Lifestyle changes: Diet and physical activity

Even if a single therapeutic measure does not usually achieve a breakthrough, lifestyle changes lay the foundation for losing weight and learning a sustainably healthier and more balanced diet.

Nutritional Counseling

A balanced diet is crucial for a successful path to your ideal weight. Not only the choice of food, but also the right amount plays an important role.

If you want to lose weight in a targeted manner, it is advisable to eat around 500 to 600 kilocalories less than your body consumes every day. Many diets focus on reducing carbohydrates and/or fats. However, experts recommend a balanced mixed diet. The “Mediterranean diet” with plenty of fruit, vegetables, wholegrain products and healthy fats is particularly beneficial. Don’t forget to take into account the calories from drinks. Adults should consume at least 2 liters of fluid daily, preferably in the form of water and unsweetened teas.

Diets with a very low energy intake (800 to 1,200 kcal/day) can quickly lead to significant weight loss and are used in special cases such as severe obesity or for medical reasons (e.g. before an operation). It is important to emphasize that very low calorie diets are not suitable as a long-term solution and are only recommended under medical supervision for a period of twelve weeks at most. During this time, those affected should drink at least 2.5 liters of fluid per day. Extremely one-sided diets and complete fasting are not recommended, as they pose health risks and do not help to keep the weight off permanently (yo-yo effect).

If you change your diet to a calorie-reduced diet and become more active at the same time, you can lose around 0.3 to 1 kilogram of weight per week over a period of 12 to 24 weeks. In our obesity consultation, we work with you to create an individualized nutrition plan.

Exercise therapy and physiotherapy

Exercise helps with obesity and overweight. Physical activity increases energy consumption – and this helps to reduce and permanently stabilize body weight.

According to current scientific findings, exercise has a positive effect on blood pressure as well as sugar and fat metabolism. Regular physical activity improves your stamina, strength, flexibility and coordination, thereby enhancing your well-being and zest for life. However, not every sport is equally suitable. Strength training alone is therefore not very effective in reducing weight.

On the other hand, endurance sports are particularly suitable for overweight or obese people, for example:

  • Walking
  • Hiking
  • Jogging
  • Swimming
  • Cycling

Our aim is for you to enjoy exercise again through therapy. Often, initially well-intentioned motivation leads to beginners in particular overloading themselves, causing frustration and preventing them from continuing their training in the long term. In order to achieve a lasting positive effect, it is important that you exercise regularly and with appropriate performance.

In our outpatient rehabilitation program for overweight people, we will help you to create an exercise program tailored to your needs so that you do not over- or under-exert yourself and retain the joy of exercise.

Behavioral therapy

If you want to keep your body weight stable at a lower level in the long term, you have to change your previous habits – and above all your eating habits – permanently. Behavioral therapy is therefore a sensible measure for obesity. An important goal of this therapy is to learn to eat slowly and mindfully.

Keeping a food diary gives you the opportunity to monitor your own eating and drinking habits. The food diary can be used to find out which factors lead to eating disorders and trigger hunger attacks, for example.

For patients

In the obesity consultation, we discuss individual diet and exercise measures and evaluate drug and surgical therapies.
Due to the large number of requests, only referrals from your doctor are currently possible.

Tel. +41 43 254 04 44
Mail azz@usz.ch
Contact online

For referrering physicians

Leading experts in the field of obesity from a wide range of disciplines work closely together to define a customized treatment pathway for your patients. We look forward to your assignment.

Tel. +41 43 254 04 44
Mail azz@usz.ch
Register online