Findings from the Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines

For years, people across the world have been trying to deal with weight management using the traditional ‘eat less, move more’ mindset.

However, as many have discovered for themselves, this methodology simply doesn’t work for everyone, because it doesn’t take biology or genetics into account. Some people are predisposed to larger body sizes, and these old-school methods may simply not work for them, no matter how hard they try.

There are a number of different studies that have been conducted in the last few years in regards to pharmacological treatments for weight loss. This has led to the release of the Clinical Practice Guidelines by Obesity Canada in October 2022. 

To help you make sense of these findings, and the recommendations that it provides for people living with obesity, our team has put together this page summarizing the key points from these guidelines.

If you’re living with obesity, and you’d like to talk to a healthcare practitioner about potentially using obesity treatment medications as part of your weight management plan, you should talk to a healthcare practitioner at Felix.

They may be able to suggest medications that could work for you, depending on your current health and medical history.

The Focus of Obesity Management

The healthiest way to manage weight is by working on improving your health, not strictly focusing on weight reduction.

This means focusing on things like metabolic health, physical health, mental health, and/or quality of life improvements. This may also include other outcomes that you, as the patient, identifies as important (i.e., better flexibility or mobility, leaner body mass, reducing symptoms of sleep apnea, etc.).

In clinical trials, obesity is measured by Body Mass Index (BMI). However, this measurement alone doesn’t adequately reflect the challenges caused by health conditions related to body fat.

Non-Medical Weight Management Treatments

Before you jump right into weight loss medications, it’s important that you focus on making some important lifestyle changes that will assist with your weight management goals; even if they aren’t enough to reach them on their own.

Nutrition Therapy

Understanding how to create well-balanced, nutritious meals that are designed to meet your body’s specific needs isn’t something that comes naturally to anyone. It takes time to learn how to balance your caloric intake to encourage the best metabolic function.

Talking to a nutrition specialist is a great way to learn some techniques that you can use for shopping and meal planning effectively, in order to best support your healthy diet.

Physical Activities

Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t talk about how important regular physical activities are to maintain as part of your weekly routine. You don’t have to work out every day, but you should be making time at least 2-3 times a week to get some exercise.

This could be anything from walking/jogging to biking, swimming, cardio routines, weight training, or even low-impact exercises like yoga or tai chi.

Every time you set time aside to stretch, strengthen, and work your joints and muscles, you’re setting your body up for success in the future through stronger muscles, healthier organs, and possibly most importantly, better cardiovascular health.

Psychological Interventions

Sometimes, we need a little extra assistance to figure out where our bad habits/cravings are coming from, as well as techniques for how to manage them when they feel overwhelming.

In these scenarios, it can be a good idea to consider trying Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which may be able to help unearth certain causes or triggers for these issues. In turn, this can make these cravings or unhealthy habits easier to control and/or minimize.

Pharmacological Treatments for Weight Loss

Medications can be a beneficial part in weight management .

Using pharmacological treatments can be effective for some people, as well as versatile enough to help a wide range of patients with their long-term weight management.

SIDE NOTE: It’s important to remember that weight loss medications are most effective when combined with behavioural changes and/or psychological interventions to help form healthy habits, and teach you the skills and tools to meet your long-term weight management goals. 

If you’d like a practitioner to assess you to see whether weight management treatments could be the right treatment option for you, just complete a short online assessment.

Potential Responses to Weight Loss Medications

The effect of weight loss medications varies from person to person, depending on a number of different factors (i.e., biology, genetics, lifestyle, current health, medical history, etc.).

There are a variety of factors that have to be considered, when a practitioner is determining which weight loss medications may be most effective for you. These include:

• How effective the medication is(related to both weight loss and weight-related health conditions)
• How the medication works
• Possible side effects
• How the medication is tolerated. 
• Contraindications
• Medication interactions
• How the medication is administered (oral or injection etc)
• Cost

Once all of these elements have been taken into consideration, the practitioner will determine which medical treatment (if any) may be the right option for you.

Want to have a practitioner assess you to see whether weight loss medications could be right for you? Just complete an online assessment, and one of our practitioners will be happy to help you find weight management treatments that may work for you.

Avoid Unregulated Medications & Weight Loss ‘Supplements’

Unregulated medications and weight loss supplements that aren’t approved for use by your practitioner, shouldn’t be used as part of your weight management plan.

There’s no way to know how effective these will be, and some of these supplements can even be dangerous, if you use them without taking into consideration your health and medical history.

It’s best to simply avoid these weight loss ‘treatments’. Instead, talk to your healthcare practitioner about safe, regulated treatments that could be beneficial for you as part of your treatment plan.

Recommendations for People Living with Obesity

Weight loss medications should only be used by people with a BMI over 30 (or between 27-30, with weight-related health conditions). These medications are often used both for weight loss, as well as to retain lost weight and prevent weight from returning.

Using these types of medications alongside health-behavioural changes can help people living with a number of different weight-related medical conditions, such as (but not limited to):

• Type 2 diabetes (T2DM)
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis(MASH)
• High blood pressure

If you’re living with obesity, it’s important to note that if you’re taking other prescription medications, you should avoid taking medications that are known to be specifically associated with weight gain.

Ready to take back control of your health with safe, effective long-term solutions? Then you should complete an assessment with a practitioner from Felix. They may be able to suggest weight loss medications that could help you, based on your health and medical history.

With Felix in your corner, you can take control of your weight management, and get back to living life on your terms - the way it should be.