You’ve tried dieting and exercise, but the scale doesn’t budge. Or maybe you’ve lost some of the extra pounds you want to shed but have since hit a weight-loss plateau.
If this describes you, you’re not alone. Nearly 50% of American adults embark on a weight-loss journey every year, but about three-quarters of us remain overweight.
When you’re overweight or obese, your physical and mental health suffer. This is because weighing more than you should increases your risk of many health conditions, reduces your mobility, and lowers your life expectancy by up to 20 years.
At Grassroots Healthcare, we want to congratulate you for taking steps to slim down and reclaim control of your well-being. We know that even with your best efforts, losing weight can still seem like an impossible feat.
To help you achieve your weight-loss goals and improve your quality of life, our board-certified providers offer personalized weight management. Here’s a look at some of the most common reasons people struggle to lose weight and how we can help.
It seems like weight loss is simple: Simply take in fewer calories than you expend, and you’ll shed those extra pounds.
But the truth is that your weight—and your ability to gain or lose weight—is controlled by a complex series of interactions between your hormones, the neurons in your brain, and other factors.
These factors influence your appetite and the signals between your brain and stomach that tell you when you’re full. For example, fat cells produce leptin, a hormone that tells your body when you have sufficient body fat.
Leptin suppresses your appetite, so you don’t eat too much and pack on more body fat. Studies show many overweight and obese people have something called leptin resistance, so their appetite remains the same regardless of body fat.
Emotional factors also play a large role in your appetite, which can influence your weight. When your emotions are strong, it’s more difficult to eat mindfully. This can lead to weight gain or make losing weight a struggle.
For most people, however, habits and lifestyle factors are the most influential factors when it comes to the struggle to lose weight. Some of the most common of these include:
Some people also struggle to lose weight because of an underlying medical condition. For example, problems with your thyroid gland may trigger weight gain or make it difficult to lose weight.
At Grassroots Healthcare, we understand how difficult it can be to shed those extra pounds. That’s why we offer personalized weight management. Our program gives you the ongoing encouragement and support you need to reach your weight-loss goals.
Before making any recommendations, your provider performs a comprehensive physical exam and may order blood tests to check for food sensitivities, nutritional deficiencies, hormone imbalances, and other signs of an underlying health condition that may make weight loss more challenging.
Your team member also talks to you about your goals for weight loss, your food preferences and relevant lifestyle factors, previous programs or diets you’ve tried and how they worked, and any mental health or emotional struggles you’re experiencing.
Your provider then creates a personalized weight loss treatment customized for your unique needs and preference. Your plan may include a low-carb diet to help manage your appetite and shed fat, hCG and/or vitamin B12 injections to boost your metabolism, or a sugar-free detox to eliminate cravings and speed up your weight loss.
Stop struggling and start losing weight with the help of our weight management experts at Grassroots Healthcare in Tulsa, Oklahoma. You can schedule an appointment online or over the phone to get started today!
