Semaglutide (brand name Wegovy) is an injectable medication approved for weight management. It belongs to a class of drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists, which regulate blood sugar levels and appetite. When used specifically for weight loss, semaglutide has been found to help patients lose an average of 15-20% of their body weight over 16-20 months.
Semaglutide facilitates weight loss in two main ways:
At Balance Clinic in Bristol, TN, we provide customized semaglutide weight loss treatment plans to help patients achieve their body weight goals through the use of this highly effective medication. With an integrative approach combining semaglutide injections with lifestyle counseling and nutritional guidance, our clinic gives patients the best chance for long-term weight loss success.
What sets Balance Clinic apart as a leading semaglutide clinic is our team of experienced physicians and counselors who develop personalized plans calibrated to your unique needs. We guide you through every step of the process:
Additionally, Balance Clinic stays up-to-date on the latest obesity research and new developments in weight loss treatments beyond semaglutide when warranted for individual cases.
Semaglutide is appropriate for patients with certain health profiles who have struggled to lose weight through diet and exercise alone. Good candidates include:
Semaglutide is not recommended for everyone. Contraindications include a history of thyroid cancer, acute pancreatitis, severe GI disease, impaired kidney function, brittle diabetes, and pregnancy or breastfeeding.
"I had struggled with my weight for over a decade before finally seeking help from Balance Clinic. Their semaglutide program, together with the nutritional guidance and encouragement provided by their staff, led me to lose 35 lbs over 6 months – weight I've now kept off for years. I'm so grateful for this clinic's integrative approach that effectively helps patients like me battle obesity for life."
If admitted to our clinic's semaglutide weight loss program after initial evaluations, here is an overview of what you can expect:
You begin with a low 0.25 mg weekly injection to allow your body to adjust and minimize side effects. The dosage then increases incrementally under our supervision until reaching the 1.0 mg maintenance level typically needed for weight loss. This titration schedule is carefully calibrated based on regular monitoring and usually occurs over 4-8 weeks.
In conjunction with initiating semaglutide, our counselors develop nutrition and fitness plans catered to your preferences that synergize with and enhance your medication's effects. This could involve topics such as evaluating current dietary patterns, setting achievable healthy eating goals, incorporating more activity into your routine, changing food environments, managing cravings and hunger, and cultivating intrinsic motivation for weight loss.
Patients come in for periodic weight measurements, lab tests assessing kidney/liver/thyroid function, blood pressure/pulse checks, and medication refills around every 4 weeks initially. Testing frequency may decrease later on. These ongoing evaluations allow for dosage tweaks when needed if weight loss stalls or side effects arise.
As you get closer to your target weight on semaglutide, counseling pivots from a focus on active weight loss to maintaining results long-term. This could involve identifying the minimum effective semaglutide dose, planning for eventual medication discontinuation, reinforcing adherence through intrinsic motivation, incorporating weight tracking tools/apps, troubleshooting challenges like plateaus or life disruptions, and connecting you with community resources and social support.
Clinical trial data gives us a helpful benchmark for the amount and pace of weight loss typical with semaglutide treatment. On average, patients tend to lose:
However, weight loss results can vary significantly from person to person due to factors like baseline weight/BMI, diet and lifestyle habits, dosage needed for effect, genetics and metabolism, adherence to clinic visits and injection schedule, and utilization of counseling.
At Balance Clinic, our team works in partnership with each patient to maximize their odds of achieving outcomes on par with top clinical trial performers.
As with any pharmacological therapy, using semaglutide for weight loss can involve certain risks and side effects requiring management. The most common include:
Up to 40% of patients experience temporary nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea that tends to resolve within days to weeks, especially with dose titration:
| % Patients Reporting | Potential Management Options |
|---|---|
| Nausea - 40% |
| | Vomiting - 15% |
| | Diarrhea - 20% |
|
While less common, other issues like gallstones, kidney injury, or visual changes have very rarely occurred.
We evaluate risk factors for such side effects and provide prompt guidance around any that arise. Immediately report any unusual symptoms after starting semaglutide.
The search continues for even more effective medical therapies that sustain significant weight reductions with better tolerability and convenience than semaglutide injections. Two promising emerging options include:
Now in late-stage trials, this new once-weekly injection medication has a similar mechanism as semaglutide but early data reveals superior average weight loss nearing ~20% in treated patients.
This is an investigational gene therapy not yet FDA approved involving a one-time retinal injection that codes for production of a protein that binds and inhibits production of a weight gain pathway.
While still several years away, options like these could eventually surpass semaglutide's already impressive efficacy. Balance Clinic keeps abreast of obesity treatment advances to best serve patients now and into the future.
Losing significant weight and reversing obesity's associated health consequences may feel overwhelming or unattainable relying on just diet and exercise alone when complex biology can work against you. But cutting-edge modern medical solutions like Balance Clinic' semaglutide weight loss program provide new hope for tangibly improving your well-being.
Through personalized treatment planning and an emphasis on integrative long-term lifestyle change, our experienced clinicians guide patients towards profound yet sustainable transformations, easing burdens from years of failed weight loss attempts. We handle everything from injections and monitoring to counseling and maintenance so you can simply focus on your journey of reclaiming health.
Don't let obesity continue diminishing your health and happiness – take back control today. Reach out now to learn more about how semaglutide through Bristol's Balance Clinic can successfully help you shed pounds and lead a better life!
