The Weight Loss Spectrum

Obesity occurs for a variety of different reasons, but the result is almost always the same — it erodes your self-esteem, impedes your life and can put your health at risk. And you’re not alone. The CDC reports that 67% of U.S. adults are overweight, and 34% are considered obese¹.

The spectrum of weight loss choices available to help you lose weight continues to grow. Some are safe. Some are not. And how well they work is different for just about everyone.

The weight loss spectrum ranges from basic calorie counting and exercise, to group programs, meal replacements and prescription medications. Some people have achieved lasting weight loss with these options, but even more have seen minor weight loss that comes right back — usually bringing a few extra pounds with it.

Studies show that obese patients on diets, exercise programs, or weight-loss medications lose approximately 10% of their body weight, but tend to regain two-thirds of their weight back within one year — and most of their weight within five years.²

If this has happened to you, it doesn’t mean you’re a failure or that you didn’t make a sincere effort. It just means that these methods aren’t right for you — and that, maybe, it’s time to try a different approach.

Weight loss surgery is an option that has been proven successful for people who thought they were destined to be overweight forever. For years, the only weight loss surgery options were Sleeve Gastrectomy and Gastric Bypass. But a safer, less-invasive weight loss surgery option is also available — the Lap Band System. It’s proven effective, and it may just be the weight loss tool you’ve been looking for.

¹Source: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/overwt.htm
²Source: American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists/American College of Endocrinology Obesity Task Force. AACE/ACE Position Statement on the Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Obesity (1998 Revision). Endocr Pract. 1998;4:297-350