Methods of Behavioral Medicine for Weight Reduction and Management
Being overweight increases the risk for cardiovascular disease, skeletal problems, and a contralateral amputation, all of which are especially detrimental to people who have already lost a lower limb to amputation. Clinicians should take the time to talk to their patients about the dangers of obesity and how to make healthy changes to their daily routines in order to shed extra pounds. Long-term weight loss achieved through behavioural strategies may reduce the likelihood of further complications and improve the efficacy of prosthetic treatment. The following suggested adjustments in patient behaviour could aid in their weight loss efforts.
Do a Food Diary Every Day
Keeping a food journal can help patients keep track of their calorie intake, curb mindless snacking, and improve their health. One of the largest and longest-running weight-loss maintenance trials ever found that dieters who kept a food journal lost an average of 18 pounds over the course of six months, while those who did not only lost an average of nine pounds. 1 To keep a food journal, one can either use a paper and pen or a smartphone app to record each meal. Assist your patients in identifying an appropriate app that will help them maintain their commitment to the weight loss programme and help them achieve their desired results.
Choose a more manageable plate size for your next meal.
Generally speaking, Americans place a premium on size. The availability of large portion sizes is increasing, but you can help control your weight by switching to a nine- or ten-inch salad plate instead of a larger dinner plate when you eat. People eat almost 22 percent fewer calories when they switch from a 12-inch plate to a 10-inch plate, but they report the same level of fullness, according to the study's authors. In order to help your patients picture the plate you recommend they use at home, keep a sample plate in your office. In addition to helping your patient lose weight, this approach can also help them feel less deprived as they make lifestyle changes.
Fruits and vegetables should account for at least half of your plate.
Five to nine daily servings of fruits and vegetables are encouraged by the USDA. ChooseMyPlate.gov3 is a website created by the USDA to help people make healthier food choices and improve their understanding of nutrition. Tell your patients to make fruits and vegetables the centrepiece of every meal. This way of eating will help them stay healthy, full, and calorie-free while still satisfying their nutritional needs. For more helpful suggestions, please visit www.choosemyplate.gov.
Make sure you're getting enough shut-eye.
Recommending that your patients get more sleep is a great first step in helping them slim down. Lack of sleep has been linked to hormonal disruption and extra pounds. 4 One's appetite is stimulated by hormonal changes that lead them to eat more, and glucose metabolism shifts that lead them to hoard calories and store them as fat if they don't get enough sleep. 5 Advise a nightly sleep duration of 7-8 hours.
Take in some fluids
Drinking water before meals and while eating has been shown to aid in weight loss. There are many ways in which water can affect weight loss. To begin, a lot of people don't get the water they need, so they might confuse thirst for hunger. If a patient is still hungry after eating, tell them to drink eight to 12 ounces of water. It's reasonable to provide them with food if they're still hungry after that. Those who drink plenty of water tend to eat less overall, which can have an effect on their weight. Dr. Barbara Rolls has contributed extensively to the field of volumetrics. 6 She found that having a salad or soup with a broth base before a meal significantly reduced the amount of food eaten at that meal and the total amount of food eaten that day. For their caloric density, soup and salad rank among the lowest, but they are among the fastest to provide satiety. Those on a diet should drink at least eight to ten eight-ounce glasses of water daily. Patients on a fluid-restricted diet due to cardiac or renal issues are an exception to this rule.
Consume food mindfully and slowly.
Eating in front of the TV has been shown to increase calorie intake by a significant amount, according to studies. "Mindless eating" describes this behaviour all too well. When people are not fully immersed in the act of eating, their brains take longer to process signals of hunger and fullness. Even if it's just a snack, you should advise patients to plate their food. To eat, please grab a plate and a glass of water and join us at the table. Each meal should be taken at a table and savoured in peace and quiet. Children who regularly sit down for dinner with their families, even if only to talk, are much less likely to become overweight than their counterparts who do not practise this habit.
James O. Hill, PhD, and Rena Wing, PhD, set up the NWCR in 1994 to track down people who had successfully lost and kept off at least 30 pounds over the course of a year. However, the 4,200 people who are part of the registry have lost an average of 66 pounds between them and have kept it off for over five years. 7 These people are not only motivational examples, but their data has also helped pinpoint a set of actions that are linked to weight loss and, more importantly, weight maintenance.
Consume a Daily Breakfast
The common belief that skipping breakfast will help them lose weight is unfounded, as those who do so are more likely to gain weight than those who do not.
8 Possible explanation: hunger brought on by skipping breakfast leads to mindless munching and excess consumption of calories at other times. Members of the NWCR typically eat breakfast every day. Nearly eighty-two percent of NWCR residents say they consume breakfast daily, with nearly ninety percent doing so at least five days per week. 9 If you want to lose weight and keep it off, eating breakfast first thing in the morning is a must. Your mom was probably right when she said breakfast was the most crucial meal of the day.
Working Out Losing weight and keeping it off is much easier when you combine a healthy diet with regular physical activity. Ninety-plus percent of those who took part in NWCR now exercise for at least an hour a day. 10 Walking was the most common form of physical activity improvement, but others preferred to do weight training, cycling, or aerobic exercises. Patients may initially think that exercising for an hour every day is an unachievable goal, but you should reassure them that they do not need to drastically alter their lifestyle in order to make exercise a regular part of their routine. Using a pedometer is a simple way to ease people into exercise. Many people find using a pedometer to track their daily activity to be a motivating and enjoyable part of their exercise routine. Patient should be encouraged to gradually increase their daily step count to 10,000.
It makes no difference what time of day or night the physical activity is completed. It has been shown that the benefits of walking for 30 minutes can be achieved in just three 10-minute walks. The metabolic rate increases during exercise and can last for up to 24 hours afterwards. An optimal increase in energy expenditure (during and after exercise) can be achieved by combining resistance training with aerobic exercise. The physical activity of walking after dinner is beneficial because it stimulates peristalsis and may alleviate the typical bloated feeling that follows a meal.
Perform regular self-weighs
Monitoring one's weight on a regular basis appears to aid in the success of those attempting to keep the pounds off.
This could be an early warning system for excessive weight gain, allowing people to make the changes in their habits before the problem becomes out of hand.
Conclusion
Improving patients' overall health and reducing risk for complications related to amputations can be accomplished by providing behavioural strategies that allow patients to lose weight and keep it off.