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Prevention
By Mayo Clinic staffWhether you're at risk of becoming obese, currently overweight or at a healthy weight, you can take steps to prevent unhealthy weight gain and related health problems. Not surprisingly, the steps to prevent weight gain are the same as the steps to lose weight: daily exercise, a healthy diet, and a long-term commitment to watch what you eat and drink.
- Exercise regularly. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, you need to get 150 to 250 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week to prevent weight gain. Moderately intense physical activities include fast walking and swimming.
- Eat healthy meals and snacks. Focus on low-calorie, nutrient-dense foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Avoid saturated fat and limit sweets and alcohol. You can still enjoy small amounts of high-fat, high-calorie foods as an infrequent treat. Just be sure to choose foods that promote a healthy weight and good health more often than you choose foods that don't.
- Know and avoid the food traps that cause you to eat. Identify situations that trigger out-of-control eating. Try keeping a journal and write down what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you're feeling and how hungry you are. After a while, you should see patterns emerge. You can plan ahead and develop strategies for handling these types of situations and stay in control of your eating behaviors.
- Monitor your weight regularly. People who weigh themselves at least once a week are more successful in keeping off excess pounds. Monitoring your weight can tell you whether your efforts are working and can help you detect small weight gains before they become big problems.
- Be consistent. Sticking to your healthy-weight plan during the week, on the weekends, and amidst vacation and holidays as much as possible increases your chances of long-term success.
References
- Defining overweight and obesity. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/defining.html. Accessed March 14, 2012.
- Bope ET, et al. Conn's Current Therapy. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4377-0986-5..C2009-0-38984-9--TOP&isbn=978-1-4377-0986-5&about=true&uniqId=236797353-5. Accessed March 14, 2012.
- Bray GA. Etiology and natural history of obesity. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed March 14, 2012.
- Health care guideline: Prevention and management of obesity (mature adolescents and adults). Bloomington, Minn.: Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement. http://www.icsi.org/obesity/obesity_3398.html. Accessed Feb. 7, 2012.
- Understanding adult obesity. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/understanding.htm. Accessed March 15, 2012.
- Bray GA. Overview of therapy for obesity in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed March 14, 2012.
- The practical guide: Identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/. Accessed March 15, 2012.
- Donnelly JE, et al. American College of Sports Medicine position stand: Appropriate physical activity intervention strategies for weight loss and prevention of weight regain for adults. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2009;41:459.
- Sacks F, et al. Comparison of weight-loss diets with different compositions of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. New England Journal of Medicine. 2009;360:859.
- Andrews RA, et al. Surgical management of severe obesity. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed March 14, 2012.
- Najm W, et al. Herbals used for diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. Primary Care. 2010;37:237.
- Cho SH, et al. Acupuncture for obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Obesity. 2009;33:183.
- Completed safety review: Xenical/Alli (Orlistat) and severe liver injury. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/ucm213038.htm. Accessed Feb. 16, 2011.
- Sarwer DB, et al. A review of the relationships between extreme obesity, quality of life, and sexual function. Obesity Surgery. 2012;22:668.
- Bray GA. Health hazards associated with obesity in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed March 14, 2012.
- FDA expands use of banding system for weight loss. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm245617.htm. Accessed Feb. 7, 2012.
- Belviq (prescribing information). San Diego, Calif.: Arena Pharmaceuticals; 2012. http://invest.arenapharm.com. Accessed June 29, 2012.
- FDA approves Belviq to treat some overweight or obese adults. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm309993.htm. Accessed July 23, 2012.
- FDA approves weight-management drug Qsymia. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm312468.htm. Accessed July 18, 2012.
- Qsymia (prescribing information). Mountain View, Calif.: Vivus Inc.; 2012. http://www.vivus.com/products. Accessed July 18, 2012.
- Belviq (lorcaserin) — Not currently available. Eisai, Inc. http://us.eisai.com/product.asp?ID=290&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=+belviq&utm_campaign=Efficacy%2B&%2BPI. Accessed March 12, 2013.
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