Many North Americans struggle with weight loss, whether the scale just won’t budge or fluctuates up and down like a yo-yo. Diet and exercise are an excellent start to a healthy weight, but sometimes stubborn pounds need an extra boost to keep them from hanging on. Our office offers medically supervised weight loss in that helps our patients achieve healthy weight goals using advanced methods that have been proven to work time and time again.
Did you know…
That more than 35 percent of American adults are overweight? According to an estimate from the Centers for Disease Control, obesity is directly responsible for more than $140 billion in medical costs each year – primarily for the treatment of weight-related diseases like heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and stroke. Losing just 10 to 20 pounds can lower blood pressure and cholesterol, alleviate chronic pain, and reduce cancer risk – not to mention improve the quality of life…
VIP Weight Loss Management Program
Are you feeling overweight, tired, or simply unhealthy? Have you tried losing weight and failed?
You are not alone. Millions of Americans are caught in an obesogenic world that is plagued with fast food options around every corner, poor eating habits, and general lack of activity, high-stress environments, insufficient sleep, and a “sick-care” health system. In this unsupportive environment, it is no wonder that two-thirds of adult Americans are overweight, and the predicted health of the future is even more uncertain.
Customized Program for Your Health
Dr. Hekmat’s enjoyment stems from helping her patients achieve their goals in weight loss, beauty, health, and lifestyle management. At VIP MedSpa Clinic, Dr. Hekmat offers medical weight loss options along with her guidance and support. She utilizes her collective experience as a double board-certified Internal Medicine and Aesthetic Medicine specialist to help her patients become healthier and happier with a customized program just for you.
Optavia
One of the customized program options is using Optavia. Optavia offers a simple solution: high-quality, medically formulated meal replacements combined with coaching support to help you lose weight and keep it off. It is not a diet, but a two-phased approach for weight loss and maintenance.
In the first phase, you will use Optavia portion-controlled meal replacements to lose 2-5 pounds per week for the first two weeks and 1-2 pounds per week thereafter, without surgery. As your Health Coach, Dr. Hekmat is a resource that will guide you through the program and provide on-going personal coaching for you. She will help you build up the knowledge, skills, and support you need to realize health and help keep you focused on your long-term goals and dreams.
Once you achieve your desired weight loss, you will transition into the Maintenance plan, which will allow you to put your healthy habits to work to support lasting weight maintenance. Small actions, such as building exercise into your day and eating breakfast, add up to make a significant impact on your overall health. Throughout this process, Dr. Hekmat will serve as your mentor, educator, coach, and friend.
Before you know it, friends, family, colleagues, and your doctor will want to know your secret to looking and feeling good. There is no greater feeling than when Dr. is able to introduce optimal health to her patient, and find out that, due to weight loss they have reduced certain weight-related medications or discover the new aspects of life that he or she can now more fully experience. Dr. Hekmat can offer you a safe, effective, and non-intrusive option for weight loss and long-term health.
Medications
Who is a candidate for weight-loss drugs?
Prescription weight-loss drugs are generally reserved for people who haven’t been able to lose weight through diet and exercise, and who have health problems because of their weight.
Dr. Hekmat may consider weight-loss drugs for you if you haven’t been able to lose weight through diet and exercise and you meet one of the following:
- Your body mass index (BMI) is greater than 30.
- Your BMI is greater than 27, and you have a serious medical problem related to obesity, such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
Before selecting medication for you, Dr. Hekmat will consider your health history, the possible side effects of the medications, and any potential interaction of weight-loss drugs with other medications you’re taking.
Common weight-loss medication:
- Glucophage (Metformin)
- Phentermine
- Contrave (Bupropion/Naltrexone)
- Semaglutide/Tirzepatide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound)
Semaglutide (GLP-1) or Tirzepatide (GLP-1 and GIP) for Weight Loss
(Ozempic/Wegovy/Zepbound/Mounjaro)
What are Semaglutide/GLP-1 agonists? (Ozempic/Wegovy)
GLP-1 agonists are medications that lower blood sugar levels and promote weight loss. For Type 2 diabetics, they help manage blood sugar (glucose) levels. Some GLP-1 agonists can also help treat obesity. There are many different types. And they’re just one part of your treatment plan if you have Type 2 diabetes or obesity. Your healthcare provider can help you decide if they’re right for you.
GLP-1 agonists/Semaglutide are medications that belong to the class of drugs called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. They are most often injectable medications, meaning you inject a liquid medication with a needle and syringe, given in the fatty tissue just under the skin (subcutaneous injection). Areas of your body you can inject include the belly, outer thighs, upper buttocks, and the backs of arms.
GLP-1 agonists alone cannot treat Type 2 diabetes or obesity, but both conditions require other treatment strategies, like lifestyle and dietary changes.
How does GLP-1/Semaglutide work?
Semaglutide mimics the effects of the naturally occurring GLP-1 hormone in your body that your small intestine makes.
- It triggers your pancreas to release insulin. Insulin is an essential hormone that allows your body to use food you eat for energy. And it lowers the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood. Not enough insulin increases your blood sugar and can lead to diabetes.
- Blocking glucagon secretion, a hormone your body uses to raise blood sugar levels when necessary. So GLP-1 prevents more glucose from entering the bloodstream.
- Slowing stomach emptying. Slower digestion means your body releases less glucose from your food into your blood.
- GLP-1 affects areas of the brain that process hunger and satiety. Increase how full you feel after eating (satiety) to feel fuller longer.
Semaglutide/GLP-1 agonist medications are manufactured substances that attach to a cell receptor and cause the same action as the naturally occurring substance. GLP-1 medications bind to GLP receptors, triggering the effects of the GLP-1 hormone. The higher the dose of GLP-1 agonist, the more extreme the effects.
If you have Type 2 diabetes, the medications help manage your blood sugar by triggering your pancreas to release more insulin. Slower digestion also helps decrease blood sugar spikes.
The satiety effect of GLP-1 agonists reduces your appetite, food intake, and hunger. This combined effect often results in weight loss.
Healthcare providers prescribe GLP-1 agonist medication for two conditions: Type 2 diabetes and obesity.
It is important to keep in mind that the most effective management of Type 2 diabetes involves several therapies, such as lifestyle and diet modifications, exercise, and medications.
The FDA approves the use of Semaglutide and Tirzepatide to treat obesity. These GLP-1 agonists have weight-loss effects. Obesity is a chronic condition characterized by a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher.
Healthcare providers may also prescribe Semaglutide or Tirzepatide for overweight people with other health conditions if losing weight can help manage the coexisting conditions. Overweight is when one has a BMI of 25 to 29.9.
Other benefits of GLP-1 agonists include lowering blood sugar levels and weight loss, lowering blood pressure, improving lipid disorders, improving fatty liver disease, reducing the risk of heart and kidney disease, and delaying the progression of diabetes-related nephropathy.
Common side effects of GLP-1 agonists can include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, and indigestion. GLP-1 agonists are not safe to take during pregnancy. Animal studies show that these medications cause developmental abnormalities in the fetus. If you can become pregnant, you should use effective and reliable birth control while taking a GLP-1 agonist. If you become pregnant while taking medication, see your healthcare provider immediately.
What is Tirzepatide/GLP-1 and GIP? (Zepbound/Mounjaro)
Tirzepatide is a prescription medication that effectively promotes weight loss. It is a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. It treats Type 2 diabetes. This medication is often combined with diet and exercise.
How does Tirzepatide work?
Tirzepatide targets two receptors, including GLP-1 and GIP. This dual-receptor approach helps regulate blood sugar, increase insulin secretion, reduce glucagon production, suppress appetite, and slow gastric emptying, improving glycemic control and weight loss.
GLP-1 Receptor Agonist:
GLP-1 is a hormone released after eating that stimulates insulin release, slows digestion, and increases feelings of fullness. Tirzepatide mimics GLP-1’s effects by activating GLP-1 receptors, which can help reduce appetite and promote weight loss.
GIP Receptor Agonist:
GIP is another hormone that regulates blood sugar and insulin sensitivity. Tirzepatide also activates GIP receptors, improving blood sugar control and contributing to weight loss. GIP’s primary function is to stimulate insulin release from the pancreas in a glucose-dependent manner. It also regulates lipid metabolism and bone strength and may influence cognition. GIP is produced by K cells in the duodenal and jejunal mucosa of the small intestine. GIP acts as an incretin, enhancing insulin secretion in response to increased blood glucose levels. It also affects brain regions involved in energy balance and may influence weight loss through the brain. Tirzepatide influences brain signals about hunger and satiety, potentially reducing cravings and a greater sense of fullness.
Possible side effects are constipation, diarrhea, loss of appetite, nausea, stomach pain, upset stomach, and vomiting.
Both Semaglutide and Tirzepatide are once-weekly injectable prescription medications.
Frequently Asked Questions
Am I a candidate for medical weight loss?
You may be a candidate for medical weight loss if your previous attempts to lose weight have been unsuccessful. Contact our office to schedule a consultation and find out more about our treatment options for overweight and obese patients.
What should I expect during a medical weight loss program?
We take a multifaceted approach to helping our patients lose weight. We always begin with nutritional counseling and lifestyle modifications that help increase cardiovascular output, lower stress, and improve sleep – all factors that can aid in healthy weight loss. Additional interventions are necessary on a case-by-case basis. For example, some patients are struggling with weight loss due to nutritional imbalances or skipped meals. Others may be facing hormonal imbalances that pack on the pounds. Our treatment options help break through weight loss barriers and turn the body into a fat-burning machine.
What types of results can I expect after completing a medical weight loss program?
Weight loss outcomes vary from patient to patient and treatment carries no guarantee of results. However, patients who are a part of a medically-personalized weight loss program are more likely to obtain significant long-term results than those who attempt to lose weight using diet or exercise alone.
