It is the most common chronic disease of our time and significantly increases the risk of developing many other conditions. Even being slightly overweight can be a trigger for high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes . In the long term, excess body weight can lead to cardiovascular disease, certain malignant tumours and joint disorders.

In the vast majority of cases, lifestyle factors lead to the development of overweight. Unhealthy eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle are most closely linked to the development of overweight.

Accordingly, without lifestyle changes, it is not possible to treat this condition effectively in the long term. The treatment of obesity is based on a lifestyle change: optimising diet and eating habits and introducing regular leisure-time physical activity.

Most people living with obesity have tried cures several times in their lives, but in almost 100% of cases they are unsuccessful. Many people blame themselves for their failure, but obesity is caused by an upset in the regulation of our very complex energy balance. Our body aggressively defends itself against weight loss, and processes are set in motion that make it very difficult to lose weight and even more difficult to maintain the lower weight we have achieved in the long term.

In order to be successful in losing excess weight, almost all overweight people need medical care, which, in addition to lifestyle support, includes medication and advanced monitoring of metabolic changes.

Several drug options have become available in recent years that can not only help with weight loss, but are also effective in treating other chronic co-morbidities that may already be present. Which therapeutic approach is the most optimal for you will be determined by a number of factors, which will be decided between you and your doctor during your visit.

Once weight loss has started, the body reduces the minimum amount of energy needed to sustain life. This is known as basal metabolism, which is important to determine during treatment because it is necessary to adapt the therapy to your changing needs in order to be effective. This is where indirect calorimetry, a simple, quick and completely painless method of measuring the actual basal metabolic rate, comes in. In addition to the basal metabolic rate, the device provides important information about which energy source your body uses first: fats or carbohydrates (sugars). This information can be important when looking for the reason why weight loss is not starting despite lifestyle changes.

Our team has state-of-the-art tools to help you achieve your weight loss goals.

Our body’s energy balance is determined by the following parameters:

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): This is the amount of energy required for the body to function at a basic level, without any physical activity. It represents the absolute minimum needed to maintain vital functions if we were to remain inactive for 24 hours - lying down, not moving, and not eating.

Total Metabolic Rate (TMR): This includes the energy required for basal metabolism plus the energy necessary to perform our daily routine activities (which can vary greatly between individuals). It also accounts for the energy needed to digest and process the food we consume.

Both basal and total metabolic rates can vary widely and are highly individual. When aiming to lose weight, one of the most important pieces of information is understanding and accurately assessing our body’s individual basal metabolic rate. With this knowledge, we can appropriately adjust our daily caloric intake to promote weight loss and ensure that the process continues without stalling before reaching our target weight.

The most reliable method currently available for measuring basal metabolic rate is indirect calorimetry, which calculates it precisely based on the amount of oxygen we inhale and carbon dioxide we exhale. Devices such as InBody, which measure body composition, can also provide an estimate of basal metabolic rate. However, these devices calculate BMR using a formula based on the fat-free body mass measured by the machine. While this may be accurate for an average person, it is often misleading for individuals with overweight, resulting in underestimation or overestimation of true metabolic rate.

By accurately determining our basal metabolic rate with indirect calorimetry, we can much more effectively adjust our diet or the intensity and frequency of physical activity to achieve the desired results, such as weight loss in cases of overweight.

Indirect calorimetry also provides other important information. Based on the respiratory quotient, it can indicate the extent to which our body relies on burning carbohydrates or fats for energy.

This information is particularly valuable when trying to lose weight. If, despite significant lifestyle changes, our weight does not change or decreases very slowly, the respiratory quotient can help identify whether dominant carbohydrate burning is the reason. In such cases, dietary adjustments guided by a nutritionist may be necessary to shift the body’s energy utilization from carbohydrate burning to fat burning.

Currently, indirect calorimetry is the only method that provides reliable, actionable information about our metabolism.

The examination, performed using the state-of-the-art, Europe-developed, market-leading COSMED Q-NRG device, takes approximately 10–12 minutes. It requires minimal participation and is not physically demanding for the participant.

There are two options for conducting the test: lying down in complete relaxation, breathing normally for about 10 minutes under a transparent plastic canopy, which provides the most accurate data. Alternatively, the test can be performed using a mouthpiece (similar to the mouthpiece of a snorkel or diving breathing tube), which also provides precise results and is recommended for those who may find the canopy uncomfortable.

The device automatically displays the results after 10 minutes, with a basic interpretation provided. A detailed evaluation is performed during the subsequent medical consultation.