#Whats keeping me from losing weight tv

The good news is that groundbreaking obesity research conducted during the past few decades has established why it is so hard to sustain weight loss. This encouraging study, then, offers more evidence of the immense challenges faced even by those who undergo the radical step of surgery to address their weight. They do not have the chiseled bodies promised in magazines and strived for on reality programs such as “The Biggest Loser.” Most patients in the study, who started with an average body mass index of 47, are still considered obese (a BMI of 30 or above). This study, however, does not herald the discovery of the mythical magical bullet (or scalpel). (Less encouraging results were found for those who had a sleeve gastrectomy or adjustable gastric banding.) For a person weighing 300 pounds, that means a sustained weight loss of 60 pounds. Researchers at Duke University found that 10 years after gastric bypass surgery, almost three-quarters of the obese patients had maintained weight loss of more than 20 percent of their presurgery weight. The pounds fell off and their health improved, but neither was completely satisfied with their transformation. They both took a serious step, undergoing bariatric surgery at Michigan Medicine. That story told an all-too-common tale: two people frustrated again and again by an inability to lose weight and keep it off. Just how hard it is to keep off lost weight was illustrated in a compelling story by The New York Times in reporter Gina Kolata’s yearlong project following two patients at Michigan Medicine, the academic medical center here at the University of Michigan. Six years later, even though most had returned to their pre-show weight, their resting metabolism had dropped to 1,900 calories per day.Īt the same time, our bodies barrage us with hormonal signals saying we are hungry all the time, an inner voice chanting “eat, eat, eat.”Įssentially, our bodies become our enemy, undermining our efforts at every turn.

#Whats keeping me from losing weight tv

A study of contestants on the TV show “The Biggest Loser,” for example, found that before the competition, they had an average resting metabolism rate of 2,607 calories per day. Our bodies act as if that higher weight is our normal weight, defending it like a mother embracing her newborn.įirst, our bodies slow our metabolism, so we must eat less to not gain weight. Gaining a significant amount of weight - we don’t know exactly how much - doesn’t just puff up our fat cells it changes our biology. Why is it so hard to keep the weight off? The reason is both simple and complex. This stark fact underscores how far we remain from conquering the obesity epidemic spreading across the Western world, and the urgent need for us to finally be realistic about the achievable goals and benefits of weight loss. MORE FROM MICHIGAN: Sign up for our weekly newsletter

Use the TrueWeight ® Report on this website to start the conversation and develop a plan that's right for you.Here’s a sobering statistic: Roughly 90 percent of people who lose a lot of weight eventually regain just about all of it. There are several prescription medicines for weight loss and weight management that have been proven effective in clinical trials. Since weight loss can slow down metabolism and impact appetite hormones that make you feel hungrier and less full, adding a prescription medicine that can help decrease appetite or increase fullness may be an option.

Bariatric surgery is not the only option to manage excess weight. The TrueWeight ® Report on this website can help you start the conversation. You and your health care provider can explore treatment options to develop a weight-management plan that works for you. Correct! There are treatment options today to help people with excess weight including lifestyle changes and prescription medicines.