Whatstack

Guide

Weight Loss.

How weight loss actually works, why it comes back, the medications and their real doses, surgery, and the diet, exercise and sleep levers that hold up — and the ones that don’t.

Contents

  1. 01How weight loss actually worksA sustained energy deficit is the one thing that has to happen for fat to leave. But 'eat…
  2. 02Why the weight comes backLosing weight is the easy part; keeping it off is where most attempts unravel. That is not…
  3. 03Measuring it rightThe scale is a noisy, incomplete instrument, and BMI is a blunt one. A few better measures…
  4. 04Diet: what actually worksThe head-to-head trials are unusually clear on one point: the diet you can stick to beats…
  5. 05Protein, fiber & food qualityIf diet composition barely matters for weight in the abstract, two components matter a…
  6. 06Fasting, meal timing & liquid caloriesIntermittent fasting works — but not for the reason it's usually sold. And liquid calories…
  7. 07Exercise for fat loss & maintenanceExercise is a mediocre tool for losing weight and a powerful one for keeping it off — a…
  8. 08Lifting & protecting muscleIn any deficit, some of what you lose is muscle, not fat. Resistance training plus enough…
  9. 09Sleep, stress & behaviourThree levers that surround the plate. Sleep has clean causal evidence; stress is real but…
  10. 10GLP-1 & incretin drugs: the overviewThese drugs are the biggest shift in obesity treatment in a generation — the first…
  11. 11GLP-1 dosing, titration & the pipelineThe dose is escalated slowly on purpose — to blunt the nausea that comes with starting too…
  12. 12GLP-1 side effects & safetyThese are among the best-studied drugs in metabolic medicine, and most side effects are…
  13. 13Stopping, regain, cost & accessThe single most important thing to understand before starting: these are treatments, not…
  14. 14Older & other weight-loss drugsBefore the incretins there was a thin, modest toolkit — and a long list of drugs pulled…
  15. 15Bariatric surgery & endoscopic optionsSurgery remains the most effective and most durable treatment for severe obesity — and…
  16. 16Supplements: what's defensible, what's junkAlmost no over-the-counter supplement produces weight loss that matters clinically. A…
  17. 17The biohacker & functional lensThe wellness world has surfaced some genuinely useful ideas alongside a lot of overreach…
  18. 18Build your plan & keep it offEverything in this guide reduces to a small, shared foundation plus a decision about…
  19. 19Sources & how to read the evidenceThis guide was built from the primary literature — randomised trials, meta-analyses…
Educational reference — not medical advice. This summarises published research and clinical guidance. Doses are typical figures from the literature, not instructions. Never start, stop, or change a weight-loss medication on your own — decide anything here with a qualified clinician.