Excess fat increases your risk of developing serious and potentially life-threatening health problems that could cause considerable suffering. Preventable conditions caused by excess weight include:

• High cholesterol
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Type 2 diabetes
• Heart disease
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Stroke
• Heart attack
• Kidney disease
• Some cancers
• Fatty liver disease
• Sight loss

Excess weight also causes problems like erectile dysfunction in men, repeated skin and urinary infections, rashes, sores, fatigue, and musculoskeletal aches and pains.

Losing weight is significantly more difficult than putting it on. Modern diets tend to be high in calorie-laden foods like fats and carbohydrates, with ready access to fried and baked goods, unhealthy snacks, chocolate, and candy that make you gain weight quickly.

Calories are units of energy. You need a certain amount each day to provide fuel for your body, but it’s easy to consume more calories than you use. This is how weight gain occurs because your body stores the unused energy as fat.

You need to use the stored energy by exercising more. To optimize weight loss, it’s also vital to consume fewer calories than you use for a sustained period.

Despite what people selling weight loss plans and diet supplements might claim, there’s no quick fix for losing weight. The best way to succeed and avoid the weight coming back is to follow a medical weight loss program with the Upper Echelon Medical team.

First, they check your health for underlying problems that could affect your ability to lose weight. For example, hormonal problems like hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland) can make you gain weight and prevent you from losing it. Treating these conditions is vital to ensure success.

The Upper Echelon Medical team also provides you with all the information and support you need to lose weight steadily and keep it off. They give you dietary advice, help you find an exercise routine you can stick to, and encourage you with regular checkups on your progress. They also offer prescription dispensation for medications like appetite suppressants.

Upper Echelon Medical’s direct primary care membership services include all this for one low monthly membership fee, so there’s no need to subscribe to monthly services that only address one or two medical concerns, like hair loss, weight loss, or erectile dysfunction.

To find out how you can achieve successful weight loss with Upper Echelon Medical, call the office or book an appointment online today.