The fresh start of a new year inspires many people to set ambitious goals, cultivate healthier habits, and make meaningful changes. While it’s not surprising that weight loss is a perennially popular New Year’s resolution, it’s also not surprising that it’s one that often fizzles to inaction by mid-February.
Declining motivation levels, non-specific goals, and lack of support are often behind derailed weight loss efforts — both in the new year and all year long. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
With the help of board-certified physician Dr. Nidal Hasan and our team at Cosmetico MedSpa in Highland, Indiana, and Orland Park, Illinois, successful weight loss is more than attainable — it’s also sustainable. Here are five key benefits of our medically supervised approach.
It may seem obvious, but the first step toward weight loss success is realistic goal setting, or determining how much weight you’d like to lose. Instead of defining your “ideal body weight,” we determine what constitutes a “healthy weight” for you based on your physical exam.
For the average person, a realistic initial weight loss goal is a 10% decrease from their current, baseline body weight. If you weigh 200 pounds, an initial weight loss of 20 pounds — achieved through the gradual loss of 1-2 pounds per week — would be your first goal. Once you reach your target, we establish your goal for further weight loss as indicated.
If you have a high BMI and weight-related health concerns like Type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure, you may benefit from the short-term use of a prescription appetite suppressant to help you jumpstart the weight loss process.
Appetite suppressants are a weight loss medication that affects your brain’s urge to eat. Typically taken for 3-6 weeks (but no longer than 12 weeks), this doctor-supervised weight management aid works by reducing or curbing hunger pangs, or by making you feel fuller faster. As a result, you eat less and lose weight.
When it comes to creating a healthy eating plan that promotes sustainable weight loss, calorie restriction is simply a foundational element. It’s just as important to pack every calorie in your personalized plan with essential vitamins and minerals, satiating nutrients, health-supporting antioxidants, and dietary fiber.
Eating the right foods has the power to keep you energized, boost your metabolism, stimulate your body’s fat-burning mechanisms, and improve your well-being. Your plan also addresses portion control, healthy cooking methods, smart snacking, and strategies to reduce cravings.
Like healthy eating, regular physical activity can boost your metabolism and help you shed pounds more efficiently. But the “secondary benefit” of exercise for weight loss is arguably more important: it helps you gain fitness as you lose fat.
For a workout plan to be effective and maintainable, it must be tailored to your fitness level, feature activities you enjoy, and progress with you as your fitness level advances. Your medical history, physical exam, and current level of activity determine your starting point, and our team creates a well-rounded plan that includes cardio, strength, and flexibility training.
Above all, our medically supported weight loss approach recognizes that you’re an individual with unique support needs. Whether that means you need to break unhealthy behavioral patterns surrounding food or change entrenched attitudes that have sabotaged your efforts in the past, we’re here to give you the support you need to keep progressing toward your goal.
Are you ready for weight loss success? Call or click online to schedule an appointment at your nearest Cosmetico MedSpa office in Highland, Indiana, or Orland Park, Illinois, today.
