Obesity Treatment Options

Obesity is becoming an epidemic in the US as well as in developing countries. According to standard tables, it is estimated that one-third of US adults (72 million and more) and 16% of US children are overweight or obese. Previously, obesity was perceived as a problem of rich income countries, but since a few years, it has been increasing at an alarming rate in lower and middle income countries as well, especially in the urban areas. Due to the concerns generated by this rising problem, obesity treatment options are being seriously considered by medical professionals and patients alike.

Obesity or the condition of being overweight is medically defined as excessive accretion of fat that causes adverse effects on health. Obesity develops only when calorie consumption of the body is more than what it burns. Obesity is measured by the Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI differentiates between 'overweight' and 'obese' : it statistically considers you 'overweight' if your BMI is between 25 and 29.9 and if your BMI is above 30, then you are defined as 'obese'. And lastly, if your BMI is greater than 40, you will be considered as morbidly obese.

Causes of Obesity
Research has shown that genetic or hereditary factors are the main causes of obesity. There have been a number of tests that have proved that human genes play a vital role in gaining weight. This is seen in the ample cases of childhood obesity as well as teenage obesity. Another main cause of obesity is sedentary lifestyle, playing a very significant role in obesity. Consuming a lot of fatty foods with no exercise or lack of physical activities is the main culprit behind the rise in childhood and teenage obesity. Obesity in an individual causes chronic health diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis and certain types of cancer. Obesity is the leading cause due to which the number of type 2 diabetes cases are increasing at an alarming rate every year.

Obesity Treatment Options
Before knowing about the different obesity treatment options, one should be aware that treatment depends on the overall health condition, the grade of obesity as well as the patient's motivation for losing weight. You should set a specific goal and work towards that goal. Also take an appointment with a doctor and seek his expert advice about the obesity treatment options available for you. The following are the essential treatment modalities for obesity. Except surgery, the others can also be useful to prevent obesity and obesity related problems.

Diet: The patients suffering from obesity should follow a strict diet plan. They must take low calorie food items. They should do a lot of physical activities and exercise along with the diet plan, to achieve good results. Basically, obese patients should consume less calories. The patient should include plenty of green vegetables, fruits and cereals that are low caloric in their meals. The patient should daily consume fresh fruit juices of lemon, grapes, orange, pineapple, etc. In addition, the patient should avoid taking non-vegetarian food, milk products, oily and fried items and sugar and sweets, etc. Everyday the obese patient should consume plenty of water. It helps him to beat the hunger pangs, caused due to less intake of food as well as results in good body functioning. Read more on diet plans.

Exercise: In order to avail quick results, the next treatment option for obesity is regular exercise. One should regularly go for a morning walk. A brisk walk gives very effective results. Obesity patients of all age groups should practice Yoga that helps to stay fit. One should try to exercise in a gym at least 3 to 4 days in a week. Also you can try to do some simple exercises at home, like, push ups, sit ups, etc. that definitely tones your belly, thighs, buttocks and other parts of the body. Read more on fat burning exercises.

Surgery: Surgery is the last obesity treatment option for the obese patients who are classified under "morbid obesity". Morbid obesity patients are defined as those who may not be able to control their weight by any other means other than surgery. Obesity Surgery should be opted as the last resort and the only effective measure of treatment for severe obesity. After the weight loss surgery, the patient has to take care of his diet, behavioral habits and improve his physical activities and in doing so will find encouraging results.

Nowadays, surgical operations are gaining lot of acceptance from the masses to treat severe cases of obesity. The few types of weight loss surgeries recommended by US National Institutes of Health are Gastric Bypass and Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding. Read more on weight loss surgery for obesity.

In addition to the above mentioned obesity treatment options, there are also effective weight loss pills for obesity which are approved by medical authorities. But it is always advisable to seek expert medical advice before opting for these and other obesity treatments.