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Don’t Try Harder, Try Easier!
By: Scottsdale Weight Loss Center
Published: September 1, 2022
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By the time our patients have arrived at our office, they have tried 8-12 diets. Serial dieters, people who go from diet to diet have learned the experience is uncomfortable. They adopt the belief that in order to lose weignt, they have to suffer. Previous attempts have relied on willpower. Unfortunately, willpower quickly wears out. This cycle repeats itself, furthering their feelings of hopelessness. Self-help diets rarely lead to dramatic weight loss.
Why is dieting on your own so difficult? Our bodies fight weight loss through a process called metabolic adaptation. The more weight we lose, the more our appetite increases, and the more our metabolism drops. We have a weight set point, a result or generations of life saving survival tactics. That worked great during the dark ages when starvation was common, but not so much se in the fast-food environment.
How are we supposed to keep off any weight at all? Weight managers learn that losing and keeping weight off requires an entirely different approach, Successful weight loss relies on preventing hunger and fueling frequently rather than meal skipping. in order to adjust to our natural tendency to hold on to calories, exercise becomes a critical component of weight control. That may seem like very hard work!
Fortunately, physicians have great tools that make weight loss and maintenance much easier. Weight loss medications reduce the discomfort of hunger. In our patients, hunger is rarely a problem because there are many tools physicians can prescribe that are not available to self-help dieters.
Weight loss (“obesity medicine”) physicians can prescribe medications to assist with weight loss. Stimulants, such as phentermine, have been available since 1959. Contrave is highly effective at reducing cravings. GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide and the newer drug tirzepatide (a GLP1/GIP drug) are appetite killers. Coupled with accountability, weight maintenance is a relatively easy process.
In summary, getting professional help makes losing and maintaining weight loss the norm, not the exception. It reduces reliance on willpower and makes the process comfortable. So don’t try harder, try easier!
Nick
Nick's Story
"I wish I would have come here first. We spend all our time reacting to the next great weight loss tip or program. It might work for a while, but does not last and we end up yo-yoing from one fad to the next – as we gain more weight." Read More
Gina
Lost 44.5 lbs
"I had no trouble adhering to the meals and they really helped catapult my progress! The classes were so beneficial to me because they helped change my thinking about how I viewed health, nutrition, and fitness.
I will always have my relationship with Scottsdale Weight Loss Center. They truly helped me change my life forever." Read More
Lauren
Lost 60 lbs
"Dr. Ziltzer and everyone who I have come in contact with at the Scottsdale Weight Loss office have been so encouraging and I look forward to seeing them each week. It is now a year and 2 months later since I started. I am down 60 lbs., which is the average amount a 9-year-old weighs, it is crazy to think I lost a whole person! I feel amazing, I hit my goal weight in November 2021 just before Thanksgiving. Nothing on my body hurts anymore..." Read More
Chuck
Lost 66 lbs
"The best thing I did was call the Scottsdale Weight Loss Center. I have a lot more energy, I'm not hungry, and it feels great.
You can take it from me that this is a program that produces results. The staff is always positive, supportive, and never judgmental.
Your visits always result in positive reinforcement, no matter if you had a good week or a bad week." Read More
Emily
Lost 101 lbs
"Here I am at the lowest I have been since high school weighing in at 155lbs. I have lost 101 lbs, BMI of 39 when I started, to 21.6, and of course at body fat % of 47.1 to 26.5%. I told myself by my 30th birthday I wanted to be confident in the way I look and I owe it all to SWLC. The entire staff is so welcoming and they are rooting for you just as much as you are rooting for yourself...." Read More
Reviews
Meet Our Team
Robert Ziltzer, MD, FACP, FAAP, FOMA
Obesity Medicine Certified Physician
Diana Bone, FNP-C
Specializing in Obesity Medicine
Craig Primack, MD, FACP, FAAP, MFOMA
Obesity Medicine Certified Physician
Kristen Ash, FNP-C, FNP-BC
Nurse Practitioner
Alicia Earley, FNP-C
Family Nurse Practitioner
