Medical Weight Loss
A Medical Approach to Weight Loss
Weight is not simply a matter of willpower. Thyroid function, insulin resistance, cortisol, sex hormones, sleep quality, medications, and gut health all influence how the body stores and releases fat. When those factors go unaddressed, even disciplined effort produces frustrating results.
Medical weight loss starts by finding out what is actually driving the pattern. Lab work and a detailed history point to the underlying contributors, and treatment is built around correcting them rather than restricting calories alone.
This is why so many people feel stuck even when they are doing everything they have been told to do. The problem is often not effort but the approach, which treats weight as a simple equation instead of a reflection of how the whole body is working.
At Forbes Integrative Medicine in Phoenix, Dr. Forbes takes the time to understand your history, your habits, and your goals before recommending a plan. The focus is on sustainable progress and on improving your health along the way, including energy, sleep, blood sugar, and how you feel in your body, not just the number on the scale.
What Your Program Includes
Programs are individualized. Depending on your evaluation, yours may include medication free options like acupuncture, herbal formulas, GLP-1 medications when indicated, nutrition and meal structure guidance, movement recommendations, hormone or thyroid support, and strategies for sleep and stress.
You are seen regularly rather than handed a prescription and sent away. Follow up visits track weight, body composition, lab values, side effects, and how you feel, so the plan can be adjusted as your body changes.
If medication is part of your plan, Dr. Forbes will explain how it works, what to expect, and how to manage common side effects. It is paired with the nutrition, movement, and lifestyle changes that help protect muscle, support energy, and keep results steady over the long term.
Because Dr. Forbes also practices lifestyle medicine and integrative care, your program can include support for stress, sleep, and hormones. Acupuncture can actually be a wonderful alternative to medications if side effects are a concern. The goal is to help you reach a healthy weight in a way you can maintain long after the program ends.
A medically supervised program addresses the reasons weight is difficult to lose, not just the number on the scale.
