Addressing the 4 Pillars of Weight Management Produces the Best Results

If you have considered visiting a weight loss doctor, you are in good company. Many adults have found that addressing weight problems medically while adopting healthy lifestyle changes is the key to losing excess weight and maintaining a healthy weight over the long term. Medical weight loss programs aren’t all alike, but the most successful ones tend to focus on four main areas of weight management: appetite control, metabolism management, eating habits, and lifestyle habits. 

1. Appetite Control

Appetite can be managed in several ways. For example, there are some high calorie foods that fail to leave you feeling satisfied. Many sugary or carbohydrate-laden snack foods fall into this category. Substituting foods that have protein and fiber can make a difference in total calorie intake because they help you feel satisfied longer. There are also FDA-approved weight loss medications that work by helping curb appetite and that are appropriate for some weight loss patients.

2. Metabolism Management

Metabolism is an individual characteristic, with some people having faster metabolisms than others. Metabolism may be affected by physical activity or lack of physical activity, and it may be affected by certain bodily conditions like a thyroid gland that is not working properly. With medical weight loss programs, your weight loss team has the tools necessary to determine if there are addressable medical issues causing your metabolism to be slower than it should be.

3. Eating Habits

When you focus on looking for healthy alternatives to unhealthy foods you normally consume, you set the stage for long term success with weight management. Examination of eating habits and small changes should be part of your weight loss plan from the beginning, because incorporating small changes slowly is ultimately more successful than trying to change all your eating habits at once. Your weight loss doctor and health team can help you make better choices at the grocery store and restaurants that you can maintain for the long term.

4. Physical Activity and Lifestyle Habits

Today’s lifestyle generally doesn’t require much movement or physical activity, and this makes it much easier for weight to creep up over time. The key to adding physical activity into your daily lifestyle is working with your weight loss team to find ideas that are appealing to you, whether it’s incorporating more walking, adding a fitness class, or using a game controller at home with fitness games. There are so many possible ways to add movement to your daily life that there’s something for everyone.

Long term weight loss requires commitment. One way to start that commitment off right is by working with a medical weight loss team who can help you address all aspects of weight management and who will be there for you even after you reach your goal weight, so you can maintain the results of all your hard work.