Essay: Losing weight

There are several different ways and means of losing weight. Some people have surgeries, take pills, or starve themselves to death to reach this goal. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast the expenses, health benefits, and the consequences of weight loss between these different methods. The best way to lose weight is to eat healthy and exercise properly, because this method is more beneficial and the results are more positive.
During the last decades technology has gone so far that now people get an unexpected chance of quick change of body and health. Weight loss or bariatric surgery is regarded as a fast mean of losing weight and getting fit body. This type of weight loss is not for everybody. It is recommended only for those people who failed in any other method of losing weight or for those who have serious health issues or severe obesity. There are two types of bariatric surgery: restrictive and malabsorptive (Berdanier et al., 2008). Restrictive surgery limits food intake, by shrinking stomach size, modifying long-term eating behavior. The advantages of this procedure is that it is technically easier to carry out and fewer mineral and vitamin deficiencies are noted. The disadvantage of the surgery is the risk of increasing frequency of calorie consumption. Malabsorptive surgery limits the absorption of food by extraction or rearrangement of digestive system (Berdanier et al., 2008). The advantage of that procedure is rapid weight loss without changing eating habits. Unfortunately, this surgery exclude most of the small intestine from the digestive tract that is why less calories and nutrients are absorbed. This type of surgery is no longer recommended because it results in nutritional deficiencies (Berdanier et al., 2008). As mentioned above, weight loss surgery can be very effective in achievement of long-term weight loss. But as any other surgery it carries a lot of risks, which vary according to your age and the degree of your obesity.
Another way to lose or control weight is taking weight loss drugs. They are prescribed for those people who could not lose weight with any other method. Before buying any medication the person should consult a doctor on what types of drugs are approved by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and have less side effects (Deeugenio et al., 2004). FDA approval shows that the drug is relatively safe. There are two types of weight loss pills: prescription drugs and over-the-counter medication. Prescription drugs, also called anti-obesity drugs are prescribed by the doctor in more severe cases to those people who have serious health problems. They increase the expenditure of energy, decrease the number of absorbed calories and suppress appetite. The side effects of this type of medication are hypertension, increased blood pressure, pulse and heart rate, dizziness, insomnia, constipation, vomiting (Deeugenio et al., 2004). Over-the-counter or nonprescription medication includes herbal products or dietary supplements. They are easy to buy, and in comparison to prescription drugs they are cheaper. OTC diet pills contain herbs that burn calories, suppress appetite, and decrease fat. The major disadvantage is that it is not monitored by the FDA. The common side effects of OTC drugs are diarrhea, liver and kidney damage, heart attack and stroke. It is important to remember that this type of weight loss is not suitable and may not work for everybody. Besides advantage of losing weight all drugs have a lot of side effects. Diet pills alone without regular physical activity and diet plan will not show any results. So the consultation of the doctor is obligatory before taking any weight loss medication.
Starvation is a severe food restriction in order to lose weight. But the result of starvation is reverse. Not eating enough food slows down metabolism and stores fat. It will be impossible to lose weight whether exercising or not. The lack of calories deprive body of vitamins and minerals. Starvation may be related to fasting and dieting. Fasting is an old practice, usually used because of religious views to develop self-discipline, but if it is used to lose weight it may have irreversible consequences. Today fasting presupposes the consumption of water, juices, tea. Such detox diets may last only for a limited period of time. People fast in order to loose weight quickly, but in fact they loose only body fluid not fat. Fasting slows down a metabolic rate so when the person starts eating normal food again, all the lost weight will be regained. Another type of starvation is dieting. Today we can find so many popular and trendy diets, proposing to lose weight in several days. In fact, none of them will bring the desired effect. People who are dieting are always stressful, depressed, nervous, and angry. Any type of starvation leads to imbalance between energy take and energy expenditure. This imbalance may cause eating disorders such as anorexia, an intense fear or gaining weight that can lead to serious health problems or bulimia, a disease when eating is followed by deliberate vomiting (Deeugenio et al., 2004). The signs of bulimia are similar to those of anorexia: losing a lot of weight, refusing to eat, being depressed etc. Starvation will never bring positive results and makes it easier to gain weight. People should always remember if they lose fast, they gain fast. If you are starving you will always achieve opposite effect.
In order to lose weight it is essential to eat healthy. Healthy diets should provide food from each of the following food groups: grains, vegetables and legumes, fruit, dairy, poultry, fish, eggs. In addition it also includes unsaturated fats and plenty of water. For healthy functioning body cells, blain, muscles, digestive system require water. The recommended fluid intake is 8 glasses of water, 250 ml. each, per day. While adopting healthy eating habits it is suggested to reduce the consumption of alcohol. It provides a body with 7 calorie of energy per gram. This means that if a person consumes a small amount of alcohol it can result in large calorie intake. Food provides us with calories. Exercising as well as normal body functioning burns calories. If we eat more calories than we burn, we can gain fat and weight. If we burn more calories than we eat, we can lose weight and fat. That is why suddenly lowering calories can result in many health problems. Another issue while eating healthy is consumption of macronutrients. Proteins, carbohydrates and fat are macronutrients that we cannot live without. And last but not least people should never forget about healthy snacks during the day. Healthy eating and regular exercises are interconnected. This combination can boost the level of energy so that the person feels better physically and mentally. So if a person wants to lose weight and get fit naturally, the consistency is required in every action.
So the best way to lose weight and feel good and healthy about yourself is to maintain healthy lifestyle. Unlike all other methods of weight loss, embracement of healthy lifestyle has no side effects. It is the cheapest way of getting fit and it requires a small amount of free time.