The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (NIDDK) defines obesity as an excessive amount of body fat. It's different than being overweight, which actually refers to pounds. To be considered obese, men must have more than 25 percent body fat and women more than 30 percent body fat. While some of the more accurate methods of determining a person's body fat percentage involve skinfold measurement, underwater weighing and air displacement, most medical professionals often use what is known as body mass index, or BMI. A BMI of 30 or more is a good indication of excess body fat. If you have a BMI of 30 or more, it's necessary to take steps to lose weight.
Dietary Changes
One solution to obesity and weight loss is dietary changes. However, this goes far beyond simply reducing your caloric intake. While reducing your caloric consumption to create a caloric deficit is vital to losing weight, you also need to make healthy food choices. This involves cutting out fast foods, sugar-laden beverages, processed foods and sweets while incorporating more fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains into your diet. The Mayo Clinic explains that fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods provide larger portion sizes with far fewer calories. This means you can eat more food to satiate hunger without consuming an excessive amount of calories.
Increased Activity
Another facet to weight loss for people considered obese is an increased level of activity. By increasing your level of activity, you're expending more energy. And the more energy you expend, the more calories your body burns, which encourages weight loss. Almost any increase in activity can benefit someone dealing with obesity. Biking, swimming and walking are all great options. Even opting to take the stairs can help you to expend more energy. NIDDK recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity most days of the week. For best results, this is typically coupled with dietary changes to basically make over your lifestyle.
Very Low-Calorie Diet
Obesity is also treated with very low-calorie diets, according to the Cleveland Clinic. This type of weight loss program stimulates a more rapid weight loss by reducing your caloric intake well below standard diet levels for daily calorie consumption, which are 1,200 for women and 1,500 for men. You often consume only 800 calories a day while taking part in such a program, which results in three to five pounds of weight loss a week. But it's crucial that very low-calorie diets only be used under the supervision of a medical professional.
Meal Replacement
Some people benefit from meal replacement programs. This is different from very low-calorie diets because only one or two of your meals are replaced with the prescribed foods. Several different programs are available. But as long as they limit calories, control portion size, foster healthy eating and help you to incorporate regular foods into your diet, a meal replacement program is a viable option.
Weight Loss Medications
Your doctor may determine that a weight loss medication is necessary to help you lose the weight and body fat. Medications such as sibutramine and orlistat alter certain processes in the body to encourage weight loss. Sibutramine basically tells your brain that you're full after eating much less food, helping reduce caloric intake and causing weight loss. Orlistat changes the way your body digests food, reducing caloric absorption and stimulating weight loss. Both medications commonly deliver 5 to 10 percent body weight loss in a year.
Weight Loss Surgery
Weight loss surgery can also encourage weight loss in people dealing with obesity, notes NIDDK. Weight loss surgeries basically shrink the size of the stomach, which limits the amount of food you can eat in one sitting. This inevitably causes a caloric deficit that translates into a loss of weight.
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