I've Tried Everything, Why Can't I Lose Weight?

In the United States, almost 42% of all women, men, and children are obese and nearly 10% of those are severely obese. Whether you’re obese or “simply” overweight, you may be at increased risk for a variety of serious medical conditions and diseases, including: 

• Diabetes
• Metabolic syndrome
• Cardiovascular disease
• Heart attack
• Stroke

You’ve tried to improve your health and appearance by dieting. And then dieting again. And then dieting again. But nothing seems to work.

Why is that? Do you lack willpower? Are you just eating too much? 

We used to believe that the secret to weight loss was to create a calorie deficit so that your body burns its own fat. However, we’ve discovered that it’s not that easy. Your body has protective mechanisms in place to prevent you from starving. That’s why you keep gaining the weight back after you lose it.

So, how can you get yourself to a healthy weight and keep yourself there? At Gorman Medical, PC, our medical experts, Charles Ripp, MD, and Fran Gorman, DNP, offer weight management programs. Weight management isn’t a diet; it’s a change in lifestyle. And more.

At our offices in Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek, Colorado, we give you the support, advice, and (if necessary) medications you need to achieve a healthy weight. Following are the basic steps.

Find the right (and real) foods

Weight management isn’t about starving yourself until your body sucks every possible calorie out of your muscles, organs, and — if you’re lucky — your fat. Instead, you must give your body the nutrients it needs to build strong muscles and organs so it can burn fat as fuel. Regularly.

Eating foods that are high in satiety but low in nutrient density may have been a contributor to your excess weight gain. We help you make the changes to your diet that helps your body maintain a healthy, stable weight.

We help you cut out or minimize highly processed foods that are nutrient poor, such as ultraprocessed and fast foods. You may need to eliminate:

• Trans fats
• Sugar
• High-fructose corn syrup
• Processed meats
• Junk food
• Bread and pasta
• Alcohol

Instead, we teach you to focus on foods that are nutrient dense. They provide all of the macronutrients (i.e., protein, fat, and carbohydrates) and micronutrients (e.g., vitamins and minerals) that your body needs. 

You replace nutrient-poor foods with nutrient-rich ones, such as:

• Leafy green vegetables
• Sweet potatoes and other healthy starches
• Olive oil and other healthy fats
• Lean, pastured proteins
• Wild-caught fish
• Low-glycemic fruits

You won’t feel “starved” when you get enough protein and healthy fats to both provide the nutrients your body needs and satisfy your hunger. Your diet becomes more varied, colorful, and healthier, too.

Address underlying conditions

In addition to the types of foods and beverages you consume, underlying medical conditions may contribute to or even cause weight gain. As part of your weight management work-up, we conduct a series of exams and tests to be sure you don’t have conditions such as:

• Diabetes
• Sleep apnea
• Cushing syndrome
• Hypothyroidism
• Hormonal imbalance

If we determine that a medical condition contributes to your weight gain, we first work to get it under control. In combination with lifestyle changes, that may be the only thing you need to set yourself on the road to a healthy lifetime weight.

Get you moving

You don’t have to sign up for a gym membership in order to give your body the types of movement and challenges it needs to build and maintain healthy muscles. We work with you to design a varied and interesting exercise program that you can stick with for life.

To help you burn fat, we recommend cardiovascular exercise, such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT), running, cycling, swimming, or walking. To build muscles that help you burn fat, too, we recommend weight lifting or working with resistance bands.

We also encourage you to get more movement into your life. Don’t sit down for long periods: Get up and stretch. Walk more. Dance more. Join a sports team, if you can.

Give you customized support

Although weight loss drugs such as Ozempic® are all the rage, they may not be right for you. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to attaining and maintaining a healthy weight. That’s another reason why diets fail: They take a cookie-cutter approach instead of customization.

We may prescribe medications that rev up your metabolism so that you burn off fat, instead of accumulating it. These may be short-term medications, but in some instances you may need to be on them for the rest of your life. We also provide regular check-ins so that you have support and accountability.

Are you ready to lose weight and keep it off? Call our nearest office or use the online form to schedule an appointment for a weight management consultation today.