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Treatments for Obesity

by Cynthia M. Johnson, MA

En Español (Spanish Version)

Treatment

Talking to Your Doctor

Resource Guide

Animation Movie Available Related Media: Overcoming Your Obstacles to Exercising

The goal of treatment is to lower weight to a point where it is no longer a health risk. A person should try to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week until a goal weight is reached and maintained.

Obesity is treated with:

Lifestyle changes

Medications

Surgery

Alternative and complementary therapies

Other treatments

REFERENCES:

Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline on pharmacological management of obesity can be found in J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2015 Feb;100(2):342-362.

Obesity. Merck Manual Professional Version website. Available at: http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/nutritional-disorders/obesity-and-the-metabolic-syndrome/obesity. Updated January 2020. Accessed January 31, 2020.

Obesity in adults. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:https://www.dynamed.com/condition/obesity-in-adults. Updated November 30, 2018. Accessed January 31, 2020.

Obesity in children and adolescents. EBSCO DynaMed website.https://www.dynamed.com/condition/obesity-in-children-and-adolescents. Updated October 30, 2019. Accessed January 31, 2020.

Treatment. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website. Available at: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/obe/treatment. Accessed January 31, 2020.

Last reviewed November 2019 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Daniel A. Ostrovsky, MD Last Updated: 2/9/2021

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