Here Are Some of Your Medical Weight Loss Options?

Are you considering a medical weight loss procedure to get rid of those extra pounds? When it comes to weight loss, some may do very well with a solid diet plan and exercise. However, while this approach works for some, still others will find they need medications or a medical procedure to acquire their ideal weight. While these procedures can be perceived as appealing, involving little effort in reaching a healthy weight, these interventions still require some lifestyle changes in diet as well as the implementation of an exercise program. Medications and medical procedures can have a positive effect on a person’s weight; however, the initial weight loss can be undermined by bad diet choices and inactivity. Below we will discuss some of the medications and procedures used in medical weight loss.

Contrave, a medication often prescribed for weight management, combines a combination of drugs used in the treatment of depression, smoking, alcohol and opiate addiction. Persons who have used this drug for weight loss purposes have reported an 8 percent drop in over all body weight. Contrave works by way of reducing the food cravings a patient experiences. However, this medication has only been tested in clinical trials and the Food and Drug Administration has not approved Contrave for public sale. While Contrave did exceed the FDA’s standards for weight loss management, diet experts are still somewhat skeptical as to the effects this drug may have on the general public.

Xenical, approved by the FDA in 1999, is a prescription strength drug used to treat obesity. A low dose variant by the name of Alli was approved in 2007 for over-the-counter use. By comparison, a prescription for Xenical instructs that it should be taken three times per day while the low dose version, Alli, should be taken with meals up to three times a day.

While Alli can be used by anyone needing help in weight loss, Xenical is available only through prescription and is prescribed for those persons considered to be substantially overweight. Alli and Xenical works by inhibiting the intestines ability to absorb fat. Alli, in clinical trials, was shown to increase weight loss by as much as 60 percent when accompanied by a low calorie diet. While this medication does assist in shedding unwanted pounds, a proper diet and exercise program will need to be instituted for success. However, misuse of this dietary drug can lead to gas with oily spotting, loose stools and stools that are hard to control.

While many have implemented medications for weight loss, still others have volunteered to undergo some form of bariatric surgery as a means to weight loss. Today, the treatment is termed as “metabolic surgery” in the medical establishment as it has proven effective for not only weight loss, but also improves diabetes and cholesterol. Bariatric surgeries tend to be reserved for those who are substantially over weight, being used often as a preemptive strike against ailments associated with obesity, such as diabetes and/or sleep apnea. As with all other methods of medical weight loss treatments, a number of lifestyle changes will be required of the patient before long-term success will be realized.

Liposuction is yet another medical weight loss option where measured amounts of fat are removed or sucked from areas of the body. Though not a major weight loss strategy, it is primarily used as a toning procedure for certain areas with as much as 12 pounds of fat being removed throughout the process. Liposuction is more a cosmetic procedure than a weight loss procedure, enabling a person to tone certain areas of the body. This procedure is not a substitute for an actual weight loss program.

Medical weight loss, in all its various forms, can be a successful tool for those individuals who are struggling with weight loss as well as those who are significantly over weight. However, while these methods do work, they are not exclusive of a solid diet plan as well as an exercise program.