Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the keys to staying healthy. However, the many conflicting and confusing messages being promoted regarding weight loss can make it hard to feel empowered, motivated and supported in your journey. Getting the right information about weight loss is especially important if you’re struggling with the adverse physical and mental-health effects of obesity. At Functional and Metabolic Medicine of Colorado, we offer support for weight management and obesity.

Signs and Symptoms of Obesity

An official obesity diagnosis requires a body mass index of 30 or greater. However, it’s not necessary to wait until you’re officially obese to begin a healthy plan for managing your weight. The main symptoms of obesity include:

  • Sleeping difficulties. There is a specific risk for a condition known as sleep apnea that robs you of restful sleep. This can cause daytime drowsiness, mood issues and cognitive issues. A lack of sleep can also perpetuate weight gain because lack of proper sleep is associated with weight gain.
  • Feeling short of breath.
  • Back pain from the excess weight.
  • Joint pain from the excess weight.
  • Excessive sweating.
  • Intolerance to heat.
  • Infections within skin folds.
  • Varicose veins in the lower limbs caused by pressure.
  • Fatigue.
  • Depression.

The main indicator that your weight is not in the ideal range is the presence of excessive body fat. This is often enough to cause people to want to make changes. The difficulty comes from discovering the right dietary and lifestyle choices for your unique biochemistry.

When to See a Doctor

If you’re struggling to lose weight, seeing a functional medicine doctor for weight management can help you to get on the correct track for living a healthier life. Not liking what you see in the mirror is reason enough to see a doctor for weight management. The urgency grows if you’re experiencing any of the symptoms above. In addition, it’s important to make a plan for change if you’ve been told that you are at risk for heart disease, diabetes or metabolic syndrome.

Causes

Weight gain has many causes. Unfortunately many fad diets don’t do anything to address the underlying reason why you’re putting on weight, keeping weight on and not feeling you’re best. Even conventional diet advice from medical professionals doesn’t necessarily do enough to truly investigate any imbalances, deficiencies, underlying issues or genetic factors that could be contributing to your weight struggles. Some common causes for weight gain can include:

  • Lifestyle choices.
  • Hormonal issues.
  • Thyroid imbalances.
  • Diseases.
  • Food allergies.

This is where getting the whole health picture becomes important. At Functional and Metabolic Medicine of Colorado, we begin every new patient relationship with a detailed questionnaire to help us get a picture of your personal health story. Dr. Sipay will recommend specific testing and screenings to help detect issues that could be contributing to weight gain. Next, we develop personalized plans for weight management.

Risk Factors Associated With Being Obese

The most common cause is simply a lifestyle that includes consuming more calories than you’re using. However, that’s far from the whole story when you’re viewing weight management from the lens of functional medicine. Genetic factors, living a sedentary lifestyle, certain diseases, hormonal imbalances, thyroid disorders and certain medications can all increase your risk for reaching an unhealthy weight.

Complications

Obesity is associated with all of the leading causes of death in the United States. Obese people are more likely to be affected by high-mortality diseases and conditions like heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers. According to the CDC, the consequences of not getting weight under control include increased risks for:

  • Mortality from all causes.
  • High blood pressure (hypertension).
  • High LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides.
  • Type 2 diabetes.
  • Coronary heart disease.
  • Stroke.
  • Gallbladder disease.
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Sleep apnea and breathing problems.
  • Many types of cancers.
  • Low quality of life.
  • Mental illness that includes clinical depression, anxiety and more.
  • Body pain.
  • Difficulty with functioning.

There’s another toll that we see firsthand when helping our clients with weight management here at Functional and Metabolic Medicine of Colorado. So many people are missing out on doing the things they enjoy because of the pain, fear and self-conscious feelings tied to being overweight. Feeling like you have no place to go to be understood can cause the situation to continue to spiral out of control.

Visit a Colorado Doctor for Weight Loss and Management in Littleton

Dr. Susan Sipay specializes in weight management for people of all ages. Our office understands that being lectured with one-size-fits-all advice is the last thing you need on your journey! Discover innovative, personalized techniques for weight management. Call (720) 791-2911 or email sipaymd@functionalmetabolicmedicine.com to book a consultation.