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Weight Loss – Less In, More Out Equals More Off?

Weight Reduction – A Less Weighty Matter

Many of us try weight loss methods to improve our health or our (usually self-percieved) physical shortcomings. The medical profession usually advises dietary modification or restriction together with exercise. Doctors may prescribe anti-obesity drugs. In some circumstances, for some patients, bariatric surgery may be indicated.

We are probably all familiar with short, quick diets (‘fad’ or ‘crash’ diets) which are generally effective in shedding a few pounds in the short term. We are probably all equally familiar with regaining all the lost weight and perhaps a little more, after a few weeks. Probably because of this well-known problem, the medical profession recommends that weight loss by means of reducing diet should be accompanied by an exercise regime and lifestyle modification.

Bouncing right back

For all that, not everyone’s health benefits from weight loss to the same degree. Obese people who lose weight usually see improvements in their health and perhaps, quality of life, but some, less obese, people may be better off carrying some extra weight. Getting into the gain-loss cycle (the ‘yo-yo syndrome’), can cause muscle loss as well as fat loss. Less muscle mass burning fewer calories can slow weight loss if not prompt weight gain, apart from any other health issues.

While we all know that less calories ingested and more calories expended should result in weight loss, there is much room for debate as to how the desirable equation may be achieved. Broadly speaking we can classify reducing diets into:

• low calorie

• very low calorie

• low carbohydrate, and

• low fat

In controlled trials no substantial difference has been found in the effectiveness of low fat, low calorie, or low carbohydrate diets. After two years the amount of weight lost is about the same for each diet type.

Banting

Incidentally, if you want an insight into how long people have been seeking medical help to reduce their weight, you might like to read Letter on Corpulence by William Banting, (1797-1878). He lost a considerable amount of weight while on a low-carbohydrate diet. Actually, this might be hard to find but you can search on the internet and learn all you need to know about this man, whose surname even appeared in dictionaries as a verb meaning ‘to slim’.

Which dietary approach to weight loss is the most effective? The safest answer is probably, “Whatever works for you”. Some people cannot succeed short or long term on low calorie diets. Others seem to thrive on very low calorie regimes under medical supervision, such as that promoted by Optifast with its range of meal replacements. Many men enjoy low-carb diets and might adopt for life, William Banting’s version with its quota of spirits, wine, meat, fish, fruit and vegetables. Banting’s high protein, high calorie weight-reducing regime seems too good to be true! However, if dieting has failed you or you have failed at dieting, elsewhere within these pages you can find some discussion of medically prescribed weight loss medications and bariatric surgery.

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