A Surgery Free Weight Loss Option For Permanent Weight Loss?

A study published in the International Journal of Obesity has concluded that there is a surgery free weight loss option that can help people lose weight comparable to bariatric surgeries, including gastric bypass and the Lap Band system. However, the study also revealed that there were a number of flaws with this weight loss plan that made it less than optimal.

In that study, the researchers found that women who were able to stick with the year long plan lost just over forty pounds, with men losing nearly ten pounds more at the end of that year. The plan had its problems though, with almost half of the participants quitting before the end of the year. Additionally, 75% of the weight that had been lost by the participants was regained at the end of three years.

The problem with weight gain and obesity is not only how it affects the individual but the world in general. Currently, obesity is one of the world’s greatest health threats, directly linked to a number of potentially serious, chronic conditions. It also is one of the largest areas of health care spending, worldwide.

Weight loss surgery has been around for decades but has only come to the forefront of attention because of the obesity epidemic. That problem is the worst in America but the European nations are also seeing huge increases in obesity rates. Germany launched the Fit not Fat campaign but the numbers have not changed at all.

Stephen Bischoff, the lead author of the study revealed that the program was not just dieting or exercise but a multi-pronged program that includes those factors plus behavioral therapy, group meetings, nutritional counseling and other aspects. The program is a derivative of the Nestle based Optifast program which is also available in the United States. The US program is much shorter, coming in at just over 18 weeks.

In Bischoff’s program, over 8000 participants were asked to follow the program for the full year. the average weight of the women in the program was nearly 250 pounds while men weighed in at just over 300, on average. If the participants managed to stay until the end of the program, they were all able to lose a great deal of weight, in most cases, just over half of their excess weight by the end of the year. Gastric bypass and other types of weight loss surgeries give results that are only slightly higher but come with a number of serious complications and can be very expensive. That was one of the issues that Americans have had with the Optifast program there, it’s extraordinarily high price. Side effects were rare with the Optifast program, affecting less than 1% of the participants.

After weight loss surgery, it is less likely that the weight will be regained. With the Optifast program, the results were typically short term, lasting no more than three years in most cases.

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