“For so long, many people have been told just eat less, move more, and that it’s about calories in versus calories out,” says weight management specialist Dr. Tiffany Lowe Clayton. “But that really puts the onus on a patient and takes it away from the actual disease state itself.”
“What I would want a person to know is that it’s not on them. It’s not about willpower. And if they are struggling with their weight, it’s not their fault. It’s important to understand—this is about biology.”
Why Treatment Matters
Dr. Lowe Clayton explains that obesity is a chronic condition that requires ongoing care—just like any other long-term disease. “When we help patients understand obesity as a chronic disease, it helps them to understand that if they were to stop the medication, the weight would come back. Just like if you were to stop your blood pressure medication, your blood pressure would become uncontrolled again.”
“This isn’t a quick fix,” she emphasizes. “This is something that they need to do in the long term.”
She encourages patients to work closely with trained professionals: “Going to a doctor or a healthcare provider who’s obesity educated can really help you through your struggle. They can help you understand the best use of treatment modalities—whether it’s medical weight loss or surgical intervention. They can help you stay accountable and provide the support system that you need, because we know that the more touchpoints that a patient has, the more likely they are to succeed.”
The Benefits Go Beyond Weight
“We have phenomenal FDA-approved medications now that do a wonderful job at providing clinically significant weight loss,” Dr. Lowe Clayton says. “But we also know that there are other health benefits that can occur with these medications as well.”
“We now have medications that are FDA-approved for the treatment of obesity, but also to help reduce the risk of heart issues or sleep apnea in our patients. They also help with reduction of cardiometabolic risk factors. So we see improvement of things like blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol panels.”
Why Starting Early Matters
“I often say that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” she says. “When a person may be carrying excess weight, they may not understand the impact that that weight may have on their bodies.”
“Oftentimes, the disease states or the changes that occur are things that they can’t see. The inflammation that occurs in our bodies that can create things like high blood pressure, diabetes, liver disease—all of those things actually start occurring before the person begins to develop those symptoms.”
“The earlier a person can actually get to a healthier weight, the more it can not only improve their medical illnesses, but it can also help prevent complications that may occur in the future that may at times be irreversible if they don’t take care of them soon enough.”
Success Is Personal
“I honestly believe that when it comes to success in weight loss, it’s really individualized,” she says. “It’s different for every patient. What does success look like for them? What is their idea of it?”
“For some it may be that they want to look better, for some it may be better health, for some it just may be that they want to overcome something that they’ve been struggling with all their lives.”
Once those goals are clear, Dr. Lowe Clayton helps patients “develop different strategies to be able to eat better, be more physically active, manage their stress, and then, when necessary, use medication to help—not just lose weight for now, but for the long term.”
Taking the First Step
“The first step that I would tell patients to do is start the conversation,” she says. “See someone. Talk to them. You don’t have to do this by yourself.”
“For so long, patients have been told and they believe that it’s on them—that if they don’t succeed at weight loss, somehow it’s their fault. But I want them to know they don’t have to do it alone. They don’t have to go through the struggle by themselves anymore. Just talk to someone who’s trained so that they can help you along your journey.”
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Diet and exercise alone aren’t enough to help many people reach a healthier weight. Medical treatments are needed to address the biological changes happening in our bodies that can drive weight regain. To find a physician near you who specializes in weight management, click here.
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This article was sponsored by Novo Nordisk Canada. All content is created independently by My Weight – What To Know with no influence from Novo Nordisk.
