Obesity is a difficult disease. Even with maximum effort, having setbacks in your weight loss program is as easy as attending one holiday party or going on a vacation with family. Though these are positive activities, they can put stress on your disease and invite old habits to return. Bad stressors like injuries, family losses, and money problems can be even more punishing when it comes to sticking with your weight loss program.
Biochemical imbalances can also make it extremely difficult for a person to lose weight. For example, raised insulin levels can block weight loss. In patients with Insulin resistance, even a slight increase in carbohydrate intake can raise insulin levels enough to slow weight loss. Other biochemical culprits can include thyroid hormone levels, which can affect how quickly or slowly a patient loses weight. Even certain medications can cause weight gain as a side effect. Our physicians will perform blood tests to determine if any of these are contributing to the lack of weight loss.
Hitting a “plateau” in weight loss can also be incredibly frustrating to someone trying to control their weight. For many people, reaching their body’s “comfort zone” can often mean the end of their weight journey, whether they want it to or not. When we lose enough weight, we may look and feel better and, eventually, we lose our focus on excellent nutrition and portion control. This causes us to “plateau” and not lose weight as quickly, if at all. While some tests can help explain this, many times hitting a plateau occurs without explanation, and it is during these times that a supportive team such as ours can encourage you.
Unfortunately, the treatment of obesity doesn’t only involve taking pills – rather, it involves a high degree of personal responsibility. While weight loss requires tough mental fortitude, our staff will never, ever take a stern or judgmental approach to helping with your weight loss. We will guide you through the good times and bad.