Meanwhile, there are more approaches to weight loss than ever. Perhaps no one method will prevail. It may be that weight loss has to be individually determined, but there is no shortage of techniques reported to promote weight loss. Here are some of the more popular ones.

Prepackaged meals. Some medical studies have shown that use of prepackaged diet meals can help with weight loss, but the maintenance aspect was more complicated.

Meal Replacement Formula Drinks. These have been shown to promote weight loss for up to 4 to 5 years when used regularly along with a reasonable diet and exercise program.

Social Support. Programs like Weight Watchers have weekly meetings, and online chat rooms and forums where members can discuss personal weight loss issues and converse with nutritionists and trainers. Some dieters say that the support of others makes all the difference in achieving their weight loss goals.

Public Health Efforts. With obesity rates increasing in children, communities are studying school lunch and snack programs and trying to make changes to healthier meals and snack options.

Exercise that’s Fun. There is a saying that the best exercise is the one you’ll actually do. In other words, if it bores you, or doesn’t produce results, you won’t stick with it. New exercise options include activities like salsa dancing, belly dancing, and even exotic dancing.

Whole Family Approaches to Weight Loss. Parents and children exercise and cook together to make healthy weight management a family function. This is good for the health of the entire family.

Foods with a Bonus. Special yogurt designed to aid in digestion, extra fortified cereals and meal bars, even juices with added omega-3 fatty acids and calcium are available and make nutrition more convenient.

Medical Procedures. This includes not only cosmetic surgery for trouble spots like abdomen and thighs, but also weight loss surgery such as gastric bypass and lapband procedures. There are newer fat loss treatments called lipodissolve that claim to melt cellulite selectively. These procedures involve injection of phosphatidylcholine and sodium deoxycholate directly into problem fat areas. It is touted as a less invasive form of liposuction.

As weight gain continues to be problematic, particularly in western countries, the drive to find ways to combat it stays strong. The good news is that there are more options than ever for coping with weight loss. Because such an array of options can be overwhelming, it is vital that those wanting to lose weight do research before committing to any one solution, particularly if it is a drastic solution such as weight loss surgery.

In the past few years, scientists in Europe have developed weight loss supplements based on cellulose that are reported to induce a feeling of fullness and therefore discourage overeating. These supplements come in capsules, and work by expanding once they reach the digestive tract. A capsule the size of a vitamin pill is said to expand to the size of a tennis ball. This gelatinous mass partially fills the stomach and makes dieters feel full with less food intake.

Makers of cellulose capsules caution that sensible diet and exercise are still necessary for successful long term weight loss. One maker of cellulose capsules, Cm3 Alginate, recommends one capsule daily. Its main benefits are for retraining poor eating habits, such as excessive between meal snacking. But cellulose capsule proponents advise caution as well. There are certain medications that may not be adequately absorbed when taken during a cellulose capsule diet. Some users have reported stomach and bowel sensitivity after ingesting the capsules.

Though some medical experts caution that long term weight loss has not been adequately studied with cellulose capsules, others maintain that while they aren’t magic, the cellulose capsules could be one tool to help overweight people get their eating under control. Furthermore, they state, even a small decrease in the numbers of obese people would prevent numerous other health problems.

To use the capsules successfully, you are supposed to down one as soon as you feel hungry along with two glasses of water. Italian scientists claim that the effect is similar to having eaten a plate of pasta. The gel is similar to time-release gels used for gradual watering of plants. The compound is based on hydrogel, which is a cellulose compound. A powder when dry, hydrogel can absorb up to 1,000 times its weight. The type of hydrogel used in diet pills is biocompatible, meaning that the body simply flushes it out, according to scientists.

A German study, reported in the journal Nature, studied the effect of cellulose containing weight loss supplements on feelings of fullness in 19 moderately obese patients who were otherwise healthy. They were given capsules containing either Cm3 or a placebo before a standard meal. After the meal, self reported desire to eat something sweet, salty, savory, or fatty changed, but scientists could not attribute it to the Cm3 supplement.

Cm3 alginate, made from brown seaweed, also known as kelp, is said to improve fat and carbohydrate metabolism and slow the emptying of the stomach, resulting in a longer feeling of satiety, according to anecdotal evidence. With more people becoming overweight worldwide and growing disenchantment with stimulant-based appetite suppressants, Cm3 or other cellulosic gel compounds are giving dieters and medical researchers a new way to fight weight gain.