Alternative Treatments for Obesity - Diet and Nutrition

Alternative Treatments for Obesity

It is extremely difficult to help obese patients lose a large amount of excess weight. Rather than using staples to shrink the stomach, or dF-like drugs which may be toxic, a holistic weight-loss program may be the answer. Some holistic diet programs have been successful in a limited number of clinical trials. But they must be total mind/body programs incorporating nutritional counseling, VLCDs, exercise, and group therapy.

VLCDs clearly produce rapid weight loss in the first several weeks of a treatment program. However, obese patients tend to regain the same amount of weight–or even more–once the VLCD is discontinued unless their lifestyle is altered through behavior modification. Holistic physicians emphasize educating patients to monitor their own health and eating habits, and help them dramatically alter the amount and pattern of what they eat. The patients must also exercise to increase their energy expenditure and demonstrate self-awareness and assertiveness. In one clinical trial, only 10% of obese patients who were given two weeks of behavior modification (BMOD) prior to a VLCD regained weight, whereas 33% who were not given the BMOD prior to the VLCD regained weight, reports R. O. Kramath in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 's July 1992 issue.