Adopting a low-fat diet and increasing physical activity will help prevent the trend towards an increase in body weight with age, and will also have independent health benefits. There are a number of options to treat obesity. Many obese people have tried and failed on previous occasions to lose weight and it is helpful to understand the dieting experience of any individual before embarking on further weight loss attempts. Reduced energy diets Starvation is a dangerous and ineffective method of long-term weight control. There are risks of fluid and electrolyte disturbances and excess losses of lean tissue.
Rapid weight rebound on re-feeding is common.
Taken with plentiful energy-free fluids they can be used safely to lose weight by the majority of obese patients. Other home-made versions, usually based on skimmed milk, produce similar weight loss, but must be supplemented with a range of vitamins and minerals. Since they contain so little energy, the rate of weight loss using VLCDs can be close to that achieved with total starvation, but with relatively few risks. Unless these diets are followed by a careful reintroduction of food, weight regain is common on ceasing the diet. Diets with only modest energy restriction are the mainstay of treatment for most overweight and obese patients.