The Secret of Weight Loss: Diet Plan that Really Works

When you gain weight, you lose attraction as well as your health. This is why obesity is disheartened by modern society. The incidence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, angina pectoris and myocardial infarction is higher among obese individuals.

Usually the obese are physically less active than the slim ones. Many obese individuals show psychological disturbances and a compulsive desire to eat, though such individuals may not derive satisfaction from the act of eating. In an obese individual if an organic cause is present it should be treated appropriately. Obesity due to endocrine disturbances falls in this category.

Commonly, obesity is due to excessive eating and lack of adequate exercise. Diet is the mainstay of the treatment of obesity. For successful result the patient must be adequately motivated by the concept of positive health. It must also be emphasized that dietary treatment of obesity really consists of life long reorientation of his eating habits (and often those of his family) and not merely of a course of dieting. Individuals who look upon dieting as a course of treatment are bound to regain the lost weight and ultimately resign themselves to a crippled life of obesity.

There are as many diets for obesity. It has however been convincingly shown that in the long run nothing about the diet matters except its caloric content. Hence the best diet is one which is low in caloric content (1000 to 1500 per day), contains all the essential nutrients, provides a variety and is simple for the patient to follow for long periods.

If the patient realizes the importance of dieting and exercise and if he has the necessary will, then in most of the cases the treatment of obesity is not difficult and can easily be carried out at home without the help of obesity clinics and health clubs. Sometimes even with the best motivation drastic reduction in the customary food intake is initially a trying experience. In such cases appetite suppressants may help the patient to adjust himself to his prescribed diet. It must be emphasized, however, that these drugs only supplement and are not a substitute for the dietary restrictions.