Is a Weight Loss Clinic Beneficial As an Option for Weight Loss?

 

Weight loss is one of the hottest industries in the country, with would-be dieters spending literally billions of dollars on various programs, books, supplements, and other treatments to try to lose those extra pounds.

There are many ways you can lose weight. There are plenty of do-it-yourself diets on the market, books, nutritional guides, and more. There are supplements that are marketed as beneficial to for weight loss; if you wish and you meet certain criteria, you can opt for weight loss surgery to help you lose those extra pounds.

Of course, all of these methods can have complications, some of them dangerous. Supplements like ephedra have been banned from the market because they have been shown to be so dangerous, even causing death. Is there truly a safe way to lose weight, then?

Is going to a weight loss clinic a safe way to lose weight?

These clinics are meant to help you control weight loss by putting you in a controlled healthcare setting, like a hospital or standalone clinic. Your treatment is carefully supervised by professionals at every step of the way, which can arguably make them safer than other weight-loss methods you do entirely on your own.

What is offered at a weight loss clinic?

Programs vary, but most offer some type of nutrition education, an exercise program, and a focus on changing eating behavior. Some programs combine nutrition, exercise programs, and behavioral therapy with weight loss surgery and/or drugs to help facilitate weight loss.

* Nutrition education

Although many overweight or obese people know what good nutrition means and simply can’t or won’t follow a healthy diet, many people are also woefully uninformed about

just what a healthy diet is. The nutrition education offered at a weight loss clinic is meant to teach people how to eat properly, with the right balance of healthy foods, enough (but not too many) calories, and the right proportions of protein, fat, and complex carbohydrates. Many people who diet excessively, for example, think that starving themselves is the way to lose weight, but in fact this slows the metabolism and makes weight loss even more difficult. Nutrition education teaches dieters how to eat enough and eat properly, for good energy and health.
* Exercise programs

The exercise programs offered at a weight loss clinic are geared specifically for people who are significantly overweight and have likely been sedentary for years. Unlike regular workout programs, most exercise programs offered are meant to be a gentle start to facilitate movement and activity without causing injury, and then build on growing stamina as attendees become fit.

* Behavioral therapy

Because many people who are overweight or obese have learned how to use food as a comfort, they can require significant behavioral therapy to change how they think about food. Instead of using food as comfort, the behavior therapy offered at a weight loss clinic teaches them to use it for nutrition and fuel.

Considerations

Weight loss clinic programs can be expensive, and their effects may be temporary; once supervision ends, dieters may relapse into bad habits and regain lost weight. Additionally, research the clinics thoroughly before making your final decision as some are in business more for their own profit than for helping you lose weight. However, they can be a safe and effective way to lose weight as long as they are run by trained professionals; the results can also be permanent, if dieters use the knowledge learned there to permanently change behavior and make healthy lifestyle changes.