Why Do We Offer Non-Surgical Weight Loss?

Many bariatric surgeons do not offer non-surgical weight loss options either before or after surgical weight loss intervention. When I started my initial program my feeling was that medical non-surgical weight loss was under the purview of others. If non-surgical approaches failed then the patient should be referred to a bariatric surgeon for a more invasive approach.

Once I had a database of over several hundred patients I began to realize that the outcomes weren’t always related to the procedure type or the compliance of the patient. I discovered that there are many variables that make weight loss successful and that only a small portion of these variables can be achieved by one program type alone. I did some research and discovered a plethora of weight loss sites, but none that addressed the major issues that present a barrier to weight loss for most patients. It became clear to me that many weight loss providers are offering programs and tools without proper education and training, which has generated a large population of frustrated patients.

Simply placing people on appetite suppressant doesn’t always work long term.

Programs need to be individualized and adapted to help avoid weight loss plateaus. Once weight loss is initiated plateaus are common and debilitating. Keeping patients on course as their body attempts to alter their physiology in order to prevent further weight loss is crucial.

After researching various approaches, I began instituting a weight loss program before and after each procedure and addressing aspects that previously had been ignored. I found that a higher percentage of my surgical patients were successful.

I applied these same individualized techniques to patients that had not been successful with other surgical programs and found that the majority of the time, revising the anatomy was not the answer and that success could be achieved by modifying other variables not previously addressed. About 20-30% of my patients are non-surgical and attain good weight loss despite the lack of additional procedures.

I have been performing surgical weight loss procedures for over two decades. I have seen tremendous success and some disappointing failures both from my patients and those of other surgeons. I have noticed that different procedures work differently on different people. For example:

 

• Surgical procedures can create rapid weight loss or slow and steady weight loss.

• Some patients lose part or all of their excess weight but regain some of that weight back after a few years.

• Some patients lose the majority of their excess weight but don’t resolve any of their associated health issues

• Others resolve many of their health problems but without a significant change in their weight.

I tell all my potential surgical weight loss patients prior to their chosen procedure that there are no guarantees.

Surgery Is Not For Everyone

Given the many advantages and disadvantages of surgical weight loss, I feel, as do many other medical providers, that surgical intervention remains a great tool for effective and long-term weight loss in the morbidly obese population. That being said, surgical intervention is not for everyone.

Many patients are not good surgical candidates. This may be because:

 

• Many patients have anxieties or adverse beliefs regarding surgical weight loss procedures

• Some patients do not want the life-long alterations required after undergoing a surgical weight loss procedure

• A few patients have undergone a surgical procedure but regained their weight back or failed to meet their initial weight loss goals and are not eligible for additional surgical intervention

Weight Loss Program

Our program involves regular meetings with the provider to discuss calorie restriction per meal, protein supplementation and “Target Heart Rate” exercise utilization to maintain adequate resting metabolic rates.

The program also includes an initial metabolic rate testing to identify those individuals that have a low rate so we can intervene in a timely fashion. This enables us a better opportunity to avoid weight loss plateaus.

Appetite suppression and eating behavior prescription medications are available and will be discussed. Most of these are well tolerated by the vast majority and can assist in speeding up the weight loss process.   These medications include but are not limited to Contrave, Qsymia, Pristiq, Phentermine(Adipex), Bontril, Tenuate, Vyvanse, Saxenda, Wegovy, and compounded semaglutide. Risks and benefits are discussed before the patient decides which trial to initiate.  Medications are not mandatory.

The program fees are below.

Semiglutide Injection for Weight Loss Program

We now offer compounded semaglutide injections for appetite control to assist in weight loss.  We acquire our semaglutide injections from an accredited compounding pharmacy in the USA that has been in business for over 10 years.

Our program involves meetings with provider every 4 weeks to discuss calorie restriction per meal, protein supplementation and “Target Heart Rate” exercise utilization to maintain adequate resting metabolic rates.

The program also includes monthly metabolic rate testing to identify those individuals that have a low rate so we can intervene in a timely fashion. This enables us a better opportunity to avoid weight loss plateaus.

The medication is required to be given in the office by a medical provider on a weekly visit, so the program involves weekly scheduled appointment visits to weigh our patients and select the appropriate dose to be given.

The program fees include all the above for a 4-week interval. Pricing, which varies by dosage, is seen below. 

Click Here to Learn More About Our Program’s Overview