For many individuals living with obesity, lifestyle changes alone may not be enough to achieve sustainable weight loss. Dietitian Frances Wild emphasizes that while healthy eating and physical activity play crucial roles, medical interventions such as prescription medications and surgery can be essential tools in a comprehensive weight management plan.
Understanding the Role of Medications
“So clinically, these medications are doing phenomenal things,” Wild says. “There are options that we didn’t use to have. Even when I started out in dietetics, we didn’t have access to these types of treatments.”
Obesity is now recognized as a complex, chronic condition, not merely the result of personal choices. Prescription medications offer benefits beyond just weight loss. “They have far wider-reaching effects than just the number on the scale. I mean, there are lots of studies that show the impact on cardiovascular health, protecting kidney function. I think there’s even a recent trial out around sleep apnea.”
For Wild, the most exciting aspect of these medications is how they help people who have worked hard to manage their weight but have struggled against the biology that can drive weight regain. “Seeing people who have worked incredibly hard their entire lives to build healthy eating patterns and have an active lifestyle and effectively fight their own biology…and then they’ve been prescribed some of these drugs, and they say to me, ‘It’s literally like night and day.’”
How Medications Support Behavioral Changes
One of the biggest advantages of obesity medications is how they support sustainable behavioral changes. “The food noise has been quieted. They’re no longer feeling ravenously hungry or not satiated by meals, and all of that wonderful foundational work they’ve put in, those amazing habits that they’ve built, now start to work more effectively.”
Medications don’t replace the need for healthy habits, but they make it easier for individuals to implement and maintain positive changes. “Understanding that long-term treatment can support them long-term for a long time—it kind of gives them confidence in the sustainability of their actions.”
Surgical Interventions: A Life-Changing Option
For some individuals, weight-loss surgery (bariatric surgery) may be the best course of action. While it is a major medical procedure, Wild recognizes its importance in obesity treatment. “It’s not for everyone, but for some people, it’s a life-changing intervention that allows them to regain control of their health in a way that just wasn’t possible before.”
Weight-loss surgery is not a quick fix but a tool that requires lifestyle changes to be effective. “Surgery changes the way your body responds to food. But just like medications, it works best when combined with sustainable eating habits, movement, and support systems.”
The Importance of Individualized Care
While medications and surgery can be powerful tools, they are not suitable for everyone. “They’re not for everybody… some people don’t need to go onto medication.” Wild stresses the importance of discussing options with a healthcare provider. “Having a conversation with your physician about the pros and the cons and how they may affect you is incredibly important.”
At the core of Wild’s philosophy is the understanding that obesity is a medical condition requiring a multi-faceted approach. “We have such exciting options to support people in their journey. It’s an exciting time to work in obesity care and help people improve their health in ways that weren’t possible before.”
For those struggling with obesity, medications and surgery can be game-changers—helping to quiet hunger, regulate appetite, and reinforce long-term behavior changes. The key, as Wild emphasizes, is working with a trusted healthcare provider to find the most effective, sustainable path forward.
Diet and exercise alone aren’t enough to help many people reach a healthier weight. Medical treatments are needed to address the biological changes happening in our bodies that can drive weight regain. To find a physician near you who specializes in weight management, click here.
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This article was sponsored by Novo Nordisk Canada. All content is created independently by My Weight – What To Know with no influence from Novo Nordisk.
