Weight Management Never Stops



This morning, on the last day of the 23rd Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Hypertension, I present a 60 min session on obesity management.

As with all chronic diseases, obesity requires a long-term approach that needs to begin with a systematic analysis of the factors contributing to weight gain.

This should be followed by assessing the mental, mechanical, metabolic and socioeconomic consequences of excess weight, to better define the indication and goals of treatment.

Often the same mental, mechanical, metabolic and monetary factors can prove to be major barriers to weight management and may have to individually addressed before any relevant and sustainable weight loss can be expected.

In all cases, the kind of treatment that is found effective has to continue indefinitely to keep the weight under control. The idea that you can do something for a few weeks, months, or years and then simply hope to have changed your metabolism to allow you to keep the weight off is a common misconception about weight management.

Rather, the same rules apply as for other chronic conditions – when the treatment stops – the weight comes back.

Fortunately, obesity can be controlled and preventing further weight gain is already success!

AMS
Vancouver, BC

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Sharma AM, & Padwal R (2010). Obesity is a sign – over-eating is a symptom: an aetiological framework for the assessment and management of obesity. Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 11 (5), 362-70 PMID: 19922430