Are you finding it hard to achieve your weight loss goals on your own? Do you feel like you've tried everything, but nothing seems to work? You're not alone. Many individuals struggle with weight loss, and it can often feel impossible without the right support and guidance. Fortunately, medical weight loss clinics in Rhode Island offer a solution that combines medical expertise with proven strategies to help you shed those extra pounds and improve your overall health.
Why Weight Loss Matters
Losing weight is important for much more than just appearances. It directly impacts your health, reducing your risk of serious conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers. Increased body mass index (BMI) can also create joint pain and limit mobility as you age, leading to a decrease in quality of life. A healthy lifestyle is key to reaching an ideal weight.
Challenges in Achieving Weight Loss
Achieving a healthy weight requires more than just willpower. Factors like genetics, medications, dietary knowledge, and even daily schedules can make this journey challenging. It’s often difficult to exercise enough if physical activity causes pain. Plus, cravings may make it difficult to eat well. In addition, there may be other factors playing a role, such as a lack of knowledge of what a balanced diet looks like, or limited time for physical activity, preparing healthy meals, and sleeping. Lastly, some people gain weight due to a medication like a beta blocker needed to control a chronic health condition.
Medical Weight Loss: A Comprehensive Approach
Medical weight loss clinics in Rhode Island offer a comprehensive approach to weight management, combining safe, effective treatments with lifestyle modifications tailored to each patient. These clinics provide a structured environment with medical supervision, ensuring that your weight loss journey is both safe and effective.
Prescription Weight Loss Programs
One of the most effective approaches to lose weight is through prescribed medications. Typically, prescription weight loss medications are intended for individuals with obesity, defined as having a BMI of 30 or above. However, patients with a BMI of 27 or more may qualify if related health concerns, like type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure, are present.
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- GLP-1 Medications: Compounded semaglutide is a GLP-1 weight loss medication taken via a once-weekly injection. It works by keeping you feeling fuller for longer and helps manage blood sugar levels, which is particularly beneficial for individuals with type 2 diabetes. Similar to semaglutide, tirzepatide is administered through a weekly subcutaneous injection and helps slow down digestion, which reduces food intake. Medically assisted weight loss programs incorporate both semaglutide and tirzepatide, allowing personalized treatment plans tailored specifically for you.
The Weight and Wellness Institute: A Closer Look
The Weight and Wellness Institute, located in Cranston, RI, offers a comprehensive resource for individuals who are struggling with overweight, obesity, diabetes, and health-related conditions. Their focus is on helping patients attain and maintain healthy body weight through a multidisciplinary approach.
Comprehensive Weight Medical Evaluation: Medical providers examine the conditions you may have that affect your weight and those affected by weight, including conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, and Type 2 diabetes, to name a few.
Robard Meal Replacement Supplements: Robard is a state of the art nutritional supplement developed by Nestle Health Sciences designed to provide excellent nutrition as part of a comprehensive weight management program. The product is formulated to allow for covering nutritional, vitamin and mineral requirements in a concentrated smaller number of calories, thus promoting weight loss. Robard may be used as part of a full liquid diet or combined with varying amounts of food to create customized approaches. Robard is always utilized under the supervision of a medical provider. The product comes in powder form meant to be mixed with water or non caloric beverages, a soup form mixed with hot water, a ready to drink liquid form and as a bar. It is available in a number of flavors, soups and bar varieties. The Weight and Wellness Institute is the exclusive Rhode Island provider of the Robard system.
Nutrition Evaluation and Counseling: Trained dietitians review your current diet and work with you to find healthier solutions. They will create an individualized plan that works so you can experience healthy weight loss with a long-term lifestyle change.
Multidisciplinary Consultation and Treatment: Medical, behavioral, nutritional, and exercise specialists create your ideal program. Working together, these specialists create a multi-pronged approach to weight loss.
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Behavioral Evaluation Related to Weight: The program's behaviorists will help you deal with emotional and behavioral hurdles connected with weight loss.
Specialty Programs for Diabetes and Other Conditions: Patients with metabolic disorders like diabetes sometimes need specialized care. Medical supervision allows patients with serious health concerns to lose weight in a safe and controlled setting without jeopardizing their health.
Maintenance Programs: When you have reached your target weight, individually designed maintenance programs helps you keep the weight off. These programs focus on reinforcing good habits, accountability and utilizing all the tools you were given during your weightloss journey.
The Importance of a Multidisciplinary Team
The cornerstone of The Weight and Wellness Institute is their multidisciplinary medical team. They bring together specialists from many study areas to ensure you have the best possible start on your weight loss journey. On their team, you will find physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, exercise physiologists, behavioral therapists, registered dietitians, and medical assistants. These professionals work together to help patients make choices that lead to healthier outcomes.
Medi-Weightloss Providence East: Personalized Care
Medi-Weightloss Providence East offers medically supervised weight loss programs near you. Their trained weight loss professionals help make your weight loss journey stress free and uncomplicated. Their GLP-1 program is tailored to your body, lifestyle, and goals. They provide face-to-face accountability, immediate clinical support, and body composition tracking with medical-grade technology.
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Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery: An Option for Some
For some individuals, metabolic bariatric surgery may be an option for losing weight and reversing other dangerous conditions associated with obesity. Understanding what metabolic bariatric surgery for weight loss involves and choosing a doctor and a hospital can be confusing and overwhelming for patients.
Eligibility: Before making the decision to have bariatric surgery, you should first calculate your BMI to determine if you qualify. If your Body Mass Index exceeds 35 you might be eligible for this procedure.
Types of Procedures: At Care New England, they offer three surgical treatments; the lap band, the sleeve gastrectomy, and the roux-en-y gastric bypass (RYGB).
Lap Band: The lap band works mainly by restricting food intake. The band is made of solid silicone, like a belt, and is wrapped around the upper part of the stomach. The belt has an inner inflatable balloon that is adjusted by adding sterile water to the port. The port is placed under the skin. When the band is inflated, it squeezes the stomach, making it harder for food to pass from the small upper stomach pouch through to the rest of the stomach.
Sleeve Gastrectomy: The sleeve gastrectomy involves restriction and hormonal changes. The "sleeve" is a procedure in which the majority of the stomach is stapled off and removed. This results in a long, slender stomach tube that doesn't stretch much. This procedure helps you eat small portions (4-8 ounces). It also has the added benefit of reducing hunger, partly due to the dramatic decrease in the hormone ghrelin which is primarily made in the part of the stomach that is removed.
Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB): The gastric bypass does all three. With the bypass, nothing is removed but the anatomy is rearranged. First, a small one-ounce stomach pouch is created. This is stapled and divided from the rest of the stomach and can only hold a few ounces of food. The remaining 95 percent of the stomach remains in place but no longer is able to receive food. Next, the small intestine is "rearranged." About two feet of the small intestine is divided into three sections: the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. The duodenum, where the majority of digestive juice is produced and nutrients are absorbed, is cut and connected to the jejunum three feet (100cm) downstream. Now food enters the stomach pouch and squeezes through a small, button-sized opening to get into the intestine. The food travels three feet before it encounters the digestive juices produced by the bypassed stomach and duodenum. The overall effect is that patients eat small portions and calories do not absorb well (restriction plus malabsorption).
Recovery: Recovery is different for everyone. You can expect some discomfort and medication will be provided to take as needed for pain and nausea. Lap band patients tend to recover quickly. Most patients take one to two weeks out of work. Weight loss is rapid after the bypass and sleeve. The majority of patients lose most of their weight in the first six to 12 months. The band has to be adjusted often so weight loss tends to be slower (about one to two pounds per week).
Follow-up Care: You will need to see the surgeon two weeks after your operation. Band patients will then be seen monthly to adjust the band. Sleeve and bypass patients will need to be seen in the office every three months for the first year, every six months the second year, and then every year for life. Blood work will be checked at each visit to make sure you are not developing any vitamin deficiencies.
The Brown University Health Obesity Medicine Program
The Brown University Health obesity medicine program treats obesity as a disease and encourages body positivity and mindfulness. Treatments are personalized for you and your needs. One size doesn’t fit everyone, which is why the most important question to ask about metabolic bariatric surgery, commonly known as weight-loss surgery, is which is best for you. Your care team will explore criteria specific to you and your goals so that you can both be confident the best one for you is selected.
Potential Risks and Complications of Metabolic Bariatric Surgery
Each procedure comes with its own set of potential risks, side effects, and complications. An assessment by your care team of your condition and weight-loss goals will help determine the procedure with the least risk that is right for you. Any type of surgery has an element of risk dependent on any number of factors. Metabolic bariatric surgery is as safe or safer than some of the most performed surgeries in America including gallbladder surgery, appendectomy and knee replacement.
Life After Bariatric Surgery
Pregnancy: Most women are much more fertile after surgery, even with moderate pre-op weight loss. Birth control pills do NOT work as well in heavy patients and are not very reliable during the time your weight is changing. For this reason, having an IUD or using condoms and spermicide with ALL intercourse is needed.
Plastic Surgery: Most patients have some loose or sagging skin, but it is often more temporary than expected. Some patients will choose to have plastic surgery to remove excess skin. Most surgeons recommend waiting at least 18 months, but you can be evaluated before that.
Vitamins and Minerals: You will need to take a multivitamin for life. You may need higher doses of certain vitamins or minerals, especially Iron, Calcium, and Vitamin D. You will also need to have at least yearly lab checks.
Success Stories: Real People, Real Results
Many individuals have found success in their weight loss journeys through medical weight loss clinics and bariatric surgery. Here are a few inspiring stories:
Kerri Carvalho was pre-diabetic and consulted with Beth Ryder, MD, FACS, director of the Center for Medical and Surgical Weight Loss. After understanding what her lifestyle would be like after the surgery, "everything changed."
One patient shared, "Having weight loss surgery was the best thing I could have done! My main objective was to be able to really play with my grandchildren. Now instead of thinking 'I can't because…' I think 'Come on!'"
Another patient, who had surpassed 400 lbs., shared, "Since having gastric bypass surgery my life has improved dramatically in so many ways… I am the healthiest I have ever been in my adult life. I have very few food limitations and, while my portions are small, they are no longer freakishly small; for the most part, I can eat just like anyone else. I now enjoy a much better quality of life and will forever be grateful."
Finding the Right Clinic for You
Choosing the right weight loss clinic is a crucial step in your journey. Consider the following factors when making your decision:
Credentials and Experience: Look for clinics with experienced medical professionals, including physicians, nurses, dietitians, and therapists.
Program Options: Explore the different programs offered and choose one that aligns with your individual needs and goals.
Support and Resources: Ensure the clinic provides ongoing support, education, and resources to help you maintain your weight loss long-term.
Patient Testimonials: Read reviews and testimonials from other patients to get a sense of their experiences with the clinic.