Medical weight loss is a term often used to describe a doctor’s proactive management of nutrition, exercise, and healthy behaviors that promote weight loss. Most of these programs also track physiological changes throughout the course of a patient’s weight loss journey using extensive metabolic testing methods.
But what does it mean when the term “advanced” medical weight loss is used? This is the topic of our blog post today. We will talk about what medical or metabolic weight loss is, how it works, and what you should look for in an advanced weight loss center.
What Is Metabolic Or Medical Weight Loss?
Medical weight loss programs were developed to combat the rising obesity epidemic in our nation. Obesity is a complex issue that elevates an individual’s risk of contracting heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and many other types of life-threatening conditions.
Research has shown that obesity can be successfully addressed through different types of medical intervention, which prompted the creation of medical weight loss programs.
Numerous medical weight-loss programs are offered here in the United States, and although they may vary in technique or area of expertise, the underlying goal is that lifestyle changes promote safe and healthy weight loss.
The success rate of a medical weight-loss program is much higher than that of most self-managed diet plans, while the goals are similar for both: improving an individual’s lifestyle habits, including diet and nutrition.
How Does Medical Weight Loss Work?
Usually, patients who seek help through a medical weight loss program have a BMI (body mass index) of over 30 and are considered obese. There are many components that make up a medical weight loss plan, including the supervision of a doctor, metabolic testing, a support team, and sometimes prescription medication.
- Doctor Supervised
- A medical weight loss program is one that is overseen by a medical expert who specializes in obesity management and is designed for those who have difficulty losing weight despite all their efforts. These programs also offer solutions for people who struggle to manage their cravings or eating habits and who desire or need support.
In many cases, obese individuals do not carry extra weight because they lack willpower but because they have underlying issues that promote weight gain and inhibit weight loss. These factors can be numerous and complex, but getting to the root of these issues is what makes medical weight loss different from the standard “on your own” weight loss plan.
- Professional Support
- Having a doctor create and oversee a customized program that is designed to address these types of underlying issues helps these patients break through these barriers and lose weight. Usually, these programs have patients work with a team of professionals who can look at the big picture and address issues related to nutrition, diet, emotions, physical limitations, exercise, etc. These professionals work with the patients to help them learn to recognize their triggers and identify destructive behaviors that they can learn to modify. These behavior modifications and lifestyle changes are key elements that will help patients maintain their weight loss over the long term.
- Weight Loss Medications
- Patients who participate in medical weight loss programs also normally have access to prescription medications that can help curb hunger, stop cravings, and boost their metabolism. When these medications are used in conjunction with a healthy, low-calorie diet and an increase in daily exercise, they are able to successfully lose weight.
What Is An Advanced Weight Loss Center?
If you are wondering what the difference is between a medical weight loss program and an advanced medical weight loss program, you are not alone. Knowing the difference can be quite confusing.
A clinic or center offering advanced weight loss can offer patients everything that a medical weight loss clinic does and even more advanced weight loss options.
The doctors at an advanced weight loss center are board-certified gastroenterologists or bariatric surgeons (sometimes both) who are expert endoscopists and equipped to handle the complex nature of obesity and its comorbidities.
These centers are qualified and equipped to perform bariatric surgery or endoscopic bariatric procedures to either reduce the usable capacity of a patient’s stomach or alter their digestive system. These procedures act as an additional tool that helps aid in significant weight loss.
Where Can I Find Advanced Weight Loss In Miami?
At Simmons MD Advanced Weight Loss Solutions in Miami, FL, we offer numerous comprehensive weight loss programs and unprecedented support.
Dr. Okeefe Simmons is the first doctor in the country to be triple fellowship-trained in gastroenterology, bariatric endoscopy, and obesity medicine and has performed well over 2,000 endoscopic procedures.
What Advanced Weight Loss Procedures Does Dr. Simmons Perform In Miami?
When you trust us with your weight loss journey, we will discuss all of the weight loss options available and choose a single or combination approach that works best for your needs. All of the medical weight loss options as well as the non-surgical advanced options like the Orbera weight loss balloon and endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty are available at Simmons MD Advanced Weight Loss Solutions.
Orbera Gastric Balloon
Patients who use the ORBERA® weight loss balloon as directed as part of a year-long supervised weight-management program should see considerable weight loss in as little as six months. The Orbera balloon helps individuals lose weight by addressing two difficult aspects associated with losing weight: suppressing hunger and portion control.
The Orbera gastric balloon is a medical device that is used to help a patient lose weight. The procedure doesn’t involve surgery and only takes about 20 to 30 minutes to complete. While the patient is lightly sedated, an endoscope is guided down the throat and used to insert the deflated Orbera balloon into the correct position in the patient’s stomach. Once the balloon is in the right spot, it is filled with saline until it is about the size of a medium grapefruit. The patient is allowed to go home the same day, and recovery usually takes about 3 days.
The balloon helps people lose weight because it takes up the bulk of the space in the stomach. This means that the individual can’t eat as much, feels less hungry, and loses weight. The balloon will stay in place for six months, and then it will be taken out. However, the patient will still follow their plan for the next six months.
During the 12 months of the Orbera weight loss program, patients are provided with a strong support system with a team of medical professionals. This support may include guidance with nutrition and diet, fitness, as well as emotional support.
By continuing to stick to their plan, which includes a healthy, low-calorie diet and daily exercise, patients can continue to lose weight and keep it off.
Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty (ESG)
Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) is quickly becoming one of the most popular ways to lose weight without surgery. Non-surgical ESG can help you lose weight in a way that is very similar to gastric sleeve surgery, but you don’t have to go through surgery or deal with the risks or recovery time that comes with it.
ESG helps people lose weight by limiting how much they can eat at once. The endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty is done while the patient is asleep and does not require any incisions. To get to the stomach, the surgeon lowers an endoscope, which is a thin, hollow surgical tool with a camera on the end, down the patient’s throat. The small camera allows the surgeon to observe precisely what they are doing on a video screen situated next to them in the operating room.
The surgeon reconfigures the patient’s stomach into a significantly smaller tube-like pouch, and using a special suturing device, holds it in place with several stitches. This non-surgical technique for weight loss takes 45 minutes to an hour, and patients can return home on the same day.
Since their stomach capacity has been cut by roughly 75%, the patient can only consume tiny meals, and their digestion process will move slower, and their stomach will remain full longer, helping them to feel satisfied.
Following ESG, patients must adhere to a prescribed diet as their stomach adjusts to its new, smaller volume. (liquids, soft foods, and gradually working back up to solids) The average recuperation time is around one week.
In clinical studies, participants dropped an average of 49 percent of their extra body weight, which was twice the trial’s intended outcome.
Prescription Weight Loss Medications
In addition to the non-surgical weight-loss procedures offered at Simmons MD Advanced Weight Loss Solutions, there are also prescription weight-loss injections available that help promote weight loss. These injections can be used alone or in tandem with a non-surgical weight loss procedure for maximum results. When combined with a low-calorie diet and daily exercise, they can offer significant weight loss results.
When using weight-loss injections, patients are carefully monitored by the doctor. Most of the time, patients see their doctor once a month to check on their progress and make any necessary changes. All patients who use weight-loss injections start with low doses and increase them each month for five months until the maximum dose is reached.
Weight-loss injections speed up your metabolism, make you feel less hungry, and help you see the results of your hard work faster.
If you are looking to find a program for advanced weight loss in Miami, contact Simmons MD Advanced Weight Loss Solutions today to learn more about our medical weight loss programs and our advanced non-surgical weight loss procedures. We would love for you to include our team in your journey to better health so we can help you reach your weight loss goals. Set up your appointment today!
