Over 40% of adults in the United States attempt to lose excess pounds in a given year, according to recent findings. Unfortunately, relatively few are successful. While that might sound depressing, there is good news. Research also shows that appropriate professional support can help keep you motivated and on-track, upping your odds of reaching a healthy weight and maintaining it for good. 

Dr. Javier Sosa and his expert team at Woodlands Primary Healthcare provide customized weight loss plans and treatments that suit your needs and goals. Read on to learn more about common weight loss struggles and ways we can help you move past them.

What makes weight loss challenging

From a numbers standpoint, weight loss can seem fairly simple. If you consume fewer calories than the amount you burn through physical activity regularly, you’ll more than likely lose weight. However, a range of factors often makes weight loss a lot more complicated than that. 

Reasons you may struggle to lose weight include:

• A lifetime of difficult-to-change habits
• Increasing age 
• Injuries or illnesses that make exercise difficult
• Genetic factors
• Lack of sleep
• Mental health conditions, such as depression and eating disorders
• Metabolic problems
• Overly restrictive of fad diets
• Poor access to healthy foods or exercise
• Poor role-modeling from loved ones or peers
• Stress
• Taking certain medications, such as beta-blockers and antidepressants

And for many people, multiple factors combine to make weight loss especially challenging. You may have trouble managing stress. That can lead to poor sleep, which then results in hormonal fluctuations and increased appetite.

Making weight loss feasible

With professional support and an effective plan that caters to your unique needs, healthy weight loss can shift from impossible to probable. At Woodlands Primary Healthcare, our programs start with a comprehensive physical exam and evaluation of your hormonal and nutritional health to detect any conditions that may be interfering with weight control.

From there, we may recommend treatment for an underlying condition, as well as dietary and exercise changes. We may also recommend behavioral counseling and, for qualifying candidates, a prescription weight loss medication or minimally invasive body contouring treatments that help do away with stubborn fat. BTL Vanquish ME™, for example, uses radiofrequency to heat and permanently destroy fat cells. 

We use the InBody® 570 machine to analyze your body composition throughout your program to make sure that your plan is helping you reach your goals. And once you reach a healthy weight, we’ll guide you through ways to maintain your results long-term.

To learn more about weight control or get the support you need, call Woodlands Primary Healthcare, located in The Woodlands, Texas, or request an appointment with Dr. Sosa on our website.