If you’re trying to decide between medical weight loss vs diet and exercise alone, it’s not always as simple as willpower and calorie counting. Our team at RCMC Medical Center offers personalized, medically supervised plans that can help identify the challenges affecting your weight. Learn more about what could help you lose the most weight and where to start.
Can You Lose Weight with Diet and Exercise Alone?
Good nutrition and regular exercise are still the cornerstone of sustainable weight loss. Both also have benefits beyond shedding the pounds, including:
- Heart health
- Blood sugar management
- Energy
- Mental health
- Strength and mobility
Even with medical weight loss, you need exercise that boosts your overall well-being.
Why Diet and Exercise Alone Don’t Work for Everyone
Food choices and hitting the gym can help with weight loss, but the scale is influenced by more than diet and exercise. Some of the things we look for at RCMC Medical Center range from:
- Hormonal changes
- Thyroid disorders
- Insulin resistance
- Medications
- Menopause
- Chronic stress
- Genetics
That’s why two people who follow similar weight loss plans can experience completely different results. Our team at RCMC Medical Center often includes diet, exercise, and hormone testing as part of your overall medical weight loss plan.
What Makes Medical Weight Loss Different?
Medical weight loss takes a different approach to diet and exercise alone. When you work with RCMC Medical Center, we take a look at your medical history and health goals and run lab work when needed. Depending on your results, we create a personalized approach that combines nutrition counseling, lifestyle coaching, fitness recommendations, and appropriate prescription medications and ongoing follow-up and adjustments throughout treatment.
When Should You Consider Medical Weight Loss?
If you’ve tried healthy eating and exercise without sustainable results, you keep gaining and regaining weight, your cravings are overwhelming, or you have some kind of medical condition that keeps you from losing weight, we can help. Instead of giving up and deciding your body can’t do it, we find the right plan for you with ongoing monitoring to help you get the best results possible.
Medical Weight Loss vs Diet and Exercise FAQs
Why can’t I lose weight no matter what I do?
If you’ve been watching what you eat, regularly exercising, and still can’t seem to lose weight, there’s probably more going on than calories alone. Hormones, thyroid problems, insulin resistance, certain medications, chronic stress, and poor sleep all impact how your body loses weight. Our medical evaluations at RCMC Medical Center help identify potential barriers and determine whether a personalized weight loss plan may be appropriate.
What blood tests should I get if I can’t lose weight?
The right blood work depends on your symptoms and medical history. One of our licensed providers may recommend testing your thyroid function, testosterone, blood sugar levels, cholesterol, or other health markers that can impact your metabolism. Not everyone needs the same tests, so a medical evaluation is a must before starting.
Why do I keep losing weight and gaining it back?
Many people lose weight and regain it after following restrictive diets because they’re difficult to maintain long term. Those kinds of diets can also lead to muscle loss, changes in metabolism, and falling back into old habits. Sustainable weight loss focuses on building healthy routines that you can maintain instead of quick fixes.
Can stress make it harder to lose weight?
Yes, ongoing stress can impact your sleep, increase cravings, and make it more difficult to stick with healthy eating and lifestyle habits. Some people also go through appetite changes during stressful periods of life. When you manage stress alongside nutrition, exercise, and medical care, you have a better chance of maintaining your weight loss.
How long should I try to diet and exercise before seeking medical help?
There’s no exact timeline, but you should consider seeking medical help if you’ve already been trying to follow a healthy nutrition and exercise plan for several months without seeing real progress. Our medical evaluations help figure out whether or not an underlying health condition or another factor is making your weight loss more challenging.
Is Medical Weight Loss vs Diet and Exercise a Better Option For You?
If you’re trying to figure out if medical weight loss vs. diet and exercise is the right option, let us know. Our personalized medical evaluation can help figure out what’s really going on with your weight and find treatment options that are individualized for your challenges. We only prescribe medications if they’re considered medically appropriate by one of our licensed providers.