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Background

Weight loss may refer to the loss of total body mass in an effort to improve fitness, health, and/or appearance.

Therapeutic weight loss, in individuals who are overweight, can decrease the likelihood of developing diseases such as diabetes . Overweight and obese individuals are also at greater risk of health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes,coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and osteoarthritis . For healthy weight loss, a physician should be consulted to develop a weight loss plan that is tailored to the individual.

Weight loss occurs when an individual is in a state of negative energy balance. When the human body is losing more chemical energy in work and heat than it is gaining from food or other nutritional supplements, it will catabolise stored reserves (or fat) inside the body.

Therapeutic weight loss techniques

The least intrusive weight loss methods, and those most often recommended by physicians, are adjustments to our eating patterns and increased physical exercise. Usually, health professionals will recommend that their overweight patients combine a reduction of the caloric content of the diet, with an increase in physical activity. Other methods of losing weight include use of drugs that decrease appetite, as well as surgery. Liposuction is the surgical removal of fat from targeted areas beneath the skin. Bariatric surgery artificially reduces the size of the stomach, reducing the intake of food energy. Some of these treatments may have serious side-effects.

Weight loss industry

There is a huge market for products which promise to make weight loss easier, quicker,cheaper,reliable, or less painful. These include books, CDs, and other materials, fitness centers, personal coaches, weight loss groups, and food products and supplements. Americans spend an estimated $30 billion a year on all types of diet programs and products, including diet foods and drinks.