Why a Medical Weight Loss Program Will Lead to More Success Than Fad Diets

Do you struggle to control your weight? If so, you aren’t alone. In the United States, nearly 3 in 4 adults (73.6%) are overweight or obese. According to a recent Gallup poll, over 1 in 2 Americans (55%) would like to shed excess pounds.

If you’re ready to fit into a smaller pants size, you may know that weight loss comes with many health gains. In fact, losing just 10% of your total body weight can help you: 

• Become fitter and stronger
• Improve your energy levels
• Restore better nightly sleep
• Alleviate or avoid joint pain
• Reduce chronic disease risk
• Boost your sexual function

Fad diets may promise rapid weight loss with little effort, but long-term weight loss success requires a more sustainable approach from the outset. That’s exactly what you can expect from our medical weight loss program at Comprehensive Care Clinic in Spring, Texas. 

Here, Tyneza Mitchell, FNP, discusses the downfalls of weight loss fads and explains why medically supported weight loss is safer, healthier, and more successful.  

Fad diets are popular — but problematic 

You already know there’s no magic bullet for weight loss, but that’s the nature of the typical fad diet promise: If you just do this one specific thing, you’ll drop excess pounds quickly, and you won’t struggle with your weight again.  

Fad diets are popular, but they never live up to their hype. Why?  

Based on limited or faulty research — or often, no research at all — fad diets promote an initial period of rapid weight loss through very restrictive diets that lack flexibility and are impossible to sustain long-term. Recent fad diet examples include those that:

• Eliminate an entire nutrient group (i.e., carbs)
• Advocate an overly high intake of protein or fat
• Restrict your caloric intake to starvation levels
• Involve a rigid eating schedule of specific foods
• Emphasize dietary supplements over real food 
• Have you skip meals or adhere to a liquid diet 
• Include unapproved weight loss supplements 

The most common result of these drastic dietary measures? Early weight loss plateaus, feelings of deprivation, uncontrolled cravings, and ultimately, “fad diet failure.”     

Essentially, fad diets offer a temporary solution to what’s frequently a lifelong challenge for many: weight control. Unfortunately, the yo-yo effects of the typical fad diet — rapid weight loss followed by weight gain — often make long-term weight management even harder. 

Safe, supported, sustainable weight loss

When people quickly lose five or more pounds a week on a fad diet, most of what they’re losing is a combination of “water weight” and lean tissue, or muscle. This is partly because the typical fad diet isn’t nutritionally balanced, and partly because it doesn’t emphasize exercise as a key driver of weight control. 

Our medical weight loss program takes the opposite approach, combining optimized nutrition with increased physical activity, expert guidance, and customized support to help you achieve your weight loss goals in a safe (gradual) and sustainable (doable) way.  

Let’s take a closer look at the four pillars of weight loss success: 

Healthy goal setting 

To ensure you lose excess fat — not muscle mass — it’s important to aim for gradual weight loss. For most people, this means losing 1-2 pounds a week, or up to eight pounds a month, through wholesome eating and regular exercise. 

After helping you set a realistic, achievable goal weight, our team maps out a detailed monthly plan to help you reach it. 

Optimized nutrition 

Calorie control is only one-half of an effective weight loss diet. The other half? Balanced nutrition. Fruits, veggies, legumes, nuts and seeds, whole grains, lean protein sources, and heart-healthy fat sources are healthy, satiating, and energizing. 

Optimized nutrition can even boost your metabolism and stimulate your body’s fat-burning mechanisms to help facilitate easier weight management — naturally.  

Balanced workouts  

Regular exercise is a major metabolism booster that helps you shed fat more efficiently. It also makes you fitter — toning your muscles, improving your flexibility, increasing your stamina, and strengthening your bones and joints as you lose inches.

Our team creates a well-rounded workout plan that incorporates cardio, strength training, and flexibility exercises that match your fitness level. As you get stronger, your workout advances with you, helping you avoid weight loss plateaus. 

Personalized support

Depending on your previous dieting history, genetic predispositions, health history, chronic disease needs, and lifestyle concerns, you may be a candidate for additional support. We may recommend:

• Prescription weight loss medications
• Stress management; sleep improvement  
• Therapy for adverse behavioral patterns 

Whatever your specific needs, we can provide support to keep you progressing toward your weight loss goal.

Ready for long-term weight loss success?

A fitter, healthier body is within reach — and so is long-term weight management success. To find out how Comprehensive Care Clinic can help you reach your weight loss goals, call or click online to schedule a consultation at our office in Spring, Texas, today.