Frequently Asked Questions  

Why is it so hard to lose weight?

Most overweight people are insulin resistant.  Insulin resistance may make a person feel hungry much of the time, and therefore, makes it difficult to stay on a low fat, high carbohydrate weight reduction diet. It also promotes fat storage and prevents the breakdown of fat in the body.   Insulin resistance requires a dietary intervention to allow the body to burn fat effectively.

Is losing and gaining significant amounts of weight bad for a person?

Although many people think repeated gaining and losing weight is bad, research has shown it is not.  Obesity is a chronic disease and people will naturally gain weight if they do not continually manage their eating.

Why is it so hard to maintain weight loss?

• People usually go back to the old ways of eating that caused them to gain weight initially.
• Research has shown that it takes two years to change eating habits; these changes must be kept up for a lifetime.
• When a person gains weight, new fat cells are made by the body.  The cells do not go away with weight loss, they just decrease their size, and they easily refill when we overeat. 
• Maintenance of weight loss requires a  continual practice of new eating and exercise habits.
     

What medications are available for assistance with weight loss?

Weight loss medications are available by prescription, but it is our experience that patients on OPTIFAST rarely need them, once they get adjusted to the product.  That is one of the benefits of OPTIFAST.  It allows you to lose weight without feeling hungry, and it is a food that contains no medications.  If patients feel hungry, we encourage them to drink more OPTIFAST until they feel satisfied.  Ten servings of OPTIFAST is 1600 calories, far less than a person would consume using other foods.  On rare occasions a patient in maintenance may need to use medications.  Some that are currently available are:

1. Phentermine has been safely used as an appetite suppressant for 30 years and is still available as a prescription medication
2. Orlistat (Xenical) is a drug which blocks absorption of 1/3 of the fat that is ingested. It has been approved for use for up to 1 year.
3. Sibutramine (Meridia), is an appetite suppressant which contains both nor-epinephrine and serotonin properties.  It works on both the appetite center and the satiety center in the brain.  It has been approved for use for up to 1 year.
4. Phendimetrazine (Bontril, Prelu-2) is a nor-epinephrine-type drug that works on the appetite center in the brain.  It is a  Class III drug (the other three drugs listed here are Class IV) which is interpreted to be more habit-forming than the other drugs.  It is approved for short-term use (usually considered to be about 3 months)
5. Diethylpropion (Tenuate) is a nor-epinephrine-type drug that works on the appetite center in the brain.  It is approved for short-term use.