Medical weight loss is an approach to weight loss in which the patient is supported by a team of specialists. These are doctors, therapists, sometimes psychologists and dieticians. Each such medical program is individually tailored to the patient, which allows for faster and more satisfactory weight loss results. Very often, despite diet and exercise, the patient cannot lose excess weight. This is due to the fact that his body may be in poor health or the patient has bad behavioural habits. Such a program, unlike a standard diet, is carefully tailored to the patient. How is the patient assessed before selecting the right weight loss program for them?
- Medical weight loss – patient health assessment
- Individual plan to lose weight
- Monitoring weight loss progress – follow-up consultations with doctors
- Patient education and raising awareness about healthy lifestyle
Medical weight loss – patient health assessment
The first step to lose weight is to talk to a doctor, who will first familiarise himself with the patient’s medical history. He will ask whether he has previously lost weight, what methods he has used, whether he has ever had any surgeries (including weight loss surgeries), and whether he has any chronic diseases or conditions. Information about medications and allergies is also important.
The next step is to do some lab tests. They are helpful in determining the cause of obesity. Most often, they help identify hidden causes of excess weight. These can be blood tests, hormone levels, thyroid health checks, and blood sugar levels.
Medical weight loss also includes checking what the human body is made of – how much muscle and fat tissue there is in it, how much water there is in the body and how much is bone mass.
Sometimes physical examinations are also necessary, such as measuring blood pressure and other health parameters of the patient.
Individual plan to lose weight
The next step is to create an individual weight loss plan. This is a personalised diet that takes into account the patient’s personal life, work life, and lifestyle. Its goal is to set the diet so that the patient does not experience food cravings, and the food provides him with good nutrition during the day.
The second element of the plan is for a physical therapist to develop an exercise program that takes into account the patient’s health limitations, aims to improve the patient’s overall fitness, and help him achieve his weight loss goals more quickly.
Sometimes it may be necessary to introduce drug treatment to facilitate weight loss.
Monitoring weight loss progress—follow-up consultations with doctors
It is very important for patients to come for regular check-ups. During such visits, they can talk to the doctor, dietitian and other specialists to make modifications to the action plan, if necessary.
The visit also allows for monitoring progress, performing routine tests of basic health parameters and assessing health status.
During the visit, the patients can also raise issues related to their well-being, mental condition, stressful situations, eating disorders and lack of motivation to continue the program.
Patient education and raising awareness about healthy lifestyle
Changing health habits has a lot to do with educating the patients and making them aware of which eating habits may be hindering their weight loss. It is important that patients can participate in various workshops, receive educational materials and use professional nutritional advice. Increasing awareness makes it easier for patients to understand the changes they are making.
A complete, comprehensive weight loss plan will be developed for patients who decide to use the services of a professional Weight Loss Center.
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