Most people understand that being either overweight or living with obesity puts your health at risk in multiple ways. Heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes are just a few serious health issues associated with excess weight and obesity.
Weight loss isn’t easy, however. To be successful, you have to be committed and get guidance and support from an expert source. As integrative medicine specialists, our experts at Regenerative Health & Wellness Medical Center in Holly and Colorado Springs, Colorado, know that what you eat is an integral part of the overall health puzzle, and that your eating and exercise habits impact so many aspects of your health.
The challenge of weight loss
As you know, weight loss isn’t easy. If it were, nearly a third of adults in the United States wouldn’t be overweight, and over 36% wouldn’t be obese. Our society revolves around food — as a way to celebrate, engage with each other (Superbowl parties, for example), and mourn. If you’re under stress, it’s not uncommon to seek comfort from food. But that comfort is fleeting.
The availability of highly processed snack foods, fast food, and other not-so-good-for-you options is high. Combine that with a toxic culture based on fad diets, and you’ve got a recipe for weight gain.
Many people also go through cycles of losing weight and gaining it back repeatedly. How do you stop this cycle and start honoring your body as the temple it is? A good place to start is with nutrient-dense foods, daily movement, and stress reduction.
Does losing just 10 pounds make a difference?
To your overall health? It absolutely does!
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), losing a modest amount of weight — say 10 pounds for a 200-pound individual — not only are benefits measurable in terms of lowering your cholesterol, blood sugars, and blood pressure, but this automatically puts you at a lower risk for those serious health conditions we noted earlier.
Additional benefits include:
- Better quality of sleep
- Lower inflammation
- Reduced joint stress
- Lower risk of cancer
- Improved sexual response
- Improved mood
A 10-pound weight loss is also a sure way to put you on the road to better self-confidence, and once you lose those first 10, your motivation is strong to keep going.
A better way to lose weight
Regenerative Health & Wellness Medical Center offers a way to lose weight successfully that’s healthy for both your mind and body. In an integrative practice like ours, we don’t just put a “bandage” on a symptom, we look at the health challenge you’re experiencing from every angle.
When you come to see us, Dr. Steven Foley, our medical weight loss expert, asks you lots of questions about your feelings about food, medical history, whether you have a family history of weight problems, what you typically eat, and if exercise is part of your life.
There’s also a hormonal component to your weight. If your hormones are imbalanced, weight gain can occur. We also want to test your thyroid to see if it’s functioning normally. If you’re having a hormonal issue, we also offer hormone therapy treatment, which can complement your medical weight loss program.
The final lifestyle-related factor that can contribute to weight gain is stress. We’re interested in hearing about your stress level and how you deal with it. Everyone is under varying levels of stress, but if you’re not managing it effectively, stress eating will make you gain weight quickly.
What’s involved with medical weight loss?
As it sounds, you’re under our supervision as you embark on your weight loss journey. We’re here to:
- Provide nutritional counseling
- Administer tests as needed to track your hormonal function, cholesterol, etc.
- Prescribe medications that help with weight loss
- Offer lifestyle counseling for stress management
- Provide useful information about incorporating exercise into your daily life
- Lend moral support and encouragement
With Dr. Foley, you have an ally and a partner as you lose weight. The support piece is invaluable, and his expertise allows him to tailor a nutrition plan that’s designed for you and only you.
It’s time you shed the pounds that have been bothering you so you can boost your health and self-esteem. We’re here to help.
Call the Regenerative Health & Wellness office that’s most convenient to you to schedule an appointment to learn more about medical weight loss, or reach out to us through our website.