Have snacks about twice a day, keeping each to 50-100 kcal. Choose from raw vegetables such as carrots and cucumbers, a little fruit, unsweetened yogurt, skim or low-fat milk, or steamed corn, and avoid sweet, greasy or salty snacks, instant noodles, cookies and soft drinks.
- Keep a food diary every day.
Cognitive behavioral therapy for obesity is based on the idea that weight-loss goals can be reached by changing daily habits and behaviors. It therefore looks at eating behavior, lifestyle, social background, exercise, nutrition and all other factors related to eating. The core of the therapy is evaluating the tasks and results that affect behavior. Its basic elements include stimulus control, reinforcement, self-monitoring, behavioral contracts, social support and cognitive change.
- Drug therapy is most effective when combined with diet, exercise and behavioral therapy.
- Drug therapy is started if weight has not dropped by 10% or more after 3-6 months of non-drug treatment such as diet control and exercise.
- Drug therapy should be considered part of each person's long-term obesity management strategy.
- Whether to use medication should be decided by comparing its side effects with the risk of complications from continued obesity.
- Drug therapy begins with medications whose long-term safety and effectiveness have been established.
- Drug therapy must always be done under a doctor's supervision.
- If there is no 5-10% weight loss or no improvement in related conditions within 3 months, a change of medication should be considered.
- Obesity medications do not cure obesity; they should be seen as a way to control and manage weight.
How does exercise help with weight loss?
Losing weight through exercise is slower, but in the long run it is more likely to succeed than controlling weight through diet alone. Exercise also builds muscle and raises your basal metabolic rate, making your body less prone to gaining weight.
What kind of exercise is best?
Aerobic exercise at a level where you can breathe comfortably and sweat a little → boosts metabolism → burns fat (suitable for dieting)
• Tennis, squash, racquetball: very effective for burning fat
• Swimming: especially effective for people who are heavy or carry extra fat on the legs or waist, as it burns energy without straining the joints
• Table tennis, cycling, hiking: effective when done for 30 minutes or more. However, anaerobic exercise uses sugar instead of fat for energy, so it is not effective for losing weight.
How long to exercise
To burn fat, exercising slowly for a longer time is more effective, and 3-5 days a week is appropriate. Each session should be within 1 hour.
- More energy burned and less body fat
- Better insulin resistance and lipid metabolism
- Lower blood pressure
- Lower rates of coronary artery disease and related deaths
- Better fitness, including muscular endurance and cardiopulmonary function
- Psychological benefits such as stress relief
