Work with a doctor to determine how much weight you need to lose and how best to take it off. A weight loss of just 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can lead to health benefits, including improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol levels. If you weigh 200 pounds, that means a weight loss of 10 to 20 pounds. How you take off the weight may depend on how much you need to lose.
Lifestyle Changes
Diet and exercise are the foundations of any weight loss plan. The best type of diet for weight loss is one that features plant-based foods like fruits and vegetables, along with whole grains and lean protein sources (fish, skinless chicken breast, tofu). It’s also low in processed foods and sugar.
Experts recommend doing 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercises like walking or bike riding each week, though this amount might not be enough to promote weight loss. Increasing to 300 minutes a week is a better approach to losing weight and maintaining weight loss.
Medication
If you’ve tried diet and exercise but you haven’t lost enough weight, medication may be an option. Weight loss medications work by helping you feel full sooner or by preventing your body from absorbing as much fat from food.
To get a prescription for weight loss medication, you need to meet one of these criteria:
- A BMI of 30 or higher
- A BMI of 27 or higher, plus a weight-related health condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure
Commonly prescribed weight loss medications include:
These medicines have helped people lose 3 percent to 12 percent more of their starting weight than would be possible without weight loss drugs. Because the medications can cause side effects, it’s important to carefully evaluate the benefits and risks with your doctor.
Weight Loss Surgery
Bariatric surgery, or weight loss surgery, is another option for people who are struggling to lose weight. During these procedures, the surgeon removes most of the stomach (gastric sleeve) or creates a smaller stomach pouch and attaches the small intestine to it (gastric bypass). The goal of these surgeries is to make you feel full on a smaller amount of food.
These procedures can help you lose a lot of weight, but they do come with risks and they’re not for everyone. To qualify for weight loss surgery, you must have:
- A BMI of 40 or higher, or
- A BMI of 35 or higher, plus a serious weight-related health condition like type 2 diabetes or heart disease, or
- A BMI of 30 or higher with type 2 diabetes that is difficult to control with other treatments
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