In the United States, almost 47% of adults live with obesity. This number has made the diet industry significantly popular, offering an array of options that promise fast weight loss. Recently, however, people have decided to try medical weight loss as another option.
Medical weight loss programs offer trusted results that could transform your life. If you’re worried about your weight and would like to try an effective option that doesn’t rely on fads, is medical weight loss right for you?
What Is Medical Weight Loss?
Medical weight loss refers to a program supervised by medical professionals. It relies on science-based tools and treats weight gain as being connected to your hormones and metabolism.
Typically, the process of participating in a medical weight loss program begins with a health check. Your doctor will run blood tests and get your full medical history to ensure you are safe throughout the entire process. Your health history and daily habits will offer insight into what could be preventing you from losing weight.
If you’re healthy enough to participate in one of these programs, your doctor will then create a custom plan. It will outline the specific foods you should eat, along with their quantities, and the type of exercise that you should be doing.
In most cases, a medical weight loss program will include medications. Your doctor could prescribe options like GLP-1 medications to help quiet the hunger signals in your brain so that weight loss becomes a bit easier. You will also receive a monitoring schedule. Your team can keep an eye on your progress and make adjustments.
Who Can Benefit From Medical Weight Loss?
Medical weight loss is not for everyone. It is better suited for adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher who have tried other options without success. If you have high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or any other type of weight-related medical issue, you could be eligible for these programs with a BMI of 27 or more.
You may not be an appropriate candidate for these programs if you have health contraindications, including certain types of cancers or type 1 diabetes. If you have organ issues or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you will not be able to participate.
Diet Plans vs. Medical Weight Loss
As people begin considering their weight loss options, diet plans may seem like the right choice. However, there are numerous reasons to consider medical weight loss.
Offering Safety and Supervision
A diet plan is usually something you pursue on your own. You may come across a new option in a magazine or online, prompting you to give it a try. Because you are not part of a program but are pursuing weight loss alone, you won’t have supervision. These self-guided plans provide no safety checks or monitoring.
With a medical weight loss program, you have nurses and doctors assisting you throughout the process. They will insist on checkups and careful monitoring to ensure you are getting the nutrition you need while still losing weight.
Addressing Root Causes
Diet plans are focused on cutting calories so that you can lose weight. You may be encouraged to eat from only one food group or avoid sugar or carbohydrates. Although this will likely result in some weight loss, it’s not a sustainable option. As soon as you return to eating normally, you’ll gain all the weight back.
The reason is that diet plans don’t tackle the underlying cause of your weight gain or inability to lose the pounds. It doesn’t see you as a unique person with a chemical makeup that is different from others, so your plan will match that of everyone else. Because of this, you’ll find your weight yo-yoing in a manner that is not healthy.
A medical weight loss program delves into the underlying cause of the problem. It will look at your metabolism and how efficiently it’s working, as well as taking a hormone panel to see if there’s an imbalance that could be slowing down your ability to lose weight.
If you take medications, your doctor will look at whether they are causing any of the issues, too.
With a medical weight loss program, you will have a plan that is created specifically for you. This makes it more likely that the results will be significant and that you’ll be able to maintain them.
Providing Structured Assistance
Diet plans may give you a list of foods to eat and even grocery lists for everything you need to buy to stick to the diet. What happens once you complete the plan, though? You can’t be expected to eat the foods on that schedule for the rest of your life, but you have not been given the assistance you need to make smarter food choices.
Additionally, diet plans may place a significant amount of pressure on your “willpower,” which sets you up to fail. Since you’re depriving your body of some of the nutrients it needs while not addressing the issues that are causing you to overeat or gain weight, your willpower will likely not be enough.
A medical weight loss program combines a number of treatments to help you achieve your goals. If hunger signals cause you to overeat, medications can help you manage them better.
Some people need specialized meal replacement options, which a diet will not be able to provide. With a program, you have a structured plan with close monitoring to make changes as necessary.
Additionally, you can choose medical weight loss programs that offer behavioral therapy. These sessions can assist you in getting to the issues you may have with food and eating.
Choose a Trusted Medical Weight Loss Program in California
If you have been seeking a weight loss option that offers trusted results and can assist you in keeping the weight off, consider a medical weight loss program. At Nenergy Boost, we provide the ongoing support you need. Contact us to schedule a consultation with our doctor.