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Help! I Need to Lose Weight

Let’s say it up front: Diets don’t work. By “diets,” we mean those weight-loss programs that promise if you eat nothing but pineapple for four months, you’ll wake up looking like Angelina Jolie.

And if you’ve been struggling with your weight for years, you know firsthand why diets don’t work. Every time you go on a calorie-restricted diet that limits your food intake, you actually trigger your body’s fat-storing mechanisms. That’s why you — and the 71.6% of American adults who are overweight —  end up heavier than ever once you go off the diet.

At Enrich Family Practice in Odessa, Texas, our nurse practitioners Maria Cole, APRN, FNP-C, and Kelly Wenger, APRN, FNP-C, take an individual approach to weight loss. We don’t just prescribe a calorie-restriction “diet” and let you wrangle the process on your own. With us, weight loss consists of an individualized approach and a team effort. 

Being overweight is a medical problem

Being overweight isn’t just about fashion and aesthetics. It’s about giving your body the right kinds of nutrition so that it functions efficiently and smoothly, without any problems. It’s about only consuming the kinds of foods that are good for your body, and feeling satisfied when you’ve given your body what it needs.

If you’re overweight or obese, you’re at increased risk for a number of serious and life-threatening conditions, including:

Because being overweight or obese is a medical problem, you benefit by treating it as such. When you work with Enrich Family Practice to lose weight, we don’t just record your weight or measure your waist. We look at all the parameters that affect your health.

It’s not just about food

Although eating more calories than you burn certainly results in your storing fat on your body, overeating isn’t the only cause of weight gain. In fact, in your case, it might not be a cause at all. 

That’s why our nurse practitioners look at all aspects of your health to determine why you’re struggling to attain and maintain a healthy weight.  We conduct a thorough physical examination, ask you about your personal and family medical histories, and take blood tests, too.

In addition to eating too much food, factors that could be involved in your weight-loss frustrations include:

Obesity actually sets up a vicious cycle. Extra pounds create medical conditions, such as sleep apnea and diabetes, that could cause you to gain even more weight.

Designing a weight-loss program just for you

At Enrich Family Practice, we recommend permanent lifestyle changes that help you lose weight in the short term and keep it off in the long term. We also work with your food preferences and budget to be sure that you can maintain your healthy eating.

Some components of your individualized weight-loss plan could include:

After we design your program, we help you stick with it. You check in on a regular basis so we can be sure the program’s working for you, and make adjustments as needed. 

Don’t give up on losing weight. Get the help you need and deserve by calling our team at 432-200-9087 or using our online message form.

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