Rena Wing, professor of psychiatry and human behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, sheds some insight into how dramatic lifestyle changes are the only way a person can make dramatic weight loss changes in life.

She explains the ways in which dramatic weight loss works hand in hand with dramatic life changes. Society lifestyle centers entirely too much around things that are “instant” such as fast food restaurants and remote controls for household gadgets. All of this allows for a fast paced lifestyle with little or no physical movement required.

Obesity is an epidemic spanning every corner of the globe. There is an average of 1 billion adults who are overweight with 300 million of those individuals classified as clinically obese. There have been clinical researchers who indicate that small changes made here and there, such as switching from whole milk to skim milk, can have an affect on obesity treatment. Wing could not disagree more.

She believes that major changes are needed to help an obese person take the needed weight off and be successful in keeping it off. Some of the dramatic changes she recommends are a minimal of 60 to 90 minute of physical activity each day and healthy diet choices. Once these changes are made and the weight begins to come off, a consciousness needs to be maintained as far as any further weight gain. Even small weight gain amounts warrant dramatic adjustments to keep all of the initial weight from returning.

Above all, make a change in daily physical activity, food choices and keep one eye on the scale to prevent future weight gains. This holds especially true for those defined as clinically obese or with a family history of obesity.