doctor-patient-consultation When it comes to trying to improve your overall health, ensuring if you are at a healthy weight is a common starting point. In addition to increasing the risk of potentially serious health concerns like heart disease, diabetes, and more, a person’s weight can have a major impact on how they feel (both physically and mentally) on a day-to-day basis. This is why Family Practice Center offers a variety of weight management services for our patients. Today, we wanted to provide more information on our weight management services by answering some common questions that we have received from our patients on the subject.

Question #1: Are Weight Loss Supplements Safe?

We personally would not recommend taking any over-the-counter weight loss supplement or medication. Some people see these alternatives as short-term solutions for weight issues, but even this might be overselling their capabilities. Over-the-counter weight loss treatments are generally ineffective, and even potentially unhealthy. We strongly recommend doing what you can do to manage your weight by instilling healthier diet and exercise habits. If you need more assistance, there are legitimate prescription weight-loss medications that we can discuss.

Question #2: How Can I Know If I’m a Good Candidate for Weight Loss Medications?

In recent years, injectable weight loss medications like Wegovy® have become incredibly popular as a way to help people achieve a healthier body weight. And while we’ve seen tremendous success with our patients using these medications, they might not necessarily be the right approach for everyone. We always do pre-treatment consultations to ensure our patients have no specific factors or health conditions that might prevent them from safely or effectively using medication like this. This may include issues related to the kidneys or pancreas, being under the age of 18, women who are currently pregnant, and more.

Question #3: How Much Should I Be Exercising Each Week If I Want to Lose Weight?

This is a complex question that depends on several factors including the type of exercise we’re talking about, your diet, your metabolism, your physical limitations, and more. Generally, The American College of Sports Medicine recommends for all adults to get a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical exercise each week. How this is spread throughout the week is not necessarily important, but some degree of physical activity each day is recommended. This could mean many options such as walking, playing sports, riding a bike, yoga, swimming and more. In our office, our weight management specialists help each patient develop a customized diet and exercise regimen meant to help them match their lifestyle and achieve their own specific goals.

Our family medicine providers believe deeply in health and wellness for the entire body, and weight management is a critical important part of this mission. If you feel that you need some assistance in this area, contact Family Practice Center today. We have appointments available at nine Atlanta area locations.