Millions of Americans grapple with weight management, a complex issue impacting health and quality of life. Physician weight loss programs offer a structured approach to address this challenge, providing professional supervision, support, and tailored nutrition plans. These programs recognize that excess weight is not a simple character flaw but a multifaceted problem requiring comprehensive strategies.
What are Physician Weight Loss Programs?
Physician-supervised weight-loss programs are one-on-one treatment options that take place in a medical office. These programs distinguish themselves through several key features:
- Physician Approval: A consulting physician is on staff to perform pre- and post-diet physicals, ensuring client safety and well-being. This step, often recommended in weight loss regimens, is built directly into the program.
- Dietitian-Designed Plans: Licensed dietitians design each diet to provide the proper amounts of protein, carbohydrates, fat, fiber, essential vitamins, and minerals.
- Individualized Approach: Programs offer a variety of strategies to meet unique needs and goals, whether for quick or moderate weight loss, fat burning, or retraining the body with whole foods.
- Professional Support: A healthcare team trained in obesity medicine provides long-term weight management support, crucial for sustained success.
- Educational Component: Expert advice on essential weight-loss strategies is provided by experienced and trained weight loss professionals.
Components of a Physician Weight Loss Program
A medical weight management program typically includes a team of healthcare professionals specializing in safe and healthy weight management. The program creates an individualized nutrition and daily living plan designed for long-term maintenance.
Initial Assessment and Testing
Patients may have undiagnosed conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, thyroid disorders, or sleep apnea. Additional tests may be recommended based on medical history and initial physical exam.
Individualized Phases
A medically supervised weight-loss program has individualized phases, generally beginning with meal replacements and transitioning to self-prepared foods for long-term weight-loss. These programs also include guidance from a team of HCPs, access to group or individual counseling, and other support options.
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Lifestyle Skills
During the program, participants learn personal lifestyle skills, such as self-monitoring of food intake, movement, sleep, and stress.
Types of Physician Weight Loss Programs
Several types of physician weight loss programs exist, each with its own approach:
Medically Supervised Weight Loss Programs
These programs often utilize pre-packaged meal replacement plans. They incorporate lifestyle modifications and behavior change counseling to help people reach and maintain their weight-loss and health goals. These programs work as a transition to a healthier, self-prepared nutrition plan while offering education and support.
Calorie Controlled Plan
This plan involves eating only healthy foods purchased for yourself. A dietitian guides the process and designs a healthy meal plan based on your own food likes and dislikes.
Meal Replacement Plans
These plans involve replacing some or all meals with liquid meal replacement shakes. Meals that aren’t replaced with shakes consist of healthy foods bought at the supermarket or made at home. Liquid meal replacements are well-studied tools that help people achieve their weight loss goals. The plan consists of drinking five or more nutritionally complete meal replacement shakes, along with two prescribed vitamin and mineral packets every day. This combination provides everything needed for good nutrition while also initiating weight loss.
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Medication-Assisted Weight Loss
This plan combines healthy eating, Calorie Controlled Plan with an FDA-approved prescription medication for weight loss. These medications lessen appetite or can make you feel full earlier.
The Role of Medication in Physician Weight Loss Programs
The FDA has approved several prescription medications for weight loss, particularly for individuals with a BMI over 30 or a BMI over 27 with additional obesity-related conditions. The average weight-loss resulting from prescription weight-loss drugs is 5-21% of the starting weight. It is important to know that everyone responds differently to medications.
Semaglutide (Wegovy®)
Wegovy® is an injectable prescription medicine designed for adults with obesity or excess weight who also have weight-related medical problems, aiming to help with weight-loss. It is a glucagon-like-peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist that is engineered in the laboratory. In the Wegovy® STEP studies, the average weight-loss ranged from 15 to 17% of the participant’s starting weight. Common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and constipation.
Zepbound®
Zepbound® is an injectable medication that mimics the naturally occurring GIP and GLP-1 hormones released by the intestines into the bloodstream within minutes after we ingest food. In four SURMOUNT studies of individuals taking Zepbound® for 72 to 88 weeks, the average weight-loss was 15-25% of the individual’s starting weight. The most common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, constipation and vomiting.
Phentermine
Phentermine is a prescription-only weight-loss medication that has been FDA-approved since 1959. It works by acting on chemicals in your brain to decrease your appetite and contains a mild stimulant to boost energy levels. On average, individuals lose about 4-5% of their initial weight after one year. Because Phentermine is a stimulant, it may increase your blood pressure and heart rate.
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Orlistat (Alli®, Xenical®)
Orlistat is available over-the-counter as alli® and is also available in a higher dose prescription called Xenical®. Both are FDA-approved for weight-loss and work by decreasing the amount of fat your body absorbs. On average, individuals lose about 5% of their initial body weight. Side effects are limited but can include cramps, gas, stool leakage, oil spotting and gas with discharge.
Contrave®
Contrave® was FDA-approved in 2014 and combines two medications, Naltrexone and Buproprion, which were previously approved for other medical conditions. The most common side effects of Contrave® include nausea, constipation, headache, dry mouth, vomiting and dizziness.
Qsymia®
Qsymia® is a weight-loss drug initially approved by the FDA in 1959. Traditionally, Qsymia® is used to prevent migraines and seizures. At the lower dose, 62% of individuals on Qsymia® lost 5% of their starting weight. The most common side effects include dry mouth, constipation, and tingling sensations in the face, arms, hands and feet.
Saxenda®
Saxenda® is an injectable medication approved by the FDA in 2014 to treat type 2 diabetes. It works by increasing the body’s natural production of insulin, which helps regulate blood sugar levels.
Alli®
Alli® is the only FDA-approved over-the-counter drug for weight-loss. It is a lower-dose version of the prescription drug Xenical® (orlistat), taken before meals to reduce fat absorption. The average weight-loss with alli® is about five to ten pounds over six months. Side effects are limited to the gastrointestinal system and may include gas, cramps, stool leakage, oily spotting and gas with discharge.
Lifestyle Changes and Long-Term Success
Successful long-term weight loss should be based on a healthy diet. Exercise is crucial to the long-term success of a weight loss program. The process of losing weight and growing accustomed to new ways of dealing with food can be difficult.
Key Components of Lifestyle Change
- Healthy Eating: Focus on consuming nutritious foods, planning meals, and understanding portion sizes. The Mayo Clinic Diet emphasizes eating filling but low-calorie foods.
- Physical Activity: Aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day. Exercise plans can include walking and resistance exercises to maximize fat loss and boost mental well-being.
- Behavioral Changes: Adopt new habits and break unhealthy old ones. Simple habits, such as eating more fruits and vegetables, not eating while watching TV, and moving your body for 30 minutes a day, can help you lose weight.
- Support Groups: Participation in group sessions can help build skills for successful weight loss and longer-term weight loss maintenance.
Considerations and Potential Concerns
- Readjusting to Self-Prepared Foods: There are concerns about the ability of participants to successfully readjust to eating healthy, self-prepared foods following the meal replacement phase.
- Medication Side Effects: Prescription weight-loss medications can have side effects, so it’s essential to be monitored by a healthcare professional experienced in prescribing them.
- Insurance Coverage: Insurance coverage of prescription weight-loss medications varies by state and by insurance provider.
Finding the Right Program
Choosing a physician weight loss program involves several steps:
- Consultation: Schedule an initial consultation to discuss your weight loss goals, medical history, and any specific concerns.
- Medical Assessment: Undergo a medical assessment and lab work to determine if you medically qualify for the program.
- Program Selection: Choose a program that aligns with your individual needs and preferences, whether it’s a medically supervised program, a calorie-controlled plan, or a medication-assisted approach.
Benefits of Physician Weight Loss Programs
- Comprehensive Support: A team of psychologists, physicians, dietitians, and exercise physiologists work together to help you reduce excess weight.
- Customized Plans: Programs are individualized to help you achieve the results you’ve been looking for.
- Safe and Rapid Weight Loss: Highly trained professionals use the safest and most effective weight loss methods to help you with your goals.
- Long-Term Success: Programs emphasize long-term lifestyle changes that are crucial for sustained success.