Change your eating habits and learn to eat healthily
A low-calorie diet forms the therapeutic basis of any treatment of obesity. But everybody is different , and dietary treatment must be adjusted to the needs and personal requirements of the patient. However , there are several factors to be taken into account if you are considering undergoing dietary treatment. The essential thing is not to go on a strict diet , but instead to acquire healthy eating habits.
Before a particular diet is recommended , it is very important to study the patient’s case history. We need to find out if the patient suffers from illnesses associated with the accumulation of fat.by getting to know how the patient became overweight and by understanding their eating habits , we can recommend a particular diet which meets the patient’s needs. To be able to do this ,we ask the patient to fill out a questionnaire about their eating habits ; this involves making notes about the meals they eat , including “ having a snack “ between meals , the time taken to have a meal ,whether they eat alone or in company , their favourite foods etc.
A proper low-calorie diet must be varied and healthy , and must ensure that the appropriate amount of macronutrients ( proteins , carbohydrates and fats ) and micronutrients (vitamins , minerals , antioxidants and trace elements ) necessary for good health is provided. Macronutrients provide calories in our diet ; micronutrients , on the other hand , do not contain calories. In general , low-calorie diets are based on reduction , not elimination , of carbohydrates and lipids , and an appropriate protein intake.
For the patient , making notes about all the food they eat is just as important as knowing the number of calories that each meal provides. For this reason , they should know that one gram of fat provides more than twice the number of calories ( 9 )than that found in carbohydrates ( 4 ) and in proteins ( 4 ). Apart from simply following the diet recommended by the doctor , the patient must understand that this means not only eating a smaller amount of food , but also learning to eat in moderation , with the aim of acquiring healthy eating habits , respected daily , which stay with them for life. Sitting at a table , setting aside time for enjoying a meal without distractions , and chewing food slowly are just some of the habits that should be acquired.
Physical Exercise.
Physical exercise should never be seen as an obligation and neither should it be stressful. In this way ,the patient stays motivated and the chances of giving it all up are avoided.exercise is best done in company for an hour a day , starting off slowly and gradually moving up to a higher level of activity as the patient feels more comfortable.
The important thing , as is the case with a diet , is consistency and maintaining a regular exercise routine. The patient should not be too ambitious in their aims. The mental and physical benefits of exercise are noticed over time.
Benefits of physical exercise for weight control
- Use of energy is increased
- Exercise causes loss of fatty tissue as well as lean body mass ( commonly 75% of fat and 25% of non-fatty tissue )
- Sense of wellbeing is increased
- Positive psychological effects
- Reduction in cholesterol
- Increased sensitivity to insulin and its metabolic control
- Exercise helps to lower high blood pressure and reduces the risk of coronary diseases
Medical products to treat obesity
As a miracle diet does not exist , neither is there at this time a medical product which causes weight loss without going on a diet , or having to control food intake over the long term , or even for life. The use of medical products is therefore an aid in the treatment of obesity , never the only option , and should only be considered under medical supervision.
The most commonly used and accepted products to combat obesity inhibit the absorption of lipoprotein lipase. It has been shown that this helps to prevent a subsequent gain in weight. However , their effects are greater in patients suffering from diabetes than in those who do not suffer from this disease.
Sibutramine – an anorexigenic product – in other words , it reduces appetite. It requires a restrictive , low-calorie diet . It also has a slight thermogenic effect.
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