I’ve tried diets and workout plans without lasting results. How do I know when it’s time to consider weight loss and are there clinics in Bangalore where doctors are directly involved in the treatment
The question, asked by a woman aged 45 to 59
I’ve tried diets, calorie tracking and exercise routines over the years but the weight keeps coming back. At this point I’m looking for something beyond another diet plan. Want to understand whether there could be medical or metabolic factors making weight loss difficult. I’d like to know what a doctor would assess and what supervised weight loss might involve.
Now, when you lose weight through a diet and it comes back, the chances are that you are not losing fat. A lot of early dieting makes you lose water, and some of it is also muscle. So now when you stop dieting, the weight comes back, mostly as fat. Now the muscle doesn’t return on its own. To keep up with metabolism, muscle is important. Each diet cycle leaves you with a slightly slower metabolism than before.
When is it a good time to consider medical weight loss? You have tried multiple diets, and your weight keeps returning. Following all the right things, but results are stuck. Weight has been an issue for years. You think there could be a medical reason for your weight.
Now, if either of these is the case, following another diet is not the solution. It is important to find what’s happening inside your body.
What happens in doctor-supervised weight loss?
At Clinic Living Plus in Bangalore, one of our doctors stays involved throughout, not just at the first consultation. Weekly monitoring is done to ensure that you are losing fat, not muscle. Based on this, other nutritional and lifestyle changes are made. The doctor will examine the root cause. It can be linked to hormones, metabolism, gut health and inflammation. Now, based on what the report finds, certain medical therapies like infrared sauna, IV nutrition therapy or GLP-1 medications are introduced. Not everyone needs therapy. Neither do all the therapies work for everyone. GLP-1 medications mainly work on appetite. Now, however, if the weight gain is driven by something else, like hormones or a slow metabolism, that may not work well for you. Hence, a doctor’s judgement matters.
Now, if weight loss is something that has been a constant struggle for a long time, working with a doctor at a medical weight loss clinic is the right step.
Suggested Tests
Fasting insulin and HbA1c, to check for insulin resistance Full thyroid panel: TSH, free T3, free T4 and thyroid antibodies Liver function tests, to check for fatty liver Lipid profile Vitamin D, vitamin B12 and ferritin Hormonal markers relevant to age and gender, such as testosterone in men or LH and FSH in women hs-CRP, to check for inflammation Body composition analysis, to see how much muscle has been lost through repeated dieting A review of past diets, weight regain patterns, sleep and stress
How Clinic Living Plus Can Help
At CLP, we take a functional medicine approach. It basically means finding the root cause of your weight gain before deciding on the treatment.
Now, if the root cause is metabolism, then here’s how we work on it: We provide Metabolism-boosting IV therapies. Along with L-carnitine, your body carries fat into cells, which are required to be burned for energy. Introducing simple and sustainable lifestyle changes that help your body, and accordingly, a plan and simple habits that you will be able to sustain. Workouts planned in a way that suits you and your body; something like taking a short break in between prolonged sitting jobs can help keep your body moving.
This breaks the yo-yo cycle. Instead of following another weight loss trend, you actually understand what the root cause is and work towards it while also building some habits that you will be able to sustain
Lifestyle & Nutrition Tips
Maintain a balance in your meals. It should include protein, fiber, healthy fats and fewer refined carbohydrates. Don’t follow any calorie restriction. It slows down the metabolism and makes the body hold onto fat, hence making weight loss harder. Try getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep. This helps the body regain metabolism, provides sustained energy and reduces food cravings. If you are medically fit, work on building muscle, as this is important during a weight loss program.
What to Do Next
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