title: [Promoting sustainable behavior change in body weight control].
abstract: There is a wide acknowledgement of obesity as a relevant clinical entity. Such relevance can be inferred by the huge worldwide amount of research and related health promotion and clinical efforts. Though the evidence sustains some cues for the therapeutic success, the overall long-term effectiveness of obesity treatment tends to be not so satisfactory. Scientific literature is not unequivocal in key areas of nutritional intervention, such as the magnitude of caloric restriction, proportion of macronutrients, meal frequency, among others. The same applies to the area of physical activity recommendation for weight control. As a correlate of this scenario of incertitude, there is a proliferation of interventions and there is a clear need to integrate the scientific and clinical evidence. This paper presents a narrative literature review of key issues of clinical practice in obesity, regarding a set of actions that, in the overall, have as main purpose the promotion of reduction and/or control of body weight. The role of the health professional is highlighted as a facilitator of acquisition of habits that favor weight control, by integrating the professional's scientific knowledge with the patient's readiness for and capacity to change.
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Endocrinologia. Hospital de Santa Maria/ Faculdade de Medicina. Universidade de Lisboa. Lisboa. & Instituto Superior de Ciências da Saúde Egas Moniz. Monte de Caparica. Portugal.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Camolas
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Preventiva. Faculdade de Medicina. Universidade de Lisboa. Lisboa. Portugal.
authors.forename: Osvaldo
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Ciências da Nutrição e Alimentação. Universidade do Porto. Porto. Portugal.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Endocrinologia. Hospital de Santa Maria/ Faculdade de Medicina. Universidade de Lisboa. Lisboa. Portugal.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: do Carmo
mesh_terms: D001519:Behavior; D001835:Body Weight; D004032:Diet; D002149:Energy Intake; D006801:Humans; D009043:Motor Activity; D009765:Obesity / Q000628:therapy*