Let's Talk: Obesity & Weight Management
With nearly 40% (94 million) of the US population currently considered obese, it is recommended that lifestyle modifications be adopted long term to avoid complications associated with this disease, such as diabetes, hypertension, elevated cholesterol, sleep apnea, heart failure, stroke, renal disease, erectile dysfunction and vascular inflammation.
It is also extremely important to determine if an individual is Metabolically Healthy Obese (MHO) or Metabolically Unhealthy Obese (MUO). The long term prognosis is significantly different for these two entities. Several simple tests can reveal where an obese individual is at and what type of lifestyle and medications may be needed to avoid progressing from MHO to MUO. For those already with MUO, such as Metabolic Syndrome with Insulin resistance, weight loss and cardiovascular risk factor control are both imperative.
Lifestyle optimization through a consistent long term diet and an active lifestyle are the pillars of treatment. Different dietary approaches such as the Mediterranean Diet, Low Carbohydrate Diets, Ketosis or Paleo diets, an Atkins diet, Intermittent Fasting Approaches such as the CRON 5:2 diet or the 16:8 diet, the important factor is to understand each with their positives and negatives, and optimize the quality of each. I prefer the Mediterranean Diet since it has the most evidence based research on outcomes especially in the MUO such as those with diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
On occasion, mental health counseling and appetite suppressants may be prescribed.
So are you MHO or MUO? Come and see me to find out and I will work with you to reach short and long term weight loss and overall health goals!
