I recently did some research about medical weight loss programs and I was once more astounded by the sheer range of available schemes: ”Weekly Lipo Injections”, “BioShake Supply”, “30-day Boost Supplement”, “30-day MitoBlast Supplement”, appetite suppressants, bars, shakes and even cookies. Weight loss surgery seems to be a biggie and there are plenty of people who advocate yet more pills, shakes and special foods.
How can we distinguish between real, sensible medical weight loss programs and … well … the rest?
Medical weight loss programs are extreme solutions
Sometimes there are fundamental reasons for people being overweight or obese such as thyroid issues, food intolerances, reactions to medication, hormone imbalances or even a lack of leptin (a hormone present in fat cells which signals to the brain that you’re full). And it is true that extreme weight loss measures can work in many such cases. Although it is debatable whether they are truly sustainable, or whether they are little more than emergency measures.
For most of us, there is no excuse
In most cases we eat too much of the wrong food, with very little daily activity. Our modern lifestyles and relative wealth make it way too easy for us to head for the fridge and consume to your hearts’ desire.
Keep this in mind when you choose a weight loss program. Any program offering amazing results in no time with no effort is lying. Maintaining healthy weight takes effort, mind-full eating & shopping, planning and careful decision making. These factors need to be in place every day of your life, and such habits should ideally be instilled from a young age.
You can choose the best program in the world, with the best therapists and doctors, but if you don’t really, really want to stop eating Crispy Crémes and hot dogs, or stop drinking sweet fizzy drinks and juices, I’m afraid you will struggle. You may lose some weight, but before long it will start creeping back on.
Be critical, and check out the track record
A good weight loss program needs to be individual, measurable and focused on the metabolism. It should advocate behaviour change, and encourage real whole foods and home cooking. Regular support should be available providing genuine care, passion and empathy from the coach/practitioner. And make sure that you have a look at the program’s track record – what kind of results does it achieve, and for whom?
It is also important to ensure your practitioner’s knowledge about weight management is up to date. Just counting calories or omitting major food groups is NOT a good approach and neither is advocating low fat, processed pre-packaged food and cereals for breakfast.
Losing weight is not only about looking and feeling good. Your health and life is on the line here – it’s time to make informed choices!
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