The importance of improving health, rather than losing weight - The risks of weight-cycling
Dra. Alexandra Jadresic
| Ginecología de Precisión | Adolescencia | Menopausia | Neurociencias y Mujer |
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When someone begins to try to lose weight, they can often start a series of repeated cycles of weight loss and regain over the years.
Weight cycling is, however, not limited to obese adults but affects people of normal weight, especially girls and female adolescents, unhappy with their appearance. The onset of this pattern of weight cycling is shifting towards younger ages, owing to the increasing prevalence ofoverweight and obesity?in children and adolescents, and constant pressure from the media, social networks and societyin general for a slim image.
Although there is still controversy as to whether weight cycling promotes body fat accumulation and obesity, there seems to be mounting evidence from large population studies for increased cardiovascular risks in response to?behaviour leading to weight cycling [1,2]. Potential mechanisms by which weight cycling may contribute to cardiovascular morbidity include hypertension, visceral fat accumulation, changes in adipose tissue fatty acid composition, insulin resistance and dyslipidemia. It would seem that the repeated?fluctuations in blood pressure, heart rate, sympathetic activity, glomerular filtration rate, blood glucose and lipids that may occur during weight cycling – with overshoots above normal values during weight regain periods – put an additional load on the cardiovascular system which may be detrimental over time.
?As health professionals, we are in a unique position to help our patients step off the roller-coaster of weight cycling.
If we are dealing with a patient whose weight is within normal, we may focus our efforts?on increasing consciousness of healthy habits and their maintenance over time.
If our patient is overweight and willing to start a process to lose weight, we may work to try to ensure a personal commitment to go beyond a short-term 'fix', meant to achieve some immediate goal -like losing weight as fast a possible for a holiday on the beach or fitting into a dress for a special party.
Rather than concentrating on weight, it is an opportunity to help our patient?think about their lifestyle and about improving their general state of health.
It is a crucial moment where we may become a central partner in a process that should lead our patient to rethink about basic values, what is and what is not so important in life and to commit themselves to a life-long journey of self-improvement.
?Thinking about why they are embarking on the idea of change, the path they are willing to follow, and which aspects of their health they are willing to change.
?Taking note of general mental wellbeing, the things that comfort them, the things that stress them, and making a roadmap of things they would like to change.
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Helping them realize?that weight management is a complex process, with many factors to consider, that reaches very basic notions and habits, such as resetting the time lights are switched off at night and getting-up time.
Helping them explore, probable with the help of a psychologist or counsellor, ways to bring down the levels of stress they might be having to tolerate. Their comforting moments, their critical moments associated to food and how willing they may or may not be to adopt new healthier habits.
?Physical activity may not be easy to implement. If there are already chronic pains or partial disabilities like a stiff back, special considerations will have to be given to the type of exercise that might be acceptable. Special support from a physiotherapist will probably be required to start a gradual physical programme that can be maintained over time.
Social support is important, too, to help our patient maintain decisions over time. If there is noone around in their closer circle to provide it, it might be enough to count on us as their supportive doctor, psychologist or dietitian. That is a good enough start.
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I think the basic idea is to become a supportive partner for your patient in their journey, as they set out to ever-more-deeply appreciate how important it is to really look after their health and the best ways to improve it.?So much more important than a number on a scale at any given moment in life!
References
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Rosemary Hood DVM Emerita
3 年Impacts also of sudden changes - excessive bleeding (hemorrhaging) and emergency hysterectomy, misdiagnosed, and testing regimes that miss subclinical onset of genetic post-partum autoimmune hypothyroidism in my lived experience. I was not informed, nor offered hormonal support. I'm a cow doctor - yes, you can laugh out loud. Cheers This fact is why I'm here now, to helpyself and others understand we cannot ignore our lived XX(sex, genetics) womb-motherhood reality.