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FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Why should I spend the time, effort, and expense of being in a weight reduction program with behavior modification and dietary instruction when all I really want (need) are pills to lose weight?

In virtually every study, appetite suppressant medications were used as a adjunct to behavior modification and dietary instruction. ALL of the current anorexic medications lose effectiveness with time; and thus, your weight will gradually increase even though you are taking the medication(s). Behavior modification will help to identify and change behaviors that may have become associated with eating while the dietary instruction helps in understanding the nutritional composition of food (unlike mankind, not all calories are created equal). Each component will help in losing and maintaining weight loss, but (especially) medications do not work well in the long-term without the other components. Using weight-reduction medications without any other support results in being exposed to all of the potential adverse reactions to the medications with only a low probability that they will be of benefit alone.

My husband (wife, father, mother, etc.) wants me to lose weight, but I just can't seem to do it. What can you recommend?

The only person who can decide to eat or not to eat is you. If you try to lose weight for somebody else, chances are you will have temporary success . This type of situation can lead to eating disorders. Don't diet for anybody else... do it only for yourself.

I have heard of grapefruit juice and cabbage soup diets. My friends have tried these and have lost weight. How safe and effective are they?

Anytime you consume fewer calories than you expend, you will lose weight. A diet that causes weight reduction does not necessarily mean that it is a healthy diet. Going on a grapefruit juice diet or a cabbage soup diet will definitely (over time) lead to what is referred to as protein-calorie malnutrition. This means your protein intake is inadequate for your usual body needs. This will lead to breakdown of protein tissue, such as muscle tissue and internal organs, including your heart. Obviously, one would prefer not to lose weight by "losing" heart muscle, but this can happen by going on such a diet. Additionally, you will not be getting the vitamins and minerals that you need for normal daily activities. You will, however, have a large and rapid weight loss since you will be losing a lot of water (initially). Cabbage soup or grapefruit juice diets can cause permanent damage to your body. The long term effectiveness of these diets is essentially zero.

My child is overweight. What treatment options are available?

Childhood obesity is occurring with increasing frequency and is a major health concern. Individuals may have genetic predispositions to it, with obesity being more common in children when one parent is obese and much more common when both parents are obese. The increasing prevalence of childhood obesity is felt to be partially related to decreased physical activity in children of this generation compared to earlier generations. This, combined with the ready availability of palatable, high fat foods, is leading to the increase in childhood obesity. Currently, the treatment of childhood obesity primarily involves attempts at increasing exercise, decreasing the fat content of the diet, and working on behavioral changes. More dramatic approaches including medications and protein-sparing modified fasts are utilized for severely obese children with major medical complications from their obesity.

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