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Weight Gain or Weight Loss

Weight Gain

One in three adults in New Zealand are obese and a further one in three are overweight according to BMI criteria.  These rates have doubled in the last 15 years. 4 8% of maori adults and 68% of pacific island adults are obese.

Obesity is a chronic disease with serious increased health risks.  This has serious implications for all New Zealanders especially with the increasing resource burden required in the public hospital.  This is the most serious health issue facing our country.  There are new endoscopic technologies on our doorstep that may offer hope.  MacMurray specialists are currently running a trial on two new technologies – Aspire assist and Endobarrier.

What May be causing my Weight Gain?

Diet
Eating more calories than we burn in our daily life causes weight gain.  Sometimes excess calories are eaten by way of high sugar or high fat foods.  Sometimes weight gain is because of eating too much.  Implementing a healthy diet is essential to weight management and overall health.  Our dietitian can help create a dietary plan that is right for you to book an appointment with the dietitian.
Stress
Sometimes life stressors (such as work place pressure, family sickness, relationship strains) can lead to weight gain.  Usually this is because these stressors can lead to changes in diet.
Injury
An injury can mean you become less active, leading to weight gain.  Regular exercise might have to be limited because of an injury or we may come less active without even realising (for example, an injury may mean you now take the lift instead of the stairs).
Medication
Some medications can lead to weight gain.  This should be discussed with your doctor.
Diseases
Diseases of the thyroid, the adrenal and polycystic ovarian syndrome can cause weight gain.  There are also rare genetic causes.
The possibility of your weight gain being caused by a medical disease can be further investigated by a MacMurray Endocrinologist.

How can I lose Weight?

Dietary Changes.  Our dietitians can help create an individualised eating plan to help you lose weight
Exercise.
Behaviour modification programmes.  These help identify any underlying emotional concerns that may be leading to unhealthy choices around food and exercise.  After identifying these, tools can be put in place to help encourage and support healthy choices.

Medications. There are medications that can help suppress appetite.  Your specialist can identify if this would be helpful to you.

Gastric Balloon. Our gastroenterologists can consult with you about whether a gastric balloon is right for you.

Weight Loss Surgery. Our surgeons can consult with you about whether weight loss surgery, such as gastric banding or gastric bypass, is right for you. aucklandweightlosssurgery.co.nz

Weight Loss

Weight loss can be caused by a number of factors

  • Change in diet
  • Increase in exercise
  • Stress
  • Diseases
    Some diseases can cause weight loss and should be considered if the weight loss has been dramatic, or has extended over a long period of time and no other lifestyle changes can be pinpointed (e.g. you haven’t gone on a diet or recently joined the gym).  It is best to see a specialist to rule out possible illness.

    Book to see a specialist