Priorities
Weight that won’t come off
Weight that stalls or keeps coming back, and a medical option that may help.
Treatments from $699
The short version
For many people, weight loss stalls or reverses despite consistent effort with diet and exercise. Weight comes off for a while and then plateaus, or it returns. The standard advice to eat less and move more isn’t wrong, but for a lot of people it’s incomplete.
Why it happens
Why weight can be so hard to lose
Your body works hard to hold on to weight. When you eat less, hunger signals get louder and you feel full later, which is part of why weight so often comes back. GLP-1 medications work on those signals directly, alongside the changes you're already making.
Hunger signals push back
Appetite is driven by hormones and the brain areas that handle hunger and fullness. A GLP-1 medication acts on those areas, so you feel less hungry.
Fullness lasts longer
The medication slows how quickly your stomach empties, so a smaller meal keeps you satisfied for longer.
It works best as a long-term plan
Trial results come from people who kept taking it with structured support. Weight often returns after stopping, so we plan with that in mind.
Sources: Cleveland Clinic, GLP-1 agonists
Your options
How we'd approach it
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Step 1We'd start with
Medical weight loss
Free consultation
About Medical weight lossThis is a once-weekly injection of semaglutide or tirzepatide, prescribed and monitored by our nurse practitioner for adults with a BMI of 30 or more, or 27 or more with a weight-related condition. Every patient starts with a consultation and bloodwork before any prescription is written.
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Step 2If you need a little more
Morpheus8 Body for skin left behind
From $500
About Morpheus8 Body for skin left behindAfter significant weight loss, skin that has been stretched for years doesn't always tighten on its own. That's addressed separately, later in the process.
Side by side
Your options side by side
Medical weight loss comes first. Skin tightening is a separate step, once your weight has settled.
We'd start with
Medical weight loss
From $699
- Best for
- Adults with a BMI of 30 or more, or 27 or more with a weight-related condition, after a medical evaluation
- Appointment
- 30-minute consult, then short weekly or monthly check-ins
- Downtime
- None, but nausea is common early in each dose step
- First results
- Appetite change within days, weight within the first month
- Sessions
- Weekly injections, ongoing, with dose steps every 4 weeks or longer
Later, if you need it
Morpheus8 Body
From $500
- Best for
- Loose skin left behind once your weight is stable
- Appointment
- 45 to 60 minutes of numbing, then treatment sized to the area
- Downtime
- Red and tender for 2 days, fine scabs through day 7
- First results
- A few weeks
- Sessions
- Usually 3, spaced 4 to 6 weeks apart
Prices are starting prices from our menu. Your provider will confirm the plan and total cost at your consult. Individual results vary.
What to expect
Your first months on a GLP-1
Most people notice their appetite change within days. Weight comes off gradually as your dose steps up, and we check in with you at every step.
Week 1
Starting dose
Appetite drops and meals shrink. Nausea is common, so let us know how you’re feeling.
Weeks 2 to 4
Gut settles
Your gut usually settles. Most people see a first weight change on the scale.
Months 2 to 4
Dose steps up
Dose steps every four weeks or longer. Steady loss if you tolerate the increases.
Months 5 to 12
Maintenance dose
Maintenance dose reached; most of the total loss happens here. At a year we shift focus to maintenance.
Timeline for medical weight loss, from our treatment page. Individual results vary.
Our reasoning
How we decide
We’ll start with your height, weight, and BMI, a medical history, current medications, and bloodwork. We’ll also check for anything that rules it out: a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, MEN2, pancreatitis, pregnancy or planning a pregnancy, and a few others the prescribing information lists.
Here’s what the research shows. In the STEP 1 trial, semaglutide 2.4 mg averaged 14.9 percent of body weight lost at 68 weeks, compared with 2.4 percent on placebo, per Wilding and colleagues in the New England Journal of Medicine. In SURMOUNT-1, tirzepatide averaged up to 20.9 percent at 72 weeks, per Jastreboff and colleagues. Those are trial averages with structured support behind them. Individual results vary, often considerably.
Nausea is the most common side effect, and it’s usually worst when the dose steps up. For most people it settles, which is why we increase the dose slowly.
Your questions, answered
Is this Ozempic?
It's the same drug family. Ozempic and Wegovy are both semaglutide, and Mounjaro and Zepbound are both tirzepatide. The brand names differ mainly by what they're approved for and how they're dosed. What we prescribe is decided at your consultation, not before it.
Do I qualify?
The starting point is a BMI of 30 or more, or 27 or more with a weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or sleep apnea. Your bloodwork and history decide the rest. If it isn't the right fit for you, we'll talk through what else might help.
What happens to my face and my skin?
Faces often change with significant weight loss, most noticeably through lost volume. If volume loss in your cheeks bothers you afterward, that has its own page. We'd suggest reaching your weight goal first and then assessing your face.
Will you keep prescribing if it isn't working?
No. If you're not responding after a fair trial at an adequate dose, we'll stop, since continuing would add cost without benefit.
How does semaglutide help you lose weight?
It acts on the parts of your brain that handle hunger and fullness, so you feel less hungry, and it slows how quickly your stomach empties, so you stay full for longer. Together, that makes eating less feel much easier. A prescription requires a medical evaluation first.
Do I have to stay on it forever?
Not necessarily, but it's best to plan for longer-term treatment. The trial results come from continued use, and weight regain after stopping is common. We'll talk through how to taper and what support helps if you decide to stop.
