Supporting patients with weight management

Page navigation

Addressing obesity early

Tackling obesity is one of the greatest long-term health challenges we face. Obesity is not a simple problem, but a complex health issue stemming from a combination of factors such as genetics, learned behaviour, and cultural eating habits.¹

It's well documented that obesity is associated with:

Obesity has a negative impact on many aspects of health-related quality of life and, as such, weight loss has the potential to improve functioning and physical health among many people with obesity.⁶

Management of obesity should target both weight-related complications and adiposity to improve overall health and quality of life. The goal of obesity management should be to facilitate high-quality care and provide a rational, scientific approach that optimises health outcomes.⁷ Furthermore, education about the complexity of the disease is also needed.⁸

Find out more about obesity-related complications

Discover now

Weight management options

Every person with obesity has their own health situation and is on their own health journey. It follows then that any weight-management options should be tailored to the needs of the individual. Interestingly, the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) recommends reframing obesity as a chronic disease, and management should be guided by the long-term needs of the individual, with a focus on health outcomes, not just weight loss.9

Lifestyle modifications are the cornerstone of obesity management and encompass three main categories10:

Diet modifications - typically involving calorie-reduction diets with the goal of weight loss through a calorie deficit.11
Physical activity - increased physical activity will lead to increased energy expenditure, and regular aerobic exercise can reduce blood pressure and hyperlipidaemia.11
Behavioural changes - targeting habit change, self-monitoring, and goal setting. This may include cognizant behavioural therapy to support changes in thinking patterns.11

Pharmacological obesity treatment classes and their mechanism of action

Lipase inhibitors - promote weight loss by decreasing the absorption of fat from the gastrointestinal tract.12
NE agonist/GABA agonists, glutamate antagonists - suppress appetite.12
Opioid receptor antagonists/DA and NE reuptake inhibitors - decrease food intake and increase internal signals of self-control and the feeling of fullnes.¹²
GLP-1 receptor agonists - act centrally and peripherally by decreasing appetite, increasing insuling secretion, and delaying gastric emptying.¹²

DA, dopamine; GABA, gamma-aminobutyric acid; GIP, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide; GLP-1, glucagon-like peptide-1; NE, norepinephrine.

Bariactric surgery

There are several different types of bariatric surgery, including:

Gastric band – where a band limits stomach distension so patients feel fuller much sooner¹³
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass – where the top of the stomach is attached to the start of the small intestine, resulting in malabsorption and diminished food intake¹³
Sleeve gastrectomy – where a part of the stomach is removed surgically so patients feel full with reduced food intake¹³

Addressing obesity early can slow disease progression and improve long-term health outcomes.⁶⁻⁸

The image shown is a model and not a real patient.

Sustainable weight management

Why weight management needs to be sustainable

Did you know that around 80% of people with obesity do not maintain the weight they have lost?¹⁴ Why? Because they are fighting against biology.

Individuals with obesity struggle to achieve and maintain weight loss for a variety of reasons, including biological mechanisms such as genetic factors, hormonal changes, and adaptive thermogenesis.¹⁶

Successful weight management is influenced by a complex interplay of physiological, social, and environmental factors that affect a person's motivation, behaviour, and outcomes.¹⁶ Maintaining weight loss through diet and exercise alone may not be sufficient, as biology favours weight regain.^17-18

Weight management can mitigate obesity complications and improve a person's quality of life.¹⁹ Weight management is also associated with improvements in physical function, leading to a greater ability to participate in daily activities.²⁰

It isn't just the changes they can see - it's the changes they can feel as well

Successful weight management can positively impact psychological well-being, reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, and increase self-esteem contributing to an overall enhanced quality of life.²¹

Aligning weight-loss interventions with patient goals, particularly those related to quality of life, can enhance the likelihood of achieving realistic and attainable outcomes.

The image shown is a model and not a real patient.

Talking to patients

Your words can change their story...

Obesity can be hard to talk about, and you might think that it’s even harder to bring up in conversations with your patients. But, in truth, 68% of people with obesity would like their healthcare professionals (HCPs) to initiate the conversation, with only 3% reporting that they feel offended.²²

Watch our latest film to learn about making those conversations easier

HCPs like you are vital in empowering patients to achieve sustainable weight loss and improved health outcomes through compassionate support and advice.^19,23-24 HCPs with an empathetic approach have greater success in helping their patients with obesity lose weight.²⁶

For empathetic and empowering patient conversations^25-26:

Actively engage in mutual goal setting with patients
Validate your patient's aspirations and provide a safe space for discussions
Collaborate on action plans and identify incremental steps towards goals

Find patient resources here.

Effective obesity care requires understanding your patient's individual experiences, perspectives, and goals, not just their body mass index (BMI).²²

Shaping the conversation

Learn more about how an effective obesity-management plan starts with empathetic conversations.

Take a look at this series of short films that demonstrate a patient-centric approach to talking about obesity management.

Challenge people with obesity (PwO) face

Internalised stigma and bias

Patient voice: "I've tried it all"

How to address biases or stigma around obesity for (PwO), using evidence to help them think about it in a different way.

Values

Patient voice: "I don't want to feel the way I do right now..."

How to help PwO make decisions aligned with their values, working in line with what matters more to them.

Obstacles

Patient voice: "It's all too much!"

How to help PwO identify and manage the inevitable obstacles they will face as part of their journey.

Understanding cravings

Patient voice: "I'm not seeing any progress..."

How to help PwO recognise and make the best decisions in the face of cravings.

Overcoming the challenges

Resilience

Patient voice: "Sometimes it just makes me think, what’s the point?"

How to guide PwO to be resilient on their weight-management plan, understanding that setbacks are all part of the process.

Overcome cravings

Patient voice: "Sometimes I can’t stop myself!"

How to help PwO capture and challenge permission thoughts and create new restraint thoughts to better handle their cravings.

Best weight

Patient voice: "What's a good goal for me?"

How to introduce "best weight" to PwO to reframe their expectations from "losing weight" to "gaining health".

Surprising science

Patient voice: "People have had great results with this diet and exercise plan..."

How to help PwO challenge “eat less, move more” to form a healthier relationship with food and physical activity.

References

Safaei M, Sundararajan EA, Driss M, Bouilla W, Shapir A.
A systematic literature review on obesity: understanding the causes & consequences of obesity and reviewing various machine learning approaches used to predict obesity. Comput Biol Med. 2021;136:104754.
Yuen MM, Earle RL, Kadambi N, et al. T-P-3166: A systematic review and evaluation of current evidence reveals 236 obesity-associated disorders (ObAD). Poster abstract presentation at Obesity Society Annual Meeting at ObesityWeek 2016; October 31–November 4, 2016; New Orleans, LA.
Guh DP, Zhang W, Bansback N, Amarsi Z, Birmingham CL, Anis AH. The incidence of co-morbidities related to obesity and overweight: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public Health. 2009;9:88.
Dobbs R, Sawers C, Thompson F, et al. Overcoming obesity: an initial economic analysis. Published November 2014. Accessed June 2025.
McKinsey Report
Pugliese G, Liccardi A, Graziadio C, Barrea L, Muscogiuri G, Colao A. Obesity and infectious diseases: pathophysiology and epidemiology of a double pandemic condition. Int J Obes (Lond). 2022;46(3):449–465.
Kolotkin RL, Williams VSL, Ervin CM, et al. Validation of a new measure of quality of life in obesity trials: impact of weight on quality of life-lite clinical trials version. Clin Obes. 2019;9(3):e12310.
Garvey WT, Mechanick JI, Brett EM, et al. Reviewers of the AACE/ACE Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines. American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and American College of Endocrinology comprehensive clinical practice guidelines for medical care of patients with obesity. Endocr Pract. 2016;22(Suppl 3):1–203.
Rubino F, Puhl RM, Cummings DE, et al. Joint international consensus statement for ending stigma of obesity. Nat Med. 2020;26(4):485–497.
International Obesity Collaborative. 5 principles of obesity. Accessed July 2025. https://www.obesityaction.org/wp-content/uploads/5PrinciplesOfObesity-IOC.pdf
The European Association for the Study of Obesity. A new framework for the diagnosis, staging and management of obesity in adults. Accessed July 2025. https://easo.org/a-new-framework-for-the-diagnosis-staging-and-management-of-obesity-in-adults/
Durrer Schutz D, Busetto L, Dicker D, et al. European practical and patient-centred guidelines for adult obesity management in primary care. Obes Facts. 2019;12(1):40-66.
Wadden TA, Webb VL, Moran CH, Bailer BA. Lifestyle modification for obesity: new developments in diet, physical activity, and behavior therapy. Circulation. 2012;125(9):1157-1170.
Chakhtoura M, Haber R, Ghezziami M, Rhayem C, Tcheroyan R, Mantzoros CS. Pharmacotherapy of obesity: an update on the available medications and drugs under investigation. EClinicalMedicine. 2023;58:101882.
Wolfe BM, Kvach E, Eckel RH. Treatment of obesity: weight loss and bariatric surgery. Circ Res. 2016;118(11):1844–1855.
Wing RR, Phelan S. Long-term weight loss maintenance. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005;82(Suppl 1):222S–225S.
Evert AB, Franz MJ. Why weight loss maintenance is difficult. Diabetes Spectr. 2017;30(3):153–156.
Sarte AE Jr, Quinto EJM. Understanding the importance of weight management: a qualitative exploration of lived individual experiences. Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being. 2024;19(1):2406099.
Sumithran P, Prendergast LA, Delbridge E, et al. Long-term persistence of hormonal adaptations to weight loss. N Engl J Med. 2011;365(17):1597–1604.
Fothergill E, Guo J, Howard L, et al. Persistent metabolic adaptation two years after “The Biggest Loser” competition. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2016;24(8):1612–1619.
Phelan S, Halfman T, Pinto AM, Foster GD. Behavioral and psychological strategies of long-term weight loss maintainers in a widely available weight management program. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2020;28(2):421–428.
Vallis TM, Macklin D, Russell-Mayhew S. Canadian adult obesity clinical practice guidelines: effective psychological and behavioural interventions in obesity management. Published August 4, 2020. Accessed June 2025. Obesity Canada Guidelines
Caterson ID, Alfadda AA, Auerback P, et al. Gaps to bridge: misalignment between perception, reality and actions in obesity. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2019;21(8):1914–1924.
Avery A, Langley-Evans SC, Harrington M, Swift JA. Setting targets leads to greater long-term weight losses and ‘unrealistic’ targets increase the effect in a large community-based commercial weight management group. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2016;29(6):687–696.
O’Shea D, Kahan S, Lennon L, Breen C. Practical approaches to treating obesity: patient and healthcare professional perspectives [published correction appears in Adv Ther. 2021 Jul;38(7):4151]. Adv Ther. 2021;38(7):4138–4150.
Salter C, Shiner A, Lenaghan E, et al. Setting goals with patients living with multimorbidity: qualitative analysis of general practice consultations. Br J Gen Pract. 2019;69(684):e479–e488.

HQ25OB00127 | Approved August 2025

Obesity affects more than weight. It affects life.<sup>1</sup>