More than 60 percent of Americans are overweight or obese, according to the American Heart Association. Being overweight increases your chance of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and other health problems. Fortunately, there are several techniques you can try, either individually or in combination, to help you lose weight and improve your health.
Diet
You become overweight when you take in more calories than your body uses. To remedy this, you need to eat a healthy diet and control portions. To lose 1 lb. a week, you need to cut your daily caloric intake by 500 calories, the American Heart Association notes. To do this, MayoClinic.com recommends eating more plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables and whole grains, because they are high in fiber and low in calories. While you should stay away from fatty cuts of meat and high-fat dairy products, lean meats and low-fat dairy are an important part of any diet because they provide the protein necessary for muscle growth and maintenance. Having more muscle can rev up your metabolism and help burn fat.
Exercise
Physical activity is another way you can affect your calories-taken-in-to-calories-burned ratio and lose weight. The American Heart Association states that healthy adults between ages 18 and 65 should get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise, five days a week, or 20 minutes of vigorous exercise three days a week. Vigorous exercise can include running, biking, swimming and aerobics. Moderate exercise could include walking, or it could include everyday tasks such as cleaning the house or gardening. MayoClinic.com says you can incorporate extra exercise into your everyday life by doing things such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work or parking your car at the far end of the lot when you go shopping.
Drugs and Surgery
For some people, diet and exercise may not be sufficient to lose the necessary amount of weight. If you are obese or if your health is too poor for physical activity, a doctor may prescribe weight-loss drugs or surgery as techniques to help get you to a healthy weight. Womenshealth.gov list two drugs that, as of 2010, are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for long-term treatment of obesity: sibutramine and orlistat. Subutramine is an appetite suppressant, while orlistat keeps your body from absorbing fat from food. Both drugs can have serious side effects, and you should discuss these risks with your doctor before starting either drug.
For people who are morbidly obese--those with a body mass index of 40 or above, or 35 and above weight-related health problems--bariatric surgery may be an option. Bariatric surgery involves physically making the stomach smaller, either through stapling, banding or removal of a portion of it. This prevents you from overeating because your stomachs can only handle small amounts of food. The surgeries require you to completely alter your eating habits and they also carry the risk of serious side effects, so they are recommended only in the most extreme cases.
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