- In what cases is obesity treated with drugs or injections?
Obesity in the long term can shorten a person’s lifespan and must be treated. Obesity medications can only be used if the body mass index (BMI) is 30 or higher if there is no disease or 27 or higher and if there are other diseases. You should consult your doctor about taking obesity medication if you have difficulty controlling your appetite or need to lose weight for various health reasons.
**Note that when using slimming pills to lose weight, you should continue to take medications to control chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, and not stop taking the medication immediately after losing weight.
- Is it okay to just take medicine or do I have to combine exercise and diet?
Even if you take weight loss pills, you still have to adhere to your exercise lifestyle and adjust your diet. When taking weight loss pills, your appetite is suppressed so you will eat less, but if you do not exercise, you will lose muscle mass, leading to a decrease in basal metabolic rate. This is the main cause of the yo-yo effect in the future. If you stop taking obesity medication and start eating again while your basal metabolic rate is decreasing, you will quickly gain weight again, mainly from fat and not muscle, making weight loss even more difficult. than before.
- Is bariatric surgery necessary?
Bariatric surgery is a surgical procedure that limits the size of the stomach or creates a bypass from the stomach to the small intestine to treat severe obesity and related complications. In cases where severe obesity requires treatment, surgical treatment is recommended because diet, exercise, and medication alone will not result in as much weight loss as desired.
Those eligible for bariatric surgery treatment based on insurance standards (for Koreans) are those with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or higher and grade 3 obesity or higher or people with a body mass index of 30 or higher and comorbidities such as high blood pressure, diabetes or arthritis. Surgery is also performed on patients who have not lost weight even with adequate exercise and dietary control.
Because the potential for a yo-yo effect is relatively low, this surgery may be more effective than taking weight loss pills for severely obese patients with a very high body mass index. Surgery has been shown to result in greater weight loss than lifestyle changes or drug therapy and may prolong the patient’s lifespan and is also useful in treating the metabolic diseases that accompany the disease. obese patients.
- If you really want to diet successfully, what goals should you set?
If you want to lose weight, you need to set realistic goals and stick to things that can be easily accomplished. For example, when it comes to diet control, instead of cutting out many foods at once, you should monitor your daily eating habits and decide to gradually change each habit that causes weight gain. . When you decide to give up a bad habit such as drinking alcohol, snacking or eating late at night, your body will automatically form a new habit, then the possibility of successful weight loss will be higher if you continue to do it yourself. and perfect the next goal little by little.
Regarding exercise, it is not necessary to start with a specific weight loss exercise, but first make an effort to move more in daily activities.
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