Weight loss is one of the best decisions you can make for your health and well-being: it not only helps stave off diseases, but it also boosts your energy and makes you feel good about yourself.
Nonetheless, weight loss be a challenging pursuit for a number of reasons. There is learned behavior that is hard to change, and then there’s simply not knowing about calories, nutrients, and portion control. Medical conditions, such as thyroid disorders and hormonal imbalances, can also make it especially difficult for people to lose weight.
It is for such reasons that you’re better off seeking the expertise of your family care physician. Let’s talk about the ways in which your doctor can be of great help to you.
For Sustainable Results
The market is replete with weight-loss programs that promise dramatic and quick results, but only a very few of them truly live up to their promises. At best, they may be effective, but they are not sustainable. At worst, they can lead to nutritional deficiencies and, ultimately, to a slew of bigger health problems—bigger than what prompted you to lose weight in the first place.
Your family medicine physician can do so much more than merely creating a weight-loss program that restricts your calorie intake. With your overall health in mind, your doctor can lay out meal plans that incorporate real foods that are rich in nutrients and fiber to keep you satiated but low enough in calories to facilitate weight loss.
Your diet plan may incorporate some of the foods you like, which allows for flexibility. Your PCP knows that if you don’t like your diet plan or if it is too restrictive, you’re less likely to adhere to it for the long haul, making long-term weight loss also unlikely.
Your PCP can also craft a safe exercise regimen that compliments your needs as well prescribe medications to help ease the process.
For Goal-Setting and Accountability
Accountability is what reinforces discipline and establishes consistency, and the lack of it is what has caused many people to self-sabotage their weight-loss goals.
Your family medicine physician is your accountability partner and can help you with goal-setting. Examples of goals include losing a specific amount of weight within the next three months or fitting into your old dress before your birthday. Your PCP will monitor your progress during your weekly visits and may recommend other strategies for reinforcement, such as joining support groups, having a food lock, enlisting the support of your loved ones, and keeping a diary.
Studies suggest that people who have accountability partners, specifically their doctors, are twice as successful at both losing weight and keeping it off compared to those without.
For Insight into Your Biggest Barriers to Weight Loss
Weight gain and obesity aren’t just due to poor eating habits or the lack of exercise. In some cases, excess weight problem can also be caused by a medical condition, such as hypothyroidism or polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), or certain medications, such as alpha or beta-blockers for high blood pressure, progestins for birth control, or tricyclic antidepressants for depression.
To get to the bottom of your problem, your doctor will review your medical history, your current health status, and medications as well as run or order some tests. From there, your doctor will devise a treatment plan to effectively manage any underlying condition or substitute certain medications to help you lose weight.
