slimming

Genes do not destine people to a lifetime of obesity, however. Environment also strongly influences obesity. This includes lifestyle behaviors such as what a person eats and his or her level of physical activity. Americans tend to eat high-fat foods, and put taste and convenience slimming ahead of nutrition. Also, most Americans do not get enough physical activity.

Although you cannot change your genetic makeup, you can change your eating habits and levels of activity. Try these techniques that have helped some people lose weight and keep it off:

Learn how to choose more slimming nutritious meals that are lower in fat.

Learn to recognize and control environmental cues (like inviting smells) that make you want to eat when you're not hungry.

Become more physically active.

Keep records of your food intake and physical activity.

Several weight-loss medications are available to treat obesity. In general, these medications are modestly effective, leading to an average weight loss of 5 to 22 pounds above that expected with non-drug obesity treatments. People respond differently to weight-loss medications, and some people experience more weight loss than slimming others. Some obese patients using medication lose more than 10 percent of their starting body weight--an amount of weight loss that may reduce risk factors for obesity-related diseases, such as high blood pressure or diabetes. Maximum weight loss usually occurs within 6 months of starting medication treatment. Weight then tends slimming to level off or increase during the remainder of treatment. Studies suggest that if a patient does not lose at least 4 pounds over 4 weeks on a particular medication, then that medication is unlikely to help the patient achieve significant weight loss. Few studies have looked at how safe slimming or effective these medications are when taken for more than 1 year. Both orlistat and sibutramine have been studied for as long as 2 years in some patients.

Some antidepressant medications have been studied as appetite-suppressant medications. While these medications are FDA approved for the treatment of depression, their slimming use in weight loss is an off-label use. Studies of these medications generally have found that patients lost modest amounts of weight for up to 6 months. However, most studies have found that patients who lost weight while taking antidepressant medications tended to regain weight while they were still on slimming the drug treatment. Amphetamines and closely related compounds are not recommended for use in the treatment of obesity due to their potential for abuse and dependence.