How Can a Weight Loss Program Help Me With Weight Management?

While the news is full of stories about the wonders of weight loss medications, doctors who specialize in obesity know that there is much more to long-lasting weight management than treatment with medication. Along with this valuable tool, a weight loss plan should always consider behavioral and other lifestyle changes that will lead to lasting results. If you want to lose weight while improving your health and feeling better, you need a comprehensive plan overseen by an obesity specialist. 

What is Medical Weight Loss?

When people try to lose weight without support, they often struggle to develop and follow a successful plan. Dr. Freda Cobbinah is board-certified in obesity medicine. She understands how to set you up for success with a multi-factored weight loss program that combines behavioral changes, lifestyle improvements, and medications. Unlike many doctors who prescribe these medications without other support, she will help you achieve results that you can maintain for a lifetime using the tools you have developed. 

How Can a Weight Loss Program Help Me With Weight Management?

A weight loss program with Dr. Cobbinah contains four components. Without addressing all four of these factors, many people will regain lost weight and feel frustrated, making them more likely to give up. Success encourages you to continue, so the support of an obesity doctor is a major factor in your success. 

Nutrition Management

While you already know that decreasing calories helps you lose weight, nutrition for weight loss includes many other factors. Especially with medications, eating less can lead to an unbalanced diet and a lack of important nutrients. It can also lead to an imbalance in the appropriate percentages of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates vital to health. A weight loss program will help you learn how to include all the nutrition you need while controlling your portions and overall calorie intake. 

Physical Activity

You already know that physical activity has health benefits. However, you may not realize the many ways it affects your weight management. Regular physical activity increases your muscle mass and improves your metabolism. Dr. Cobbinah helps you learn to fit more activity into your daily routine in a sustainable way. 

If you use weight loss medications and lose weight without any physical activity, you risk losing muscle mass instead of fat. Staying active will keep your muscles engaged and strong while your body burns your unneeded fat. It will also help you feel more energized and improve your mood, making you less likely to reach for snacks. 

Behavioral Modification

Each of us has our own triggers to eat when we are not hungry or eat too much. Whether you have difficulty controlling portions, eat when you are bored or stressed, or have other triggers, a weight loss program will teach you to recognize them and change your behavior. It will also help you change your relationship with food and the many behavioral factors that make us eat more than we need. While many of us are aware of our problem eating behaviors, we do not always have the tools to change them without help. 

Medications

While weight loss medications have become widely popular, they are not always the easy solution they are promoted to be. Semaglutide is an effective weight-loss tool, but it should only be used as part of a comprehensive weight-management program. People who lose weight without changing their behaviors or lifestyle are at risk of regaining it. Dr. Cobbinah focuses on long-term success and a healthy future, with medication as a tool to help you achieve them. 

How Do Weight Loss Medications Help With Weight Management?

The weight loss injections you have been hearing about are prescription forms of a drug called semaglutide. This medication mimics the effects of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), a signal your body uses to tell your brain how full you are. When semaglutide binds to the receptors GLP-1 uses, it tells the brain to turn off hunger signals. As a result, you feel full, and most people eat less often and eat fewer calories at meals. 

Semaglutide does not stop factors other than hunger that cause you to eat. If you tend to eat out of stress or boredom, for example, you may still do this unless you learn to change this behavior. These factors make weight loss medications more effective when used as part of a weight management program. People who do not make any changes to their behaviors or lifestyle will usually regain their weight if they stop taking semaglutide.

What are the Benefits of a Medical Weight Loss Program?

Anyone who has tried to lose weight without support knows how difficult it can be. The majority of people who lose weight with diet and exercise alone will gain it back, leading to a frustrating cycle that makes many people lose motivation. A weight loss program managed by an experienced team will help you recognize and learn to manage the factors that contribute to long-term weight management. 

How Long Will I Stay On a Weight Loss Program?

While you can eventually reach a point in your weight loss where you no longer want or need to lose more weight, leading a healthy lifestyle that keeps you at an active, stable weight is a life-long pursuit. While you can choose to stop taking weight loss medications at any time, you will need behavioral tools to manage your hunger when it returns. 

The tools you learn in a weight loss program with Dr. Cobbinah will help you for the rest of your life. Rather than just taking medication, you will learn about your relationship with food, make behavioral changes, and establish healthy habits. 

Am I a Good Candidate for a Medical Weight Loss Program?

Anyone who wants to lose weight should reach out to an obesity specialist for help. A weight loss program can be adjusted to accommodate any dietary or physical needs or restrictions to make it work for you. Good candidates understand that long-term results require more than just medication and are motivated to make lasting changes. When you provide the motivation, your team will provide the guidance, support, and tools you need. 

Take the Next Step

If you have further questions about medical weight loss programs, please call us at (210) 568-7555 or complete our online contact form, and one of our trusted staff members will reach out to you. Essential Med Aesthetics is located in San Antonio, Texas.