Possible solutions
The interesting thing is that, except in rare cases, most people get to a level where they stop putting on weight; they maintain their weight. So weight maintenance might be a better mental goal than weight loss per se.
There are hundreds of medical studies looking into different approaches to tackling the problem. What Are The Top 2 Safe Fat Burning Supplements For Women. They have mixed, and mostly poor outcomes.
The most successful have required dedicated teaching and ongoing engagement of patients in weight-loss programs. These are costly and can only be delivered to a minority of the target population. In reality, there is a paucity of studies delivering evidence of effective, population-wide interventions.
Like other lifestyle-induced diseases, we have been there before. The Smoking, Nutrition, Alcohol and Physical Activity (SNAP) intervention, modelled by GPs, has taken years to reap rewards – but it has. Along with other public health initiatives, it has resulted in Australia having the lowest rate of smoking in the western world.
This hope formed the basis of a small pilot study I conducted last year with the Illawarra and Southern General Practice Research Network. The study involved five GP practices simply weighing consenting adult patients (recruited over one month) at each presentation and giving normal advice if needed.
GPs routinely take blood pressure and other biometric health measurements, so why not add weight to the list? Sherry Yates Young/Shutterstock
The logic was that, just as patients know GPs take blood pressure seriously because they measure it frequently, if patients were weighed at each presentation they might also recognise that it is a health issue of importance. This provided an element of accountability, at least encouraging weight maintenance rather than continued gain.
Over a twelve-month period, the 198 patients in the study each lost an average of 0.8 kilograms, which isn’t particularly significant. 2022’s Best Supplements To Burn Upper Abdomen Fat. But a sub-group of obese patients showed a significant average weight loss of 2.5kg.
We know that the average Australian adult gains 0.416 kg a year, so staying weight-neutral is a significant accomplishment – and the cost is minimal. Weight measurement should join other biometric health measurements in GP consultations.
One other tool that might better equip GPs in their role is to gain some expertise in motivational interviewing. This technique involves collaboration versus confrontation; evocation (drawing out) versus imposing ideas; automnomy versus authority.
In essence, expressing empathy, supporting self-efficacy, rolling with resistance and developing discord may win more hearts and minds than traditional approaches to this problem. 2 Natural Fat Burners On Empty Stomach