MEDICAL WEIGHT-LOSS

Medical Weight Loss

WHY MEDICAL WEIGHT LOSS WILL WORK FOR YOU

If you're like many Americans, you've had your fair share of battles with weight. Whether it's a few pounds or a hundred pounds, most Americans have struggled to achieve and maintain an optimal weight. Being overweight isn't just about appearances or vanity. What lies beneath an unhealthy weight is the real health concern. What drives BMI up leads not only to weight gain, but to more serious medical conditions like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and dementia. With close to two-thirds of the US population now classified as overweight or obese, this is a problem of epidemic proportion with no end in sight. People tend to fall into one of two categories: 1) I didn't change a single thing about my die or exercise - if anything I eat less and exercise more! How did I gain this weight?' and 2) 'I ate my way through lockdown for more than two years - just happy I didn't gain more than I did...' Regardless of how the weight got there, why is it so hard to take it off?

EASY ANSWER: People use one thing and one thing only to lose weight - 'diets'. Unfortunately, 'diets' as a general construct are largely useless and have proven track record of pretty close to ZERO%. Hard stop. You heard me.

DIETS. DON'T. WORK.

Metabolism is extremely complicated. This whole 'calories in minus calories out equals weight' nonsense is totally ridiculous. The extra pounds parked right underneath your belt buckle are a response to a whole host of factors that need to be sorted out FIRST. If you don't know why the weight came on in the first place, it is not coming off. Period. Hormonal imbalances, insulin resistance, sub optimal thyroid function, overactive adrenals, underactive adrenals, poor sleep, inflammation, toxicity, and nutritional status all play a critical role in your metabolism. These variables determine if you are positioned better for weight gain, or weight loss.

Effective weight management can only be achieved through adopting a lifestyle that encourages and promotes healthy weight. "Diets" don't work because you go on and come off of them. The plan has to be sustainable - FOREVER. It's your new normal. This doesn't mean a depressing lifetime of kale and....well, kale. It means embracing a lifestyle that includes eating real food, moving your body, correcting imbalances, and allowing yourself to make mistakes along the way. Obtaining metabolic balance feels good. Once you've tasted it, you won't want to go back to the way things were.

HOW DOES FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE APPROACH WEIGHT LOSS?

Our approach starts with testing your body to understand how it metabolizes food. We measure metabolism in a comprehensive manner to determine which factors are contributing to your specific weight gain. Then we develop a medically guided lifestyle plan that is created for your unique body. The plan includes correcting endocrine imbalances, developing an optimal eating schedule, and educating you on what to eat. This isn't the depression diet. It's a lifestyle upgrade.

IF I'M HAVING TO CUT OUT FOOD, ISN'T THAT A DIET?

You want your body working with you - not against you. Certain foods in the standard American diet are just not food. They're total garbage. Garbage that isn't just causing weight gain, but driving inflammation. An inflamed body LOVES to store fat. Weight loss requires making food choices that help your body heal - to work better and have less pain. Look, I live in the real world. Garbage food happens. Busy schedules, crazy lives, working long hours, kids kids kids... I get it. Think of food choice changes as a job. Try to behave yourself 80% of the time. The other 20% is convenience - it's real life. You'll be surprised at how that 20% decreases over time. Good food choices start to reinforce themselves. Once your body is able to let go of that inflammation, it reminds you loud and clear when garbage food brings it back.

We eliminate the things that trigger inflammation and lead to weight gain. We also schedule eating as to optimize insulin regulation. That's where this differs from a diet that restricts calories, because to have life-long results, it means you have to make lifestyle changes that you will follow for the rest of your life. Common foods that cause inflammation are gluten, dairy, processed sugar, and soy. Once you feel the positive effects of cutting these things out, you may never want to let them back in. Intermittent fasting is a great tool to help activate an optimal metabolism. It's FREE and it's easy. You may have been taught that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I'll let you in on a little secret...that's a big fat lie.

OKAY. SO WHAT CAN I EAT?

Food. Real food. Food without labels. It's not complicated. If your food comes out of a box, a bag, a can, a jar, contains more than 5 ingredients, contains ingredients you can't pronounce, or is a color that doesn't belong in nature - It's not food. Get rid of it. Shop the outside of the grocery store. If you eat animal protein, that animal should have eaten what it would have eaten if given a choice - and I guarantee, that livestock wouldn't have been eating corn and soy beans. Buy organic when you can. Overdose on green leafy vegetables and colorful produce. Better yet - plant a garden.

THAT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF WORK

Yes, learning something new takes time. This is no different. Anytime you introduce positive changes that will have a profound effect on your life, there is work involved - and some potential to be overwhelmed. We are here to guide and support you through every part of this lifestyle change. Routine follow-ups check progress, monitor metabolic influencers, and provide support to keep you on track.

CAN'T I JUST HAVE A SURGERY?

How many times have you seen someone lose an amazing amount of weight with surgery, only to put every single pound of it back on? Surgery and invasive weight loss procedures should be avoided for many reasons - but mostly because they don't address the root cause of the condition. That HAS to be determined first, otherwise any weight lost, is coming back on.

* All patients of Lindgren Functional Medicine using any injectable weight loss medications (Mounjaro, Tirzepatide, Ozempic, Victoza, Semaglutide, etc.) are REQUIRED to have a weight and blood pressure check by a clinical staff member or provide proper signed documentation from their General Practitioner EVERY THREE MONTHS.

ARE YOU READY TO REACH A HEALTHY WEIGHT?

We will work with you to develop a medically guided lifestyle plan that is created specifically for your body. Our plan includes educating you to know what foods to eat to get healthy, and which foods to avoid so you stay healthy and maintain a healthy weight.

Dr. Kristen Lindgren has helped hundreds of patients achieve their optimal weight.

Reveal your new self.

DID YOU KNOW?

Weight gain can be caused by hormonal imbalances - specifically the hormone cortisol, which when present all the time, creates chronic inflammation that contributes to weight gain, as well as other serious conditions.

THINGS YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW TO LOSE WEIGHT

Anyone who promises weight loss without some kind of work is flat out lying to you. To achieve optimal weight management requires a change in lifestyle that lasts a lifetime.

GET OUT OF YOUR SEAT AND JUMP AROUND!

When you are active, you are burning calories and building muscle - and muscle burns more calories and increases your metabolism.

DEAR DIARY . . .

Keep a log of the foods you eat. This will help you visualize the total amount of calories you ingest on a daily basis, and may also help to determine if there are any trigger foods that cause headaches, digestion issues, or even allergic reactions.

IT'S ABOUT MORE THAN WEIGHT LOSS

It's often the weight gain that brings people in the front door, but the underlying metabolic disturbances causing it are likely causing other problems as well. Insulin resistance increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and dementia. As your weight comes down, so does your risk for developing chronic disease.

LEAN ON ME

Having a friend or finding weight loss buddy is a great way to lose weight. You can help support each other and make sure you stay on track!