Obesity is a growing global health concern, and losing weight and maintaining that loss can be a significant challenge for many. The Simonds Weight Loss Method offers a multi-faceted approach to tackling this issue, focusing on medical interventions, lifestyle changes, and behavioral therapy. This article explores the various components of the Simonds method, drawing upon expert insights and practical strategies for achieving sustainable weight loss and improved overall health.
Understanding the Simonds Metabolic Assessment
At the core of the Simonds Weight Loss program is the signature Simonds Metabolic Assessment. This assessment serves as the foundation for developing a personalized weight loss strategy. The program's ultimate goal extends beyond simply achieving weight loss; it aims to facilitate a profound and positive transformation in a patient's mental, physical, and emotional well-being.
The Role of Medication in the Simonds Method
The medical providers at Doctor Simonds Weight Loss have extensive experience, over 10 years, prescribing GLP-1 medications for type 2 diabetes and obesity. Their experience in treating thousands of patients with this class of medication is unrivaled in the field of obesity medicine. This experience has brought to light that the greatest weight loss achievements happen with the use of combination drug therapy.
GLP-1 Medications: A Key Component
GLP-1 medications play a significant role in the Simonds Weight Loss Method. These medications, including Wegovy and ZepBound, were relatively new in terms of their FDA approval for obesity treatment in 2021 and 2023, respectively. The medical providers at Doctor Simonds Weight Loss have been prescribing GLP-1’s for type 2 diabetes and obesity for over 10 years. The practice believes they are safe and effective for most people and often uses them in combination with other medications like phentermine, phendimetrazine, diethylpropion, or topiramate.
GLP-1 medications function as gut hormones, inducing a feeling of fullness even with reduced food intake. Common side effects may include nausea, heartburn, stomach cramps, diarrhea, and constipation. The medication is designed to start at a low dose once a week for a month before considering advancing the dose. It is recommended to work with a physician when making these considerations. Start low, go slow and don’t advance the dose if it’s not necessary.
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Combination Drug Therapy for Enhanced Results
The medical providers at Doctor Simonds Weight Loss have been prescribing GLP-1’s for type 2 diabetes and obesity for over 10 years. Their experience in treating thousands of patients with this class of medication is unrivaled in the field of obesity medicine. This experience has brought to light that the greatest weight loss achievements happen with the use of combination drug therapy. GLP-1’s like Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, Semaglutide, and Tirzepatide can be combined with medications like Phentermine, Phendimetrazine, Diethylpropion, Metformin, and Topiramate to get a much better weight loss result than using a single medication alone. The combination of more than one of these medications on patients has shown remarkable success.
Addressing Cost and Accessibility
The cost of brand-name GLP-1 medications like Wegovy can be a barrier for many, with a month’s supply costing roughly $1,200 or $1,300 without insurance. While coupon programs can lower the cost of ZepBound to around $550 a month, compounded versions offer a more affordable alternative. If you’re struggling to find GLP-1 medications, the practice has established partnerships with reputable compounders who can create the medication for you.
Monitoring Progress and Body Composition
Regular monthly visits are an integral part of the Simonds Weight Loss Method. These visits include a comprehensive check of vital signs, weight, progress, and body composition. This personalized care allows the providers to determine if a patient is losing lean or fat mass, providing valuable insights into the effectiveness of the treatment plan. The goal is to help patients avoid losing lean mass while maintaining fat mass.
Lifestyle Adjustments for Sustainable Weight Loss
Beyond medication, the Simonds Weight Loss Method emphasizes the importance of lifestyle changes, including diet and exercise.
Dietary Strategies
The Simonds method teaches patients a diet that will produce weight and fat loss in a healthy way. The strategy Dr. Simonds uses most importantly is teaching the tools to follow carbohydrate restricted and true ketogenic diets. It requires avoiding all sugar and refined grains so that your body uses its stored glycogen and must turn to burning body fat for fuel. This produces a molecule called a ketone. The practice are huge proponents of a keto or low-carb lifestyle, which can have significant results and beneficial health effects in the long run. But, if keto is not for you, the practice will help you come up with a sustainable eating plan that works for you.
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The Importance of Physical Activity
The program encourages patients to incorporate exercise and a physically active lifestyle to promote good health and prevent weight regain.
Intermittent Fasting as a Complementary Approach
Intermittent fasting can be a valuable addition to a weight loss plan. It involves alternating cycles of eating and fasting, with options ranging from daily (16/8 method) to weekly or alternate-day fasting. Intermittent fasting offers a lot of flexibility when trying to lose weight. You can drink water, coffee, tea, or other non-caloric beverages. With intermittent fasting, you aren’t restricted to what foods you can eat, rather you’re restricted to when you can eat them. Therefore, intermittent fasting is not a diet. It’s a timed approach to eating. People can choose to eat whatever foods they want and still get the benefit of losing weight at the same time. This flexibility makes it a popular choice for many.
While intermittent fasting is generally safe for healthy individuals, it may not be suitable for those with certain health conditions or those taking medications that require food intake.
Combining Intermittent Fasting with Specific Diets
Combining intermittent fasting with a restricted diet can maximize weight loss benefits. For example, pairing intermittent fasting with a keto lifestyle - which involves a high-fat, low-carb diet - can help with losing fat. Eating high-fat low-carb foods helps the body enter a metabolic process known as ketosis, which helps your body break down fats. A plant-based diet can also go well with intermittent fasting because it involves eating healthier foods, which helps with weight loss due to low-calorie and low-carb foods. A plant-based diet also helps increase energy levels and provides a great source of essential nutrients to the body.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Long-Term Success
The Simonds Weight Loss Method recognizes the crucial role of psychological factors in weight management and incorporates Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as a valuable tool.
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Understanding the Principles of CBT
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is about changing behavior, especially long-term, habitual patterns, and getting yourself to take different actions, resulting in making better decisions. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy can be a vital strategy for losing weight. CBT is an approach to the psychological treatment of various mental health issues. The therapy has a few values that form the basis of care. One of them is that psychological issues are partially the result of unhealthy thinking. Learned patterns of unhealthy behavior can contribute as well. The main goal of cognitive behavioral therapy is to change the way you think to come up with effective ways to cope. Some strategies may include understanding a person’s behavior and using problem-solving skills to handle difficult situations. Part of the treatment might have you face your fears to overcome them.
How CBT Supports Weight Loss
CBT can be especially helpful for long-term weight loss. Of course, many people can benefit from using the treatment alongside other methods, like a well-formulated ketogenic diet plan and exercise. When someone uses this type of psychotherapy, the person learns to identify the thought that guides their actions. It can take a bit of practice, but Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy can be vital on the weight loss journey. You will likely start with making necessary lifestyle changes. It is an essential step in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. Lifestyle changes also affect how active a person is on a daily basis. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy encourages people to adopt an exercise regime. You might choose to go on more walks or visit the gym regularly. Several options for dietary plans exist for someone to choose for weight loss.
Addressing Emotional Eating and Setbacks
Motivation, responses to mood, and frequent snacking can contribute to the decision to stop new eating habits. This is when CBT may help. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy can improve a person’s mood to reduce the chances of comfort eating.
Improving Body Image and Self-Confidence
A common reason people choose to lose weight involves body image. After all, society generally places importance on physical appearance. A negative view can influence their self-confidence. The psychological treatment uses the basics of the program to give people room to improve their thoughts and feelings about their bodies. Treatment can reduce anxiety and lead to a better understanding that there is more to you than physical appearance.
Setting Realistic Goals and Maintaining Weight Loss
As you continue your Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, you may create weight loss goals for yourself. You should determine why you plan to lose weight, how many pounds you want to drop, or set goals for activities you want to be able to do at a lower body weight. It also is important to set a realistic goal and even set smaller goals along the way. People often do not realize the achievements they make, especially when they see how far they have to go. Maintaining weight is as important as the loss itself. The majority of those that lose weight will experience weight regain and fluctuations. CBT can help prevent you from worrying about these normal fluctuations and indulgences now and then. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy assists in long-term weight and health management, which is the ultimate goal in any weight loss journey. You should feel a sense of satisfaction with the amount you have lost and the benefits you’ve gained from that and the therapy encourages those positive feelings.
Additional Services and Support
Dr. Simonds Metabolics & Weight Loss offers a range of additional services to support patients on their weight loss journey.
Onsite Pharmacy
One of the biggest benefits to patients is the onsite pharmacy. It offers an array of services that include lipotropic injections and B12 shots. There is a trusted variety of tinctures, salves, lotions and creams. A wide selection of dietary supplements from brands like Metagenics are available.
Personalized Support and Encouragement
"We are here to help and encourage you,” said Dr. Simonds. “Losing 5-10% of your initial body weight in a year can dramatically improve your health. Most of my patients achieve this level of weight loss in the first 60 days.
Addressing Reward-Based Eating
“I recently attended a conference on obesity medicine, in which they talked about reward-based eating, which is different from true hunger and low blood sugar,” said Dr. Simonds. “In America, we have an abundance of food and some people eat simply to produce a pleasure sensation. This can be a big problem for patients and can cause problems like plateaus. When you work really hard and at the end of the day, you don’t turn to alcohol because you’re not an alcoholic, but you turn to food instead as a reward mechanism, it is a problem. Behaviors like this substitute one problem like alcohol with another counterproductive behavior like reward based eating. Don't be afraid to restart. Are you off track?