Natural methods
Despite these drawbracks a number of supplements can prove a beneficial addition to a weight-loss program:
Today, advances in stomach-shrinking surgery offer real hope for the severely obese. You could be a candidate for an operation that blocks off part of your stomach if you are more than 45 k over-weight, have a BMI of 35 to 40 and perhaps a related medical condition, such as diabetes or high blood pressure. The dramatic results in weight loss occur because after surgery you feel full, even if you eat only a small amount of food.
TYPES OF STOMACH-SHRINKING SURGERY
PROMISING DEVELOPMENTS
Drug research may eventually provide some surprising solutions in the battle against obesity.
LIPOSUCTION: IT'S NOT A MAGIC BULLET
Every year millions of women (and men) fail to win their battle against 'love handles' and excess fat in the hips, thighs, buttocks and problem areas. In frustration they turn to liposuction, a type of cosmetic surgery that literally vacuums, fat out of the body.
Consider carefully before committing yourself to surgery, however. Liposuction doesn't mean you can eat anything you want afterwards, nor does it mean you'll be in a bikini the next day (it can take six weeks or longer for the swelling to go down). And while the procedure may improve the look of your cottage-cheese thighs, it won't transform you from a size 18 into a size 8. Moreover, liposuction is not without risks. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery offers the following guidelines for those people who are considering liposuction:
The alternative to banding is a gastric bypass operation. In this procedure, the surgeon creates a small pouch at the top of the stomach from where the food passes directly into a bypass tube into the small intestine. The small pouch creates the sensation of fullness after very little food. This operation is more complex and surgically riskier than gastric banding, although it does result in more rapid weight loss--up to 70 percent of excess weight in the first 12 months.
Obviously if you're moderately overweight, gastric surgery isn't for you. However, many overweight women and men are turning to a type of cosmetic surgery called liposuction (also known as lipoplasty or suction--assisted lipectomy) to get rid of their unsightly fat ripples (see box above). In recent years, thousands of people have had liposuction for conventional weight loss, liposuction is most successful at improving body image. After you've had it, you'll be need to eat right and exercise to maintain your new look.
Despite these drawbracks a number of supplements can prove a beneficial addition to a weight-loss program:
- Green tea is good for you because of its antioxidants, and one Swiss study showed that three daily doses of green tea extract helped burn more kilojoules than similar doses of caffeine.
- Psyllium, the soluble fibre from the husk of psyllium seeds, absorbs water in the stomach and may create a feeling of fullness.
- Chromium picolinate supplements can help people with diabetes with mild glucose intolerance and may also help people with diabetes but most studies don't support claims that chromium increases weight loss or that it changes body composition. Still, some dieters report that the supplement reduces their sugar cravings.
Today, advances in stomach-shrinking surgery offer real hope for the severely obese. You could be a candidate for an operation that blocks off part of your stomach if you are more than 45 k over-weight, have a BMI of 35 to 40 and perhaps a related medical condition, such as diabetes or high blood pressure. The dramatic results in weight loss occur because after surgery you feel full, even if you eat only a small amount of food.
TYPES OF STOMACH-SHRINKING SURGERY
PROMISING DEVELOPMENTS
Drug research may eventually provide some surprising solutions in the battle against obesity.
- Metformin (Glucophage), a diabetes drug, improves insulin sensitivity in people with diabetes and has a 'side effect' of preventing weight gain. Studies are ongoing to see if it will help people who don't have diabetes to lose some weight.
- A study at MCGill University has found that mice with low levels of protein tyrosine phosphate (PTB1B), a signalling protein in the brain's hypothalamus, gain less weight. Drug companies are already busy trying to identify drugs trying to identify drugs that could turn off PTB1B in people.
LIPOSUCTION: IT'S NOT A MAGIC BULLET
Every year millions of women (and men) fail to win their battle against 'love handles' and excess fat in the hips, thighs, buttocks and problem areas. In frustration they turn to liposuction, a type of cosmetic surgery that literally vacuums, fat out of the body.
Consider carefully before committing yourself to surgery, however. Liposuction doesn't mean you can eat anything you want afterwards, nor does it mean you'll be in a bikini the next day (it can take six weeks or longer for the swelling to go down). And while the procedure may improve the look of your cottage-cheese thighs, it won't transform you from a size 18 into a size 8. Moreover, liposuction is not without risks. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery offers the following guidelines for those people who are considering liposuction:
- Be sure that your expectations are realistic. Liposuction is meant for body contouring and recommended only for people who want to remove small amounts of fatty deposits. As a general rule, this means only people who are mildly overweight, or those within 30% of their ideal body of weight.
- Select a qualified surgeon with appropriate experience. Ask for verification in writing of the doctor's privileges to perform liposuction in an accredited hospital. If the doctor operates in a surgery, ask for proof of the surgical facility's accrediation.
- Give an accurate medical history and be sure to report all medications you take, even herbal supplements.
- Discuss the procedure thoroughly with your doctor and make sure you understand the difference between the various type of liposuction. Ask questions. If your doctor can't answer them, or dismisses them as unimportant, find another doctor.
- Understand which type of anaesthesia is recommended. If it includes deep sedation, be sure that certified staff who have appropirate training will administer it.
- Talk about any risks and pre-and postoperative care.
The alternative to banding is a gastric bypass operation. In this procedure, the surgeon creates a small pouch at the top of the stomach from where the food passes directly into a bypass tube into the small intestine. The small pouch creates the sensation of fullness after very little food. This operation is more complex and surgically riskier than gastric banding, although it does result in more rapid weight loss--up to 70 percent of excess weight in the first 12 months.
Obviously if you're moderately overweight, gastric surgery isn't for you. However, many overweight women and men are turning to a type of cosmetic surgery called liposuction (also known as lipoplasty or suction--assisted lipectomy) to get rid of their unsightly fat ripples (see box above). In recent years, thousands of people have had liposuction for conventional weight loss, liposuction is most successful at improving body image. After you've had it, you'll be need to eat right and exercise to maintain your new look.
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