More than 40% of the adult population in America is overweight. Excess fat in your body puts your health at risk because you might develop chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, or cancer. However, you can manage your weight with your health specialist at Nova Physician Wellness Center who will develop a specific weight loss program for you.

What causes obesity?

Obesity is a long-term medical condition caused by excess fat in your body. Many factors cause obesity, including:

Lack of exercise. When you fail to take part in physical activity, a lot of fat accumulates in your body, making you overweight.

Consuming excess food. Overeating foods that contain high calories, such as potato fries and candy, puts you at a higher risk of being obese.

Medications. Different medicines may cause weight gain. For example, antidepressants are used to treat depression, anticonvulsants such as carbamazepine are used to manage seizures, contraceptives are used in family planning, and medicines are used to lower high blood pressure.  

Genetics. You are likely to develop obesity if your parents are obese because genes control hormones that regulate fat in your body.

Being overweight puts your health at risk and could result in:

• Sleep apnea makes breathing difficult and may cause snoring while you sleep
• High blood pressure
• Cardiovascular diseases like stroke
• Osteoarthritis
• Diabetes
• Cancer
• Gallstones
• Gout

Losing weight can be challenging because you can have a relapse after some time. For long-term successful weight loss, your doctor at Nova Physician Wellness Center will work with a dietitian to develop an effective program to help shed extra fat in your body or use medications that enhance weight loss.

Your doctor will calculate the amount of fat in your body using methods like:

• Bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA): You will stand on a scale with footpads that will send an electrical current through your body to calculate your body fat percentage.
• Skin calipers: This technique is used to measure the thickness of fat under your skin, using a metal tool.

There are different methods that your doctor may recommend to help burn your calories, for example, the use of pills such as:

Lorcaserin will suppress your need to eat and help you lose bodyweight. You may experience side effects such as fatigue, nausea, headaches, dizziness, and a dry mouth.

Qsymia and Phentermine. Your doctor will recommend that you combine the two drugs for long-term use. Phentermine will help lower your appetite level, which will stop you from eating frequently.

Orlistat limits the amount of fat absorbed in your body. You may experience diarrhea, bloating, and stomach aches. Your doctor may suggest that you take multivitamins while using this medicine.

If your body does not respond to the medicine in 12 weeks, your doctor may suggest a surgical procedure. There are different types of surgery for weight loss, including:

Gastric bypass – Your surgeon will create a pouch above your stomach which causes you to eat small amounts of food and alters food processing in your body

Gastric band – Your doctor will reduce the size of your stomach by placing a band on top of your stomach. This will cause you to consume less food.

While taking medicines may help reduce your body fat, your physician may recommend that you take part in physical activity that includes:

• Aerobic exercises involving walking or jogging. You can also use a treadmill to work out.
• Yoga involves meditation, physical postures, and breathing techniques
• Recreational activities like swimming and playing football
• Doing house chores like cleaning

Your dietician will develop a meal plan containing foods with a low caloric density, such as vegetable soup, oats, Greek yogurt, berries, chia seeds, and eggs.

It is possible to lose weight and protect yourself from the risk of developing severe conditions like diabetes and strokes. Book a session with your health specialist at Nova Physician Wellness Center and start your weight loss journey.