Managing obesity: why diet is not enough

When the many biologic and societal factors predisposing persons to obesity are considered, it is understandable why traditional therapy so often fails. To be effective, a program of therapy for obesity must include necessary changes in behavior, attitude, and life-style; dieting is not enough. As a first step, the determinants of past and present behaviors contributing to high energy intake, low energy expenditure, or both are identified. Once this is done, therapy is directed toward altering exposure, susceptibility, or response to these determinants.