From exhaustive exercises to restrictive diets and juice cleanses, you’ve tried it all, and despite your best efforts, the number on the scale doesn’t move. At this point, you wonder if the weight loss journey is even worth it.
At Regain Functional Medicine + Aesthetics, we understand your frustration, and we’re here to help.
If your weight loss feels impossible, it’s probably because you’re not taking the right approach for your body’s unique needs. Many of the popular diets make you feel like it’s your own lack of willpower, making weight loss unattainable. “Am I simply not trying hard enough?” “Why can’t I control my eating habits?” While traditional methods like diet and exercise are foundational to weight loss, they don’t tackle the underlying factors that could be holding you back.
Sometimes, weight loss requires you to work with your own biology, which isn’t always as simple as it may seem. Your hormones, genes, and environmental factors all play a role in your body fat and weight distribution. Don’t let this information discourage you! Instead, let it empower you. Weight loss goes beyond willpower, and we’re here to offer treatments that target the root causes of your concerns and help you overcome obstacles.
With our medical weight loss program, we help you lose weight under the supervision of medical professionals. Often, we prescribe semaglutide near Overland Park. This medication has helped thousands of people lose 15 to 20% of their total body weight when combined with necessary lifestyle changes. If you’ve been on the fence about trying another weight loss program, here’s what you can expect from semaglutide:
What is semaglutide?
Originally, semaglutide was designed to treat patients with type 2 diabetes by stimulating insulin production and regulating blood sugar levels. However, as of 2021, semaglutide received FDA approval as a medication for effective weight management.
Weight loss requires a calorie deficit, which means you burn more calories than you consume. Semaglutide helps achieve this by mimicking your body’s natural glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) hormone that’s produced in your pancreas and small intestine, effectively regulating your appetite.
As you eat, your intestines release the GLP-1 hormone, which signals to your brain that you’re full and should stop eating. Semaglutide imitates this hormone, activating your brain’s GLP-1 receptors, which leads to increased feelings of fullness and reduced hunger. Semaglutide also slows your digestion process, extending satiety (feelings of fullness).
Additionally, by stimulating insulin secretion, it helps your cells use glucose from the bloodstream for energy, rather than storing it as fat.
With semaglutide near Overland Park, you feel satisfied with smaller meal portions and experience reduced cravings between meals.
Is semaglutide my only option?
At Regain, we offer a variety of tailored weight loss plans to help you reach your goals. In addition to semaglutide, we also offer the following:
- Phentermine: This popular weight loss medication reduces your appetite and helps you feel fuller after you eat.
- Tirzepatide: This medication works similarly to semaglutide, but it also mimics the gastric-inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) hormone responsible for glucose regulation and appetite control.
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Remember how we mentioned that your hormones impact your weight? If you’re experiencing a hormonal imbalance, it can affect your metabolism, fat storage, and weight distribution. Hormone replacement therapy restores balance, supporting your weight loss journey and also improving sleep and energy levels.
Sometimes, we combine HRT with semaglutide to improve hormonal imbalances and regulate your appetite at the same time.
What if I don’t like injections?
Many practices only offer semaglutide and tirzepatide exclusively as injections. We understand that needle aversion is common. At Regain, we also offer oral forms for those seeking weight loss medications like semaglutide near Overland Park. This flexibility allows you to choose the best administration method for your lifestyle. Pills are taken daily, while injections are administered weekly in rotating injections sites like your stomach, thighs, or upper arms. We can discuss all of this during your consultation.
Consultation: Encouraging Patient-Driven Decisions
Our consultation begins with getting to know you: your lifestyle, diet, and previous weight loss attempts. We provide you with educational resources on our weight loss program, so you can make informed decisions regarding your health. During the consultation, we review the following information to determine your candidacy for weight loss medications.
Body Composition Analysis
For personalized treatment options, we use our InBody body composition analysis to provide us with insights into your unique metrics. This tool allows us to evaluate your weight by based on your body’s core components:
- Fat
- Protein
- Minerals
- Body water
This gives us a more accurate glimpse into your health than traditional methods like scales and your body mass index (BMI).
Lab Work
You can either bring in blood work results, or we can administer them in the office if needed. Lab tests help us evaluate your overall health and check for signs of underlying disease.
Determining Candidacy
Long-term weight loss seekers are often good candidates for semaglutide near Overland Park. However, alternative weight loss options must be considered if you have a history of cardiac disease, hypertension, type 1 diabetes, or thyroid issues.
Additionally, if you need to lose fewer than 10 pounds, semaglutide might not be the most appropriate approach, but we can discuss other effective strategies tailored to your specific needs.
Ongoing Support at Regain
At Regain, our team supports your weight loss journey. We don’t just offer you prescriptions for weight loss and then let you fend for yourself. We offer additional support in the form of nutritional guidance, exercise recommendations, and side effect prevention.
For each patient, we have you come in monthly to monitor your progress through our body composition analysis. If you can’t make it into the office, we can communicate via telehealth in Lawrence and telehealth in Leawood, and discuss your results from the comfort of your own home.
We also make your medicine as accessible to you as we can. We work with you to make sure you have everything you need for success.
Managing Side Effects
You may experience nausea, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, and vomiting. Side effects from semaglutide near Overland Park are rare, especially when you have an experienced staff who can help you manage and prevent them. If you experience any discomfort, call us immediately and we can customize a solution to help you feel your best.
Muscle Loss Prevention
On occasion, weight loss also involves a certain degree of muscle loss. Your diet fuels both muscle and fat growth; muscle shrinkage occurs when muscles don’t receive their usual nutritional intake. This side effect comes from all forms of weight loss, not just from injections or medications. To combat muscle loss, we supply you with L-glycine injections each month. This amino acid preserves collagen, elastin, and muscle mass. It’s not just for maintaining your muscles; it also helps prevent the skin laxity often associated with weight loss.
When will I see results?
You will feel the results from semaglutide before you see them. In as little as 1 week, you’ll notice a reduced appetite, which should give you confidence in the semaglutide medications. Most people notice a difference in their physique in as little as 6 to 8 weeks, but this depends on the individual and their lifestyle.
How long can I stay on semaglutide?
Near Overland Park, we recommend preparing for long-term use of semaglutide. The duration of your treatment depends on your unique biology and goals. We can talk about gradually discontinuing treatment as your weight loss journey progresses. Our goal is to teach you better eating and lifestyle habits so you can maintain your results when you’re no longer on medication.
Maintaining Your Results
These medications don’t work alone. Often, people mistake them as “miracle drugs” or “quick fixes.” Contrary to that belief, in order to see significant weight loss, you must pair them with a balanced, healthy diet and a regular exercise regimen. We can help you ease into this new lifestyle during your office visits. Still, here are some recommendations for weight management:
Diet
One might believe that diet matters less with appetite control; in reality, it’s at least as vital, if not more so! When you’re eating less, that means you’re not consuming as many nutrients. That’s why we teach you the importance of eating the following food groups:
- Proteins: Composed of chains of amino acids, protein aids in building and repairing muscle. They also increase levels of satiety (feeling of fullness). Eggs, tofu, beans, fish, and meat are all protein-rich foods.
- Fats: Don’t let the name of this food group scare you! Healthy fats energize your body, protect your organs, and support cell growth. We recommend avocados, hazelnuts, peanuts, and salmon.
- Carbohydrates: Many diets require you to cut this food group out. However, for semaglutide near Overland Park, we recommend that you choose your carbs wisely. Vegetables, whole grains, fruits, and beans deliver minerals, fibers, and vitamins to your body.
Exercise
We can’t stress this enough: don’t start with anything too exhaustive. Remember the old saying, “Walk before you run”? It’s especially true when it comes to weight loss and fitness. First, focus on sustainable habits and build up from there. Once you’re ready, we can discuss incorporating strength training and resistance exercises into your routine.
What Do You Have to Lose?
Regain is not your typical weight loss clinic. We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all plans. Instead, we address the underlying causes and look into your unique biology to help you find the best weight loss program for you. We believe in patient-driven decisions and educating our patients. To learn more about our program, book a consultation with us to discuss your concerns in person.
With our treatment planning tool, you can share your concerns from the comfort of your own home. Once we receive your submission, we will contact you to discuss your options, including semaglutide near Overland Park.
You can also see us for more than just health and wellness. We also offer medical-grade skincare to enhance your confidence!
