Sticking to a new diet or exercise program can be a very challenging task. Unbalanced hormones, changes in your metabolism, and other factors can make it very difficult to improve your weight with lifestyle choices. Fortunately, you don’t have to shed your extra weight by yourself. You can improve your health by receiving medical weight loss treatment from Shenandoah Women’s Healthcare in Harrisonburg, VA.
What Is Involved in Medical Weight Loss?
Medical weight loss is designed to help you shed extra pounds in a stable, healthy manner. This professional treatment will also help you address health issues that are related to your weight. Although your Medical weight loss program will be customized to fit your unique situation, this treatment may involve testing, medications, lifestyle changes, counseling, and liposuction treatments.
Receiving Metabolic Testing
Your metabolism is the process that your body uses to turn the food and beverages that you consume into energy. Your age, gender, muscle mass, and other factors will affect the speed of your metabolism. As you become older, your metabolism is likely to slow down. In addition, some prescription medications can slow your metabolism. This change can cause you to feel tired and gain weight.
For example, when you go on a very strict diet, your metabolism may slow down. This health issue will make it even more difficult for you to lose weight with exercise and diet programs. We can use metabolic tests to determine whether your metabolism is contributing to your weight gain. Learning about the speed of your metabolism will allow us to develop effective weight loss techniques for you.
Taking Medication
Sometimes, you will not be able to reach your ideal weight by changing your diet and exercising more frequently. When we begin your treatment, we will review your medical history and body mass index. In addition, we may use a range of scientific tests to learn more about your health. Depending on your circumstances, we may advise you to take weight loss medications during your treatment.
Balancing Your Hormones
Your hormones have a large impact on your weight. Some hormones will increase your lean muscle mass. In contrast, other hormones can cause you to gain a large amount of unwanted fat. If your hormones are out of balance, you might be unable to lose weight on your own.
During your weight loss treatment, we can use tests to check your hormone levels. If your hormones are out of balance, we can use a variety of techniques to fix this problem. For example, we can suggest lifestyle changes or advise you to take supplements.
Receiving Dietary Counseling
It’s important to understand the effect that your diet has on your weight and physical health. During your treatment, we will provide you with dietary counseling that will give you the ability to make healthier eating choices.
For example, we will teach you that many processed foods contain a high amount of sugar. Eating a large amount of sugar can cause your body to store extra fat. During your treatment, we will help you decide how much sugar to consume every day. In addition, you will learn how to follow our dietary suggestions by checking the amount of added sugar in foods that you regularly consume.
Living a Healthy Lifestyle
We will use our training and experience to help you make sustainable lifestyle changes. We will not recommend time-consuming, unpleasant exercise programs that are difficult to fit into your routine. Instead, we will design an enjoyable exercise program for you. In addition, we will create a customized diet program that is tailored to fit your metabolism and weight loss goals.
Receiving Liposuction
Adopting healthy lifestyle habits is a good way to reduce your weight and improve your health. However, you might be unable to remove extra fat on your stomach, thighs, or other locations by making lifestyle changes. You can improve these features by receiving SmartLipo.
During this body contouring treatment, we will use laser technology to kill fat cells in your desired location. In addition to removing unwanted fat, this treatment will firm your skin. Since this treatment is minimally invasive, you will be able to quickly return to your usual schedule. Further, you should see improvements in your unwanted fat within about one week.
Dealing With Prescription Medications
Some medications can prevent you from reaching your goal weight on your own. These medications may alter your metabolism, harm the bacteria in your colon, or increase your tendency to store extra fat. For example, medications that are used to treat depression and high blood pressure may cause you to gain weight. You can also experience unintended weight gain after you begin taking medications that treat arthritis or epilepsy.
During your treatment, we can use tests to determine whether your prescription medications are contributing to your weight loss challenges. We can recommend coping mechanisms that will help you handle the effects of these medications.
Can I Start Losing Weight Before I Begin My Treatment?
If you are eager to improve your health, you might decide to begin losing weight on your own. We will encourage you to monitor your diet and adopt healthy habits before you begin your medical weight loss treatment. In addition, you should think about keeping a food journal during the weeks before your initial appointment.
Your food journal will help you understand your snacking and dietary habits. For example, you might realize that you feel tired or unwell after you eat certain foods. You may also realize that specific social events or situations are causing you to overeat. When you begin your treatment, we will review your food journal. This journal will help us understand the behavior and circumstances that are making it difficult for you to lose weight on your own.
What Types of Physical Exercises Will I Do?
We will tailor your exercise routine to fit your health and personal preferences. For example, if you have an injury or physical limitation, we will recommend a modified fitness program for you. That said, we will usually advise you to follow an exercise routine that combines cardiovascular and weight training activities.
The Benefits of Cardiovascular Exercise
Cardiovascular exercise will cause your heart rate to increase. This type of activity will burn calories and help you reduce unwanted fat. In addition, regularly engaging in cardiovascular exercises will strengthen your muscles. Common cardiovascular exercises include swimming, rowing, running, and biking.
The Benefits of Weight Lifting
Regularly lifting weights will build lean muscle mass in your body. Increasing your muscle mass will raise your metabolism and make it easier for you to maintain a healthy weight. To achieve this goal, we may advise you to regularly lift weights during your treatment.
What Dietary Changes Will I Make?
Like your exercise routine, your diet program will be tailored to fit your individual situation. When we begin your weight loss treatment, we will use tests and other methods to learn more about your reaction to a wide range of different foods. For example, we might learn that you have an easier time metabolizing specific foods. Further, you might be more likely to overeat when you consume specific snacks or desserts.
Although your diet plan will be customized, we are likely to advise you to avoid eating foods that contain large amounts of trans fats and added sugars. Eating too much sugar will cause you to develop additional fat deposits and experience increased difficulty maintaining a healthy weight.
What Type of Hormone Treatment Will I Receive?
The hormone treatment that you receive will depend on the health problems that are preventing you from reaching a healthy weight on your own. In particular, imbalanced levels of testosterone, estrogen, thyroid hormones, cortisol, or insulin can negatively affect your body weight.
Testosterone and Estrogen
If your testosterone or estrogen levels are imbalanced, you might develop large pockets of unwanted fat. These pockets can be very challenging to shed with diet programs and exercise routines. If we determine that your testosterone or estrogen is out of balance, we may advise you to use supplements to correct this issue.
Thyroid Hormones
Your thyroid is a small gland that affects the speed of your metabolism. If you have a condition called hypothyroidism, this gland will produce inadequate amounts of hormones. This health problem will slow your metabolism and make it very difficult to lose weight. Fixing this medical issue will enhance your health and increase the effectiveness of your diet and exercise routine.
Cortisol
If you are under a large amount of stress, you may have high levels of cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that will increase the amount of fat on your stomach. This hormone can also cause you to crave sugar and make it difficult for you to sleep. Developing insomnia can decrease your energy levels and make you gain more weight.
During your treatment, we can use a variety of techniques to lower your cortisol levels. For example, we are likely to advise you to exercise regularly and eat a balanced diet. We can also recommend stress reduction strategies and medications that will control your production of cortisol.
Insulin
Insulin is a hormone that your pancreas produces. If your insulin is imbalanced, you may store additional amounts of fat and gain weight. We can use scientific tests to check your insulin levels. If this hormone is out of balance, we can prescribe medication that will address this health problem.
Will I Have Professional Support During My Weight Loss Journey?
You will visit our office in Harrisonburg for regular follow-up appointments throughout your weight loss journey. During these visits, we will monitor your weight and discuss your feelings about your weight loss program. You can also ask us questions about your medications, exercise program, and other components of your treatment.
If you are having a setback, we can make adjustments that will help you achieve your weight loss goals. In addition, we will refine your plan as your health improves and you move closer toward your goal weight. Once you have reached a healthy weight, we can suggest strategies that will help you maintain your improvements.
Manage Your Weight
If you are tired of trying fad diets and challenging exercise programs that don’t improve your health, you should think about receiving professional help during your weight loss journey. During your medical weight loss treatment, we can balance your hormone levels and teach you healthy eating habits. To learn more about this amazing weight loss treatment, contact us at Shenandoah Women’s Healthcare in Harrisonburg, VA.