Weight gain is often treated as a matter of willpower. Medically, it is more useful to treat it as a condition with identifiable drivers — some hormonal, some metabolic, some related to medication, sleep or mental health.
Ruling out treatable causes
Assessment first excludes contributors such as hypothyroidism, Cushing's syndrome, PCOS, and drugs known to cause weight gain, alongside screening for the consequences: prediabetes, fatty liver, sleep apnoea, abnormal lipids and high blood pressure.
Treatment options
A structured plan combines a realistic and sustainable dietary approach, activity that fits your routine, and — where clinically indicated — pharmacological options including GLP-1 based therapy. These medicines are effective but are not appropriate for everyone, need monitoring, and work best alongside dietary change rather than instead of it.
Honest expectations
Sustainable loss is gradual. The measure of success is not only the number on the scale but the improvement in blood sugar, blood pressure, lipids and liver health that accompanies it.