Best Body
Medically supervised weight loss—a journey back to health By Marina Brown
W
ho knows how they got there? Those extra pounds, that is.
Oh, there might have been a few more stops at the crispy, fried drive-thru. A tight schedule might have made you give up on the long drive to the gym. Perhaps it was the siren voice of a Snickers bar or that extra piece of pie. But over time, the pounds piled up. For some, it may be a muffin-top expansion, but for others, the accumulated weight may have burgeoned into a serious health risk.
The Price of Pounds A normal Body Mass Index (BMI) is between 19 and 25; overweight is calculated at 25-30; and over 30 is considered obese. Sadly, as the pounds pile on, the heart pump is tasked with pushing blood through an ever more massive circulatory system—one that with a fatty build-up of cholesterol and plaque may have become narrowed and rough. The lungs struggle to get oxygen to the far parts of muscle and tissue. Stress is put on joints. Hormones are in disarray from the infusion of dietary sugars, and diabetes with all its complications is not far off. And yet, sometimes, a person just can’t seem to do the things they know will help their bodies feel and function better. In some instances, a surgical solution like gastric bypass or gastric banding may be the best option. 26
YOUR HEALTH December 2012
But before that, a medically-managed, or bariatric weight loss program may become a literal lifeline.
Get With the Program—With and Without a Little Pill At Healthy Solutions, one of several weight loss facilities in Tallahassee with either an on-site physician or affiliated with a doctor, co-owner Tracey Morales says that their typical patient is a woman between 30 and 60, who wants to lose between five and hundreds of pounds. “We start with the patient’s goals…it may be in pounds or wanting to discontinue a hypertension or diabetic medicine.” And yes, Morales says, “Depending on a patient’s weight and willpower, we may begin with appetite suppressants.” Patients may receive phendimetrazine (Bontril, Adipost, Anorex-SR) or phentermine (Adipex-P, Zantryl, Suprenza). Both are similar to amphetamines in that they stimulate the central nervous system and suppress appetite. “A physician must write the prescription and monitor any patients on these medications, which may continue from six months to