It's a New Year, with new resolutions, and losing weight frequently makes the list.

“That can be a good thing,” Knox Community Hospital physician Dr. Aevan McLaughlin told the Mount Vernon News.

"It's a time to self-reflect and to try to start healthier habits," she said.

However, it can take more than a New Year's resolution for some people to lose weight.

"There are a lot of reasons for that," she said. "A lot of times, a new diet and exercise alone are not enough to treat the disease of obesity. We do have other options. We have a weight management program. We offer a medical pathway that includes behavioral changes, dietary changes, medications and also a surgical pathway."

Losing weight under the guidance of health-care professionals has advantages over trying to achieve it alone, McLaughlin said.

"We make sure you are losing the weight in a healthy way and in a sustainable way," she said.

Hormonal factors, for example, may be influencing weight in ways that a patient would not realize when relying on exercise alone.

"The hormonal influences are trying to counteract the weight loss," she said. "Our cravings increase. It gets harder to keep up with those things. Our body is trying to prevent us from losing weight. Our energy levels can change to try to prevent us from losing weight. Our body often works against us."

It can be difficult for a person to sustain weight loss over a long period of time just by reducing food intake, the physician said.

"The cravings can be very difficult to fight," she said.

Weight loss that is sustained over the long term, however, can have many health benefits. These benefits include living longer and decreasing chronic health problems like high blood pressure and sleep apnea and reducing the chances of developing heart problems, liver problems and even some cancers.

Learn more about Knox Community Medical Weight Management Pathway program at kch.org/weight-management.