If you’ve been struggling with your weight for years, you’ve heard it many times over: “All you need to do to lose weight is eat less and exercise.” Of course, you know from frustrating experience that this bit of well-worn advice is for all practical purposes useless.
While it’s true that in order to lose weight you must consume fewer calories than the body needs each day – creating what’s known as a ‘calorie deficit’ that forces the body to burn stored fat for energy (resulting in weight loss) – doing so increases hunger. What do we want to do more than anything else when we’re hungry? That’s right – eat! So you’re already set up to fail on any kind of calorie-restricted diet that depends solely upon willpower. In fact, the number one reason people quit dieting is hunger!
Now consider what happens to your self-esteem when a willpower-based diet fails yet again. It plummets, instead of your weight! You consider yourself a bad person, weak-willed, etc. You can’t lose weight because it’s your fault! But here’s some good news – it’s NOT your fault! Today’s medical weight loss medications can treat those living with overweight and obesity by controlling your appetite – thereby making it possible to follow a low-calorie diet without constant feelings of gnawing hunger!
Medications to Treat Overweight and Obesity
Weight loss drugs with the active ingredient semaglutide or tirzepatide are increasingly popular for chronic weight management as part of a medication-managed approach to weight loss. They are once-weekly injectable medications that are U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved for use in adults, and adolescents age 12 and over.
Semaglutide belongs to a class of medications known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, or GLP-1 RAs. It mimics the GLP-1 hormone, released in the gut in response to eating. Consumers know semaglutide by the brand names Ozempic – developed specifically to manage type 2 diabetes, but used off-label for weight loss – and Wegovy – developed specifically for weight loss.
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. Its benefits for weight loss are twofold:
- Appetite suppression
- Insulin regulation
Moving on to tirzepatide, Christina Palmer, MD, writes the following about this ingredient and how it works in her article for GoodRx. Consumers know tirzepatide by the brand names Mounjaro – developed specifically to manage type 2 diabetes, but used off-label for weight loss – and Zepbound – developed specifically for weight loss.
Tirzepatide promotes weight loss by decreasing your appetite and prolonging feelings of fullness – which allows you to eat fewer calories. It is unique because it’s the first combination of two classes of medications: a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist and a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor agonist. Therefore, tirzepatide is known as a dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist.
GLP-1 and GIP are both incretin hormones, which are hormones that are released after eating. Tirzepatide works by mimicking their effects. This includes telling the pancreas to release insulin after eating and signaling the liver to lower the amount of glucose it’s making. These effects help lower blood glucose.
In addition to helping lower blood glucose, tirzepatide helps with weight loss in the following ways:
- It signals to the brain that you’re full – so you eat less.
- It slows the movement of food through your stomach – so you feel full longer.
Other similar injectable weight loss medications only mimic one incretin – GLP-1. It’s thought that because tirzepatide acts like two incretins, it can cause more weight loss than current alternatives. Researchers have studied how effective tirzepatide is for weight loss – for people with and without diabetes.
Medical Weight Loss in Orlando – It’s Rocket Science – Not Willpower!
As we say at Solutions Weight Loss, these breakthrough medications take weight loss into the realm of rocket science, and out of the old, self-defeating dependency on willpower! However, one other major drawback to the self-directed diets you may have tried previously is that you were on your own.
William E. Newsome, M.D., is Medical Director and co-owner of Solutions Weight Loss. From the very start of your medical weight loss journey with us, Dr. Newsome conducts your in-depth initial consultation, and will evaluate and prescribe for you the best treatment to achieve your goals. He brings his own personal weight loss experiences, and a lifelong dedication to health and fitness.
Solutions Weight Loss internal results prove our program is effective at driving long-term improvements to metabolic health and weight loss, with an average of 21% weight loss at 12 months; 19.1% at 18 months, and 18.9% at 24 months. Our members have also decreased their waist circumference by 7 inches, on average. These results are superior to the weight loss seen in clinical trials for GLP-1 medications. Regardless of which medication they take, our members have demonstrated significant and sustained results!
You may have heard about shortages of the brand-name medications mentioned in this article. Due to high demand, pharmaceutical companies sometimes are unable to provide the supply needed. This situation will never be a concern when you choose Solutions Weight Loss! Moreover, the brand-name medication is very expensive. However, semaglutide and tirzepatide are generic ingredients. We prescribe and dispense both, offering high-quality compounded GLP-1 medications at an affordable price. This gives you the following major advantages:
- Not having to ask for an expensive prescription that your health insurance most likely won’t cover. During a 30-minute consultation, Dr. Newsome will determine which medication is most clinically appropriate for your individual situation.
- Upon determining the best medication for you, the prescription will be filled and you will leave with it that same day. Shortages of any brand-name medication will never impact your medical weight loss program.
- We understand that people have busy schedules that may not allow them to visit our office on a weekly basis. That’s why we can dispense up to 12 weeks of your weight loss medication at a time. We smooth the path to make your weight loss journey as easy as possible to follow!
The Take-Home Message About Medical Appetite Control
Revolutionary advancements in medications that control appetite and work on key underlying metabolic pathways to support sustained weight loss are now reality – and can help you achieve what willpower alone could not. However, one old idea about weight loss still holds true – losing weight and keeping it off is better when you have the help and encouragement of a friend – one like Dr. Newsome and his entire Solutions Weight Loss team!
See what makes Solutions Weight Loss the #1 weight loss clinic in Florida! Schedule your consultation with Dr. Newsome here, or call 407-413-5503, and experience the benefits of today’s metabolic approach to sustainable weight loss! Don’t wait another day to start living your best life!
The post The Benefits of Medical Appetite Control first appeared on Solutions Weight Loss.
