Medical weight loss is a program that your doctor oversees. Your doctor will help you curate a diet plan and exercise plan that is right for you and your body. In some plans, you may even get your own health coach who could also help motivate and coach you through the process.
Understanding Weight Loss
That extra weight you may be trying to get rid of is actually just energy (also known as calories) that your body is storing as fat tissue. You gain weight when you eat foods that are high in energy but do not perform enough energy-using activities to release that energy. This causes your body to store what is left over.
To lose weight, all you have to do is eat foods that contain less energy and perform more activities to release the extra energy from your body. This may be easier said than done, which is why you may want to consider medical weight loss. This is what the process looks like.
First Consultation
Your journey would begin with a consultation with your doctor. This is where you would discuss your goals with your doctor, who will learn more about you and your lifestyle during this visit. This allows them to create a plan that would best work with your lifestyle.
Diet
Your doctor may suggest trying a different diet to facilitate weight loss.
This diet could be:
- Intermittent fasting
- High protein
- Low carbohydrate
Your doctor may even suggest a different eating schedule. For example, they may suggest eating 5 small meals per day instead of 3 big meals. If you eat late dinners, maybe right before going to sleep, your doctor may suggest trying to eat dinner at least 3 hours before going to sleep so your body has time to digest that food.
Exercise
Exercise is very important when attempting to lose weight. Your doctor will work with you to find a program that works for you and your body. Your exercise doesn't always have to be old-fashioned exercises, it can be virtually anything as long as you are active.
For example, you could engage in:
- Dog walking
- Swimming
- Hiking
- Sports, like volleyball or tennis
If you're putting off exercising because you don't want to constantly do cardio or sit-ups, making sure you stay active is the most important part of weight loss.
Does It Work?
You may find that weight loss guided by your doctor may work better than if you were to try on your own. This is because you have a support system. A lot of times people will give up on their weight loss journey because they're not seeing the results as quickly as they'd hoped. This way, your doctor can inform and educate you ahead of time on how long it may take, and encourage you not to lose patience.
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