According to the Mayo Clinic website, obesity is becoming increasingly more prevalent in the United States with one in three American adults currently considered obese. Obesity is defined as having a preponderance of body fat, and physicians use a formula known as a body mass index (BMI) that takes into account height and weight to determine whether you meet the criteria for obesity.
Significance
Obesity is a multi-factorial medical problem, with genetic, hormonal, cultural and behavioral aspects all playing a role. Behavioral factors include activity level and eating habits, including the amount eaten at each meal, the time of day that meals are eaten, whether meals are taken at a table or in front of a television and the quality of food consumed. Though many diet plans promise quick weight loss, the diet plans that result in long-term weight loss involve a sustainable change in the way you eat.
Types
A multitude of fad diets promise quick weight loss for obese patients, including the cabbage soup or grapefruit diet that requires that you subsist primarily on these foods. The Mayo Clinic Diet and the American Heart Association diet, however, offer guidance on portion size and food types to build diets that both promote weight loss and provide proper nutrition.
Features
Both the Mayo Clinic Diet and the American Heart Association diet encourage consumption of vegetables, fruits and whole-grain foods in generous amounts. Lean protein such as fish and chicken should be eaten in lesser quantities as should low-fat dairy such as skim milk and low-fat yogurt. Healthy fats such as olive oil should be used sparingly and sweets can be consumed but not on a daily basis. While it is difficult to avoid all processed foods, these tend to be high in calories, low in nutrients and less filling and so are not part of either of these diet plans. Both diets also strongly encourage regular physical activity of 30 minutes most days of the week.
Benefits
A diet plan that promotes long-term weight loss can improve your quality of life in both the short and long term. Symptoms of joint pain, difficulty sleeping and lack of energy often improve with weight loss. Losing weight also makes the complications of obesity less likely to occur, including medical issues such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, liver problems and cancer.
Considerations
Losing weight when you suffer from obesity can be difficult. It is important to remember that this will take time and that small changes will improve your quality of life in the long term. You should expect to lose one to two pounds per week even adhering to a diet plan strictly, so it may take months before you notice a considerable change in appearance. While fad diets may work more quickly, the weight typically returns as soon as the diet is stopped.
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