Weight Management products and services
Weight management options/services
Counselling
Weight Management counselling is like having a coach for your journey. Along with developing a program of exercise and nutrition, they support you in understanding your barriers and values in order to get on the road to success. A weight management counsellor can support you to set goals and track your progress, as well as offering motivational support.
meal replacements and kits
Meal replacements and meal kits are products offered commercially that can be of support of your weight management goals. They can include shakes, individual meals, and raw ingredients to make food. they offer the benefit of having specified calories per meal, and are generally nutritionally balanced. They are particularly useful as a convenient replacement for takeaway food and as part of a weight loss program. When used as part of a very low calorie diet plan, there are risks to health such as gallstones and malnutrition. Click here for the risks of rapid weight loss.
weight loss programs
Weight loss programs are a strategy for an individual to meet their goals. It takes into account the individual person, their goals, support and environment and is often done as part of weight management counselling services. It includes meal plans and exercise plans.
MEDICATIONS
In more recent years, medications have become popular for weight loss. When used in combination with lifestyle changes they can be useful in reducing hunger but there are risks associated with them also. These risks are similar to those from surgery such as gall bladder risks, malnutrition (where diet isn’t adjusted), hypoglycaemia, as well as side effects of nausea, diarrhea, headaches and vomiting. Medication for weight management should be prescribed by a medical practitioner in conjunction with guidance on lifestyle change.
Medications carry with them a long-term financial cost, especially when not paired with lifestyle counselling and lifestyle change. Coming off weight loss medications without these interventions can result in regain. Medications alone do not address your psychological causes of weight gain.
(source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-diabetes/expert-answers/byetta/faq-20057955)
Surgical options
Surgery should be considered only after other options have failed to be successful and where the risks of obesity outweigh the possible risks of surgery.
Exercise and other lifestyle changes are recommended.
Surgery options include laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, gastric sleeve, and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. There are benefits and risks to surgery which are listed below.
Benefits
The main benefit of weight loss surgery is that it can result in immediate and quick results. It does this through restricting how much food a person can eat and/or by limiting absorption of fat and calories are absorbed. Where a person’s weight puts them at high risk of serious health issues, surgery results in weight loss to reduce their risk of life-threatening health conditions.
Risks
There are many risks of weight loss surgery. For surgery that restricts the quantity of food eaten, there is a higher risk of malnutrition, especially where the types of food consumed are low in nutrition. Surgery should be accompanied with nutritional education to manage malnutrition risks.
Due to the fast weight loss associated with surgery, gall stones are also a concern.
Surgical risks include:
- Excessive bleeding
- Infection
- Reactions to anesthesia
- Blood clots
- Lung or breathing problems
- Leaks in your gastrointestinal system
- Rarely, death
Risks associated with the outcome of the surgery include:
- Bowel obstruction.
- Dumping syndrome, a condition that leads to diarrhea, flushing, lightheadedness, nausea or vomiting
- Gallstones
- Hernias
- Low blood sugar, called hypoglycemia
- Malnutrition
- Ulcers
- Vomiting
- Acid reflux
- The need for a second surgery or procedure, called a revision
(source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/bariatric-surgery/about/pac-20394258)