Steps to Sustainable Weight Loss Amid the Obesity Crisis

The global obesity crisis is one of the most overlooked epidemics in the world, with a lack of resources for those who want to lose weight safely and sustainably. Almost one billion people are currently obese, and even those who aren’t often struggle to lose weight without turning to risky medication or developing unhealthy eating habits.

Medical professionals – like primary care physician Dr Wael Berro – recommend healthy weight management to keep other conditions, like heart and circulatory diseases, under control. Extreme weight loss plans and fad diets aren’t sustainable, nor healthy, so it’s better to make lifestyle changes and maintain them.

The first step is to understand what causes obesity, then work to counteract those factors. Making permanent changes to your diet is a good place to start. Over time, eating more nutritious foods and smaller portions will lead to gradual, healthy weight loss. To learn more about the social factors and misunderstandings surrounding obesity, see the embedded PDF.

It’s vital to set realistic weight loss goals and ignore fads that encourage starvation over moderation. A person who eats three balanced meals a day and snacks infrequently may lose weight more slowly than somebody who constantly fasts, but their weight loss will be healthier and more sustainable in the long run.

Despite the difficulties presented by busy schedules, it’s also important to include more physical activity. People who rarely exercise should start with just 10 minutes per day, then build up to more intensive workouts. Again, the weight loss will be gradual, but it’s easier to sustain with a long-term healthy exercise routine in place.

Obesity can also be influenced by general health factors, including poor sleep and hormonal fluctuations, so it’s important to take those into account, too. Anything that increases appetite and disrupts the natural metabolic process will cause weight gain, and people often ignore the symptoms. Seeing a doctor is the best step towards tackling these issues.

The final step towards sustainable weight loss is to not be complacent. Sometimes, people reach a healthy weight and then disregard balanced diets and exercise, but unless they are maintained, the individual’s weight will continue to fluctuate. A constant, healthy weight protects organs, reduces the risk of obesity-related cancers, increases energy levels and improves quality of life.

In some cases, medication or even surgery may be necessary, but those should be recommended by a medical professional. Most people see great results from making simple lifestyle changes and successfully keep the weight off for the rest of their lives.

Meet Dr Wael Berro | Medical Management Professional

Dr Wael Berro currently resides in Ireland and holds both Irish and Lebanese passports. He is an expert in medical leadership and advocacy and has experience in programme management, coordination and implementation in the fields of medicine and health. Dr Berro was granted membership of the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland in 2009 and gainedECFMG certification in the same year. In summer 2016 he became a member of the Irish College of General Practitioners, and he still holds this membership today.

Dr Berro is fluent in English, Arabic and French, and he also speaks Spanish at a conversational level. In 2007 he was the recipient of the Zachary Johnson Awardf from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and this organisation also declared him the runner-up prize winner at the Biological Society Research Evening in 2009. In 2010, Dr Berro was the prize winner for best oral presentation, awarded for his presentation ‘Advances in the Treatment of Watermelon Stomach’.

Currently working as a family medicine physician, Dr Berro is responsible for the oversight of the day-to-day operations of the clinic and the treatment and diagnosis of patients on an out-patient basis, as well as follow-up and management.

Dr Berro’s professional topics of interest include wellness, health equality, lifestyle medicine, and healthcare coaching and mentoring, and he is also a dedicated mental health advocate. He is a co-founder of the wellness programme of the Brain Matters organisation, which runs the first centre in the UAE dedicated to neurological assessment and treatment services that can be accessed by all age groups.