The most common myths about obesity have been debunked: “willpower”, diet and sports

“Sewing your mouth to lose weight”

The expert believes that one of the most destructive myths about obesity exists in society – about a person’s conscious choice. People are convinced that a person can lose weight just as easily as gain weight. And if he doesn’t succeed, then it’s his fault and “lack of willpower.” Often patients are faced with inadequate recommendations from other people, for example, “shut your mouth to lose weight”, “those who don’t eat anything lose weight”, etc. They fundamentally contradict human physiology and assume that a person can only through willpower and a change in thinking lose weight.

“This is wrong. The fact is that with the onset of obesity, a person switches to a completely different metabolic regime. When he tries to lose weight, the body perceives this as a signal of starvation and, on the contrary, stores more calories, and therefore energy, to maintain life. An obese person literally has to fight his body to lose weight,” says Dr. Khatsiev.

In addition to the fact that such statements contradict generally known knowledge of physiology and indicate a lack of understanding of obesity as a disease, they also cause psychological harm to a person. Obese people, faced with the condemnation of society, begin to blame themselves and turn to the most accessible source of joy – food, trying to remove negative feelings with the help of sweets and fast food. In addition, they decide to isolate themselves and spend most of their time at home so as not to face worries. Because of this, even walking as a type of activity ceases to exist, which, of course, negatively affects weight.

The following myth logically follows from a lack of understanding of the problem of obesity.

Diets and sports are a universal remedy for obesity

This opinion, according to a VTsIOM survey, is shared by more than half of Russians. They are convinced that to lose 30 kilograms or more, you need to be physically active, play a lot of sports (64%) and follow a diet (45%). “Obese people are also among them and repeatedly try to lose weight through conservative methods and fail. According to studies, about 80-90% of obese patients who tried to lose weight through diet and exercise regained their original weight within a year. The reason for this is a different metabolic regime, which I talked about earlier. People gain excess weight for years – no one wakes up in the morning with a plus of 20/30/40 kilograms. This is a gradual process. However, when it comes to losing weight, there is a strong opinion that you need to lose weight in a week or a month and do it realistically. Physiology doesn’t work that way, and radical methods of losing weight can result in even bigger health problems,” the expert continues.

In addition, the belief that obese people need to actively engage in sports and then the weight will go away is also destructive. “With obesity, there is a colossal load on the spine and joints – they carry all the excess weight and, of course, wear out. Because of this, the loads for obese people must be special, for example, intense cardio training in the form of running or jumping can significantly damage the knees, spine and have a negative impact on the heart. Just imagine if you went to dance practice with two backpacks filled with books. Was it easy for you to study? I think it would have taken at least another week to recover, and the activity itself would have had to be stopped much earlier than planned. Therefore, physical activity for obese people should be treated very carefully and give them something that will not harm their health,” says Bekhan Khatsiev.

The most important and correct thing to do for an obese person is to consult a specialist. Obesity is a chronic relapsing (recurring) disease that leads to the development of concomitant diseases: type 2 diabetes mellitus, sleep apnea, heart and joint problems, oncology and infertility. Typically, the treatment path begins with an endocrinologist, then psychologists, bariatric surgeons, and nutritionists are involved in the treatment. Treatment of obesity is a complex work that requires the involvement of several specialists.

However, there are a number of misconceptions about treatment. Here’s one of them.

Bariatric surgery is a last resort for treating obesity.

Actually this is not true. This procedure is widely used throughout the world because it is one of the most effective treatments for obesity. Obesity is a serious disease, and conservative therapy for it is not always effective, so bariatric surgery is recognized as the most effective method.

“Its essence is to carry out a series of manipulations with the intestines or stomach in order to reduce a person’s feeling of hunger and the amount of portions consumed. It is minimally invasive, that is, through small punctures in the body, which reduces the person’s rehabilitation period. In operated patients, excess body weight is reduced by more than 60 percent within one to one and a half years, and 75–90 percent of them experience sustained remission of type 2 diabetes mellitus for five years or more. The medical community has agreed that surgery for obesity helps to get rid of not only this disease, but also related ones. In recent years, this procedure has become more popular in Russia: between 2020 and 2023, the number of bariatric surgeries in Russia increased by 172%,” says our expert.

He emphasizes that bariatric surgery cannot be called a last resort, because it is indicated for obese people and is included in the standards of treatment. But it is carried out only after a thorough analysis of the patient’s situation, his readiness to continue to lead a healthy lifestyle, eat a balanced diet and follow the recommendations of the postoperative period.

However, it is not only the patient’s willingness to change that determines the success of treatment. The experience of the surgical team also plays an important role; after all, bariatrics is a surgical specialty. Therefore, the operation should be performed by an experienced surgeon: in case of complications, which are rare, the doctor will promptly correct the situation, and the patient will be able to recover normally and continue the treatment process.

The public often equates bariatric surgery with plastic surgery. That is, it is implied that a person undergoes this manipulation only to look better. This is the big misconception that obesity is an exclusively aesthetic problem, that is, a person does not like the way he looks, and the disease does not affect anything else. “Of course this is not true. I’ve talked before about the serious consequences that come with obesity, and beauty isn’t even on that list. In fact, patients turn to bariatric care to treat a number of conditions, not just to look good. In addition, after bariatric surgery, time must pass for a person to begin to lose weight. For us, bariatric surgeons, a person’s health and well-being are important. During plastic surgery, excess fat is removed, the skin is tightened, and during bariatric surgery, the processes of food absorption and satiety mechanisms are stabilized,” says Dr. Khatsiev.

Obesity can be healthy, but going to the doctor is unnecessary

And the last myth is that obesity can be healthy. Nowadays on social networks you can often hear stories of obese people where they say that they feel good despite being overweight and that they do not have any health problems. “The trend towards reducing the stigma of obese people is in itself encouraging. Social pressure has a negative impact on their condition, so the absence of stigma is only for their benefit. However, talking about health in the case of obesity is not entirely correct. I have already talked about the consequences of obesity. They overtake all patients with this disease. And if nothing hurts now, this does not mean that pathological processes are not developing inside. The same problems with joints do not immediately make themselves felt; they wear out gradually, so they may not bother a person for a long time. But the process has already started. Usually a person notices some symptoms if the disease develops, because then the body already signals that something is wrong,” says the expert.

This is why it is important to undergo a medical examination and not indulge yourself in the illusion that obesity is a healthy condition. This is a serious disease that requires examination of all body systems.