Weight Management and Esthetics

By Kavian S. Milani, MD

Virginia Family Medicine

. http://www.virginiafamilymed.com/

More Weight Control, Nutrition & Exercise Articles

Weight Management and Esthetics

The good news is that everyone who wants to lose weight can do so with some help. The following plan has been found to be useful for patients as they embark on a weight loss plan and has allowed long term and sustained weight maintenance. This program when performed with a reasonable walking program will give great results.

Recent studies have uncovered some interesting characteristics in esthetics oriented weight loss. Walking in a setting of medically managed weight loss does produce great results. First, weight gaining and metabolism slowing increases with decreasing BMI and decreases with increasing BMI. The former is fundamental in explaining the aforementioned compensatory hunger drive that accompanies weight loss and, interestingly enough, the latter may explain why patients with anorexia have a difficult time maintaining a normal appetite after attempts to gain weight.

Another study found that patients that are weight cycling (defined as losing more than 10 pounds multiple times within the span of several years) have higher average blood concentrations of weight gaining hormones than non-cycling patients.

Most importantly, researchers have found that even one year after a weight loss program, levels of circulating weight gaining and metabolism slowing remained higher than before weight loss program was instituted. This finding is key to helping ensure a successful weight loss regimen.

We currently have no drugs that can directly target the weight gaining and metabolism slowing signaling system, but we do have access to medications, such as Saxenda and/or phentermine, that have different mechanisms of suppressing appetite and opposing the weight gaining and metabolism slowing tide that swells during weight loss. When willpower alone may fail in weight management, countering the effects of weight gaining and metabolism slowing will prevent our fundamental physiology from undermining our progress.
The really good news is that the correct use of medications can really enhance the original weight loss, and counter the body's attempts to reverse the weight loss. There are amazing medications available, all FDA approved with an excellent track record in a good medically supervised weight management program. Weight loss medications need to be highly personalized and there are no “cookie-cutter” approaches or shortcuts.

The next installment of the series will explore the role of stress, happiness and the psychology of weight loss in esthetics.