Obesity results from a prolonged small positive energy imbalance, and treatment needs to reverse this imbalance. Many different diets have been tried to treat obesity, and weight loss occurs with all of them. There is currently no evidence that supports the superiority of one macronutrient composition for diets over any other. The principal effect seems to be the degree of adherence to the prescribed calorie reduction. Obesity drugs have been developed that tap brain mechanisms for controlling feeding and the gastrointestinal tract The prevalence of obesity now exceeds 30% of US adults, 1 but may be leveling off at an unacceptably high level. More than two-thirds of Americans are overweight, 1 and excessive weight is a problem for children and adolescents too. 2 The fundamental
More than two-thirds of Americans, including children and adolescents, are overweight.problem is the result of a small, but prolonged, positive energy balance, where energy from food exceeds energy needed for everyday living. 3,4 REALITIES IN TREATING AN OBESE PATIENT One of the key messages for obese patients is that when caloric intake is reduced below that needed for daily energy expenditure, there is a predictable rate of weight loss. 4 Men generally lose weight faster than women of similar height and weight on any given diet, because men have more lean body mass and therefore higher energy expenditure. Similarly, older patients have a lower metabolic expenditure and as a rule lose weight more slowly than do younger subjects with similar adherence to weight-loss programs. Thus, adherence to any program is an essential component of success.