Weight Management:
Achieving Sustainable, Long-Term Health
In today's fast-paced world, managing weight has become one of the most pressing health concerns for individuals. With nearly three-quarters of adults in the United States classified as overweight, achieving and maintaining a healthy weight can seem overwhelming. At Garcia Family Medicine, we provide a comprehensive, physician-supervised weight management program that focuses on helping patients not only lose weight but also maintain that weight loss long-term.
What Is Weight Management?
Weight management at Garcia Family Medicine involves more than just losing pounds; it’s about creating sustainable, healthy behaviors that reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension and allow the patient to come off the program without experiencing a weight regain. Our program is built on a foundation of:
- Counseling and Motivational Support: Personalized sessions with Dr. Garcia to help patients understand their eating behaviors and triggers, and coaching with Gigi to provide emotional and psychological support for long-term success.
- Nutrition Planning: We work to develop healthy, balanced eating plans tailored to each patient’s needs and preferences. Unfortunately, most doctors’ approach to weight loss is to tell you to “eat less and move more.” This has never been effective, and you will never get this message from Dr. Garcia. She believes that weight management is not a matter of how much you eat but, rather, what you eat and when. Nutritional education and meal planning are part of the nutritional aspect of our weight management program, but only in rare instances is there a focus on portion control. We teach you how to eat in a healthy manner without being hungry at the end of a meal.
- Cyanocobalamin Injections: These fat-burning injections are designed to enhance your body’s metabolism.
- Developing a Whole New Way of Eating: The major problem with weight management programs is the weight regain when the program is over. Throughout our entire program, we work to avoid this by teaching new behaviors surrounding eating that last a lifetime.
- Tirzepatide for Qualifying Patients: Tirzepatide falls into the category of GLP-1a agonists but is different because it also contains a GIP agonist. Agonist means that the medications create the same effect as the hormones GLP-1a and GIP. It is similar to the other well-known GLP-1a agonist, semaglutide, but has that extra effect of the GIP (which stands for gastric inhibitory peptide). These hormones work in the GI system to make digestion slower, but also in the brain to talk to the anorexic neurotransmitters to decrease your appetite. It was developed to treat diabetes because it has effects on blood sugar and insulin activity. It was only during the clinical trials of the medication that its effect on weight loss was noted. Now it has become popular in weight management circles. In fact, it may be the main reason that you are signing up for Garcia Family Medicine's weight management program. If so, you need to understand that you are not going to walk into the first appointment and walk out with tirzepatide. Dr. Tess thoroughly evaluates each patient’s eligibility before prescribing tirzepatide, ensuring that the treatment is safe, effective, and appropriate for their weight loss journey.
What Happens at the First Appointment?
We will begin with a body composition analysis, followed by taking your vital signs. Then Dr. Tess takes an in-depth medical history and performs a thorough physical exam. After that, you will be sent to the lab for a panel of blood tests developed to detect any possible metabolic causes of your weight problems and to determine if you have already begun to experience any of the comorbidities of obesity like fatty liver, which can lead to cirrhosis, diabetes or prediabetes, insulin resistance, or hyperlipidemia. You follow up in 2 weeks to learn the results of the labs and begin the counseling part of the weight management program. If you do not already have a primary care provider, Dr. Tess is willing to treat you for what we find out from the labs. For some of them, like fatty liver, the treatment is to lose weight, so continued participation in the program is necessary.
Counseling and Support
Counseling is a major part of the weight management program. Dr. Tess asks you about when you start gaining weight and about the effects of your weight on your psychic health. In our society, there is a stigma to being overweight, so we try to learn about how the reactions of others, especially one’s family, have affected your emotional health, and the subsequent effect upon your eating habits. Compassion and acceptance are a major part of the weight management program. We believe that any weight management program that perpetuates feelings of shame or failure should not be in business.
Our compassion is demonstrated by not allowing you to be alone on your weight loss journey. In addition to the biweekly counseling, we provide coaching with Gigi on the opposite weeks. She helps you implement the changes that Dr. Tess assigns during the counseling sessions. Since an exercise program is also part of our weight management program, Gigi helps you begin that process and continue it should you become unmotivated throughout the program.
Why Our Program Is Different
The Garcia Family Medicine Weight Management Program is different from other weight management programs. We do not hand you tirzepatide and a printed diet and wave you on your way. It is a physician-managed program run by a physician who has proven its effectiveness to herself by losing 70 pounds. And she did this without Tirzepatide, but with the coaching help of Gigi, who lost 70 pounds with her. Knowing ourselves how important this is, we hold your hand every step of the way, even making ourselves available by text or phone 24/7 to "talk you off the ledge" should you be tempted to give up or engage in disordered eating.
Why Choose Dr. Tess for Weight Management in Jackson County?
Many weight loss programs offer generic solutions, but Dr. Tess’s approach is different. She’s not just a doctor helping you with weight loss; she is a board-certified Obesity Medicine Specialist. She provides individualized care that prioritizes long-term health improvements rather than quick-fix solutions.
- Evidence-Based and Medically Supervised Approach: Dr. Tess uses science-based methods to ensure safe and effective weight loss. Her medical expertise allows her to identify and address metabolic barriers to weight loss. She monitors patient progress closely, making adjustments to treatment plans as needed.
- Holistic and Patient-Centered Care: Each treatment plan is customized to the patient’s unique body, lifestyle, and health needs. Coaching and counseling ensure that patients have the emotional and behavioral support needed for lasting success. She focuses on treating the whole person, not just the number on the scale.
- Cutting-Edge Medical Treatments: Patients have access to innovative weight loss solutions like tirzepatide. Dr. Tess, certified by the American Board of Obesity Medicine and a long-time member of the Obesity Medicine Association, stays up to date on the latest advances in obesity treatment, ensuring that patients receive the best possible care.
- Community-Focused Approach: Dr. Tess is dedicated to helping Jackson County residents live healthier, longer lives. She partners with the community to promote education, awareness, and accessible healthcare solutions. Patients receive ongoing support throughout the program.