How to Decide: Weight Loss Injections vs Surgery vs Diet & Exercise
Almost everyone wants to live a healthier life. But the most difficult part is taking that first move towards your goal. Overweight or obesity is one of the most common health challenges most of us are facing today. It serves like a beacon to many serious health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. However, these conditions can be managed by losing weight. There are many weight loss procedures, both surgical and nonsurgical, and you should understand what you are stepping into. Whether they work or they are the right option for you.
If you have finally made a choice, committed, and are ready to lose weight. Dr. Venugopal Pareek can help; he is the best weight loss surgeon in Hyderabad. He will provide valuable insights on both surgical and non-surgical weight loss options so that you can make the best treatment choice for yourself.
Diet & Exercise—It is the foundational approach for losing weight.
In any weight loss journey, this is regarded as the first step toward a healthy lifestyle. This is a simple approach centered on a popular principle: creating a restrictive diet plan. Here in this approach you need to eat less. This is acheived by making necessary changes in your diet—eating more whole foods (fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains) and fewer processed foods (sugars and saturated fats).
Your restrictive diet should be paired with physical activity such as brisk walking, swimming, cycling, or strength training, which helps to burn calories. You may also acquire other benefits like building muscle, boosting metabolism, improving cardiovascular health, reducing mood swings, and improving quality of sleep. This approach is focused on making permanent adjustments instead of focusing on temporary fixes.
Weight Loss Injections—Non-surgical and effective way
One of the most important and recent advancements in weight management has been the introduction of weight loss drugs, especially GLP-1 agonists such as semaglutide or liraglutide. These injections used in this procedure are highly effective in weight management. The medicine used in the injections works by imitating the natural hormone that acts on the brain region that controls appetite. They aim to slow down the process of digestion and also give the brain the impression of satiety, which makes you feel less hungry.
Generally, these medicines are given as a prescription to people with a BMI more than 30 (or more than 27 with a health condition related to weight) and who have not achieved any positive outcomes through diet and exercise. Also, it is very important to remember that these weight loss injections are intended to be used in conjunction with lifestyle changes to achieve maximum outcomes, and they are never a substitution. Administration of these drugs requires the supervision of medical experts as far as side effects are concerned.
Bariatric Surgery: The surgical technique and the most effective way to lose weight
Bariatric surgery, or weight loss surgery, is an effective solution for weight loss, especially for people with severe obesity. There are different types of bariatric surgeries, and almost all of them involve altering the digestive system, like reducing the stomach size, which eventually reduces the quantity of food you eat.
Another important aspect of the surgery is that it triggers key metabolic and hormonal changes.
- Decrease appetite
- Increases the feeling of fullness
- Improves type 2 diabetes
- Improves high blood pressure
- Improves sleeping disorders
- Improves cardiac problems
When other weight loss options fail to serve your weight loss goals, opt for bariatric surgery. It is a major life-changing procedure and is highly recommended for those with a BMI typically over 40 (or 35 with serious co-morbidities). One should be committed to lifelong changes, i.e., a new way of eating and living.
Which weight loss technique is best—how to decide?
The “best weight loss solution” depends on many factors and is mostly a personal decision. There is no one procedure that fits all. The correct fit depends on your general health, weight loss goals, and specific situation.
In any weight loss procedure, a special diet & regular physical activity is the non-negotiable starting point to be followed by everyone. It is the perfect way for people with extra weight and has to remain a permanent part of the weight loss plan, even if injections or surgery are used.
Weight loss injections can be the appropriate option for those who are overweight or obese and do not meet the requirements for weight loss surgery.
Bariatric surgery is the best weight loss option for those with severe or morbid obesity who suffer health complications as a result of it. It is the one that brings the greatest and longest-lasting weight loss, but at the same time, it is the most invasive and demanding in terms of patient commitment.
Making the decision of picking a weight loss option requires a detailed analysis of your condition and also requires an honest conversation with the doctor. If you are looking for the best and most affordable weight loss solution for your condition, consult Dr. Venugopal Pareek, one of the best weight loss experts, who can guide you through your entire weight loss journey.