From Guidelines to Clinical Practice: Expert Perspectives on Long‐Term Management of Obesity

Obesity should be recognized as a chronic and progressive disease; pharmacotherapy is lifelong once initiated, as discontinuation consistently leads to weight regain and loss of metabolic benefit (consensus)

Treat obesity itself as an upstream intervention capable of modifying multiple obesity-related complications; greater weight loss generally confers greater clinical benefit

Visceral adipose tissue is a particularly relevant therapeutic target, especially in Asian populations, where substantial metabolic risk may be present at lower BMI levels

Treatment response is heterogeneous; weight-loss plateaus should be anticipated as evidence of maximal effectiveness rather than medication failure

Individualized, stepwise approach integrating pharmacotherapy and metabolic surgery as complementary strategies

Address practical barriers related to policy, access, affordability, and stigma to translate therapeutic advances into real-world benefit