What is medical weight loss?
Medical weight loss at Chrysolite Aesthetics uses lifestyle strategies, meal plans, and medical treatments to help you achieve and maintain your ideal body weight.
Having motivational support and structured programs developed by medical professionals increases your chance of weight loss success.
What are the benefits of medical weight loss?
Some of the many benefits associated with medical weight loss at Chrysolite Aesthetics include:
- Lower risk of chronic diseases
- Lower blood pressure and cholesterol
- Reduced blood sugar
- A smaller waist size
- More energy
- Increased self-confidence
- Motivational support
- A better chance of weight loss success
- Medical intervention during weight loss
- Chronic disease management
Your provider looks at health conditions that may hinder weight loss, such as low testosterone, low estrogen, or hypothyroidism. They also help you manage certain conditions during your weight loss journey.
What happens during medical weight loss?
During medical weight loss appointments at Chrysolite Aesthetics, your provider weighs you and checks your blood pressure, pulse, and other vital signs. They complete a physical examination and use blood tests to check for chronic disease risk factors, hormone imbalances, and nutrient deficiencies.
Your weight loss specialist develops customized weight loss meal plans that fit your unique needs, lifestyle, and preferences. They treat medical conditions you may have using medications, lifestyle changes, hormone replacement therapy, or dietary supplements.
You attend routine weight loss appointments at Chrysolite Aesthetics either weekly or monthly. These appointments are in place so that your provider can make sure your weight loss plan is working. They can adjust it as needed to help you achieve the most desirable results.
How long does weight loss take?
Your weight loss program can last several weeks or several months, but the exact course of treatment depends on how much weight you’d like to lose. Expect to lose about two to five pounds weekly. Once you reach your goal weight, your Chrysolite Aesthetics provider helps you maintain your weight long-term.
Don’t live with being overweight or with the chronic disease risk factors associated with obesity. Schedule a medical weight loss consultation with Chrysolite Aesthetics by phone or online today.
Semaglutide
The injectable drug, initially only used as diabetes medication, is the first drug since Saxenda (2014) approved to treat chronic weight management in the 70% of American adults who are obese or overweight.
Semaglutide belongs to a class of medications known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor antagonists, or GLP-1 RAs. It mimics the GLP-1 hormone, released in the gut in response to eating.
One role of GLP-1 is to prompt the body to produce more insulin, which reduces blood sugar (glucose). For that reason, health care providers have used semaglutide for more than 15 years to treat Type 2 Diabetes.
But GLP-1 in higher amounts also interacts with the parts of the brain that suppress your appetite and signal you to feel full. When used in conjunction with diet and exercise, it can cause significant weight loss and a reduced risk of cancer, diabetes and heart disease in people who are obese or overweight.
Semaglutide works by slowing down the intestinal motility resulting in the physical sensation of fullness and lack of desire to eat. It also works as appetite suppressant through neurological feedback from the brain.
The side effects of semaglutide are typically mild especially when compared to the complications associated with overweight and obesity. People taking semaglutide for weight loss may experience:
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Gastrointestinal issues, such as diarrhea, constipation and gassiness
- Headache
- Stomach issues, including nausea, vomiting, pain or distension (bloat)
Gastrointestinal issues are the most common complaint among people just starting semaglutide. But you may be able to reduce the side effects by beginning on a lower dose and then slowly increasing the amount you take.
Avoid semaglutide if you have:
- History of medullary thyroid cancer
- History of gallbladder disease
- Gastrointestinal issues, such as diarrhea, constipation and gassiness
- History of pancreatitis
- Multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN2)
