How to Choose a GLP-1 Medical Weight Loss Program That Will Actually Monitor You

You’re choosing a GLP-1 medical weight loss program, and you’ll go through six steps between your first call and your first shot.

A supervised medical weight loss plan at our DeBary office covers all six, so here they are in the order you’ll meet them.

Step 1: Check Whether You Qualify for GLP-1 Weight Loss

You qualify with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 with a weight-related condition such as high blood pressure or sleep apnea. You’ll start with your height, weight, and blood pressure before anything else. Then you’ll go over what you’ve already tried, and how long you stayed with it.

If you’re pregnant or planning to be, or you’ve had pancreatitis or medullary thyroid cancer, you won’t qualify for these drugs. You’ll answer those questions at intake, before payment comes up.

Step 2: What Happens at a GLP-1 Medical Weight Loss Program Before Your First Shot

You’ll have your labs drawn first: A1c, kidney and thyroid function, and a lipid panel. You’ll go through your medication list too, since some diabetes drugs need adjusting once a GLP-1 starts lowering your blood sugar. Your first visit ends with a starting dose, a lesson on giving yourself the shot, and the date of your next weigh-in.

Step 3: Plan for Week Three of Weight Loss Treatment

You’ll feel the nausea most in weeks two through four, and again for a few days after each GLP-1 dose increase. Smaller meals help. So does eating your protein first. About every four weeks, you’ll move up a dose, and you shouldn’t be moved up while you’re still queasy at the current one.

Before you start, you’ll want to know who picks up the phone that week. At Ageless U you’ll reach the office directly, and you’ll hear whether to stay at your dose another week.

You’ll also learn which symptoms mean you stop the shot and call the same day: belly pain that won’t ease, or an ache under your right ribs. If you’re on tirzepatide, the stronger of the two drugs, you’ll want that answer even more, since the effects show up more once you reach the higher doses.

Step 4: Come In Every Four Weeks to the Weight Loss Clinic for a Weigh-In

Every four weeks, you’ll come in for a weigh-in with Leslie Samo, FNP, DNP, and you’ll leave with your dose for the next month. You’ll also have your blood pressure taken and your side effects written down at each of those GLP-1 medical weight loss program visits.

If your weight hasn’t moved by month three, you’ll switch to the other drug or change your dose schedule. You can read how those visits run in our guide to GLP-1 injections near Deltona.

Step 5: Ask About the Month You Stop the GLP-1

You’ll most likely regain the weight if you stop and nothing else has changed. That’s why you’ll be working on protein targets and strength training from your first visit instead of your last. Because Leslie trained at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, you’ll also talk about how you sleep and what your stress looks like.

When you reach the target weight you set at the start, you’ll decide with Leslie whether to taper, hold a lower dose, or stop.

Step 6: Ask Where the Weight Loss Medication Comes From

When the brand names are back-ordered, you may be offered a compounded version at some clinics. The FDA has warned against them. They aren’t reviewed for safety or dose. Before you agree to anything, you should hear the drug name, its source, and the month’s price.

You’ll get all of that at our GLP-1 clinic serving Deltona and DeBary, along with a plain answer on whether your insurance covers either one. By the end of your first call you’ll know who runs the GLP-1 medical weight loss program, when you’ll be weighed, and what happens if the first drug doesn’t move your weight.

Start Feeling and Looking Your Best at Ageless U

At your first visit you’ll have your labs drawn, get your starting dose, and leave with the number to call in week three.

Call Ageless U at 386-951-4161 or text 386-747-1437 to book your consultation.