Weigh Less Live Longer Strategies For Successful Weight Loss: Obesity

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Weigh Less, Live Longer: Strategies for successful weight loss

If you've struggled to lose weight, you're certainly in good company. Two of every three Americans are overweight — a trend that's prompted us to spend about $50 billion on weight-loss products and services each year. More worrisome is the growing number of people whose weight is endangering their health. Since 1980, the prevalence of adults who have obesity* has doubled, from about 15% to 30%. Excess weight raises the risk of numerous health problems, including some of the nation's leading killers — namely, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers. In fact, experts fear that the rising obesity rates in today's children may mean the next generation will have a shorter life span than their parents.

Despite the many reports heralding discoveries of genes that cause obesity, most people recognize that environmental and social factors are largely to blame for Americans' expanding girth. Of course, the easy availability of high-calorie foods is part of the problem. Lack of regular exercise, combined with long commutes to largely sedentary jobs, is another. But there's a growing awareness that other factors, such as increased stress and lack of adequate sleep, can wreak havoc with the body's internal balancing system, which can also contribute to weight gain.

This report explores the various reasons people gain weight and what they can do to lose it. Many people have unrealistic expectations about how much weight they need to lose. Losing just small amounts of weight — about 10% of your body weight — can lead to improvements in your health. The emphasis has shifted more toward trying to eat a healthy diet, rather than trying to become thin. Exercise is important, too. Not only does exercise burn calories both while you're doing it and afterward (by boosting your metabolic rate), it also helps curb your appetite.

This report also provides details on the science behind many popular weight-loss diets, as well as information on programs to help people shed pounds, from organized self-help programs to medically supervised, hospital-based services. You'll learn which weight-loss supplement ingredients to avoid and which you might (cautiously) consider trying. Information on prescription drugs for weight loss is also included, as well as descriptions and illustrations of the two most common surgeries for weight loss. Finally, there's a section on weight-loss maintenance that includes tips on keeping weight off — which can be just as challenging as losing weight in the first place.

*When possible, this report follows an emerging trend among medical experts, who prefer to use "person with obesity" instead of "obese person." This change reflects an effort to reduce bias against people who have this condition.

Last updated:	June 20, 2007