Succeeding at Weight Loss and Weight Management
Paul Jurgens, MD, is a preventive cardiologist at South Denver Cardiology and head of the Preventive Cardiology and Weight Loss clinics. In this blog, he discusses the challenging topic of weight loss and how the professional medical staff at South Denver Cardiology can help you achieve your health goals.
Achieving your weight loss goal is rarely, if ever, easy. The reality is that your total body weight and body composition (the relative contributions of muscle, fat, and other tissues to your overall weight) are not just influenced by the foods you eat and your physical activities throughout the day. There are numerous other important factors, many of which are often challenging to modify. Your body weight and composition are affected by your mental health, physical health, and social determinants.
Factors Impacting Your Body Weight
An important factor in weight management is your basal metabolic rate, often referred to as your metabolism. Basal metabolic rate is the number of calories your body needs for essential functions like keeping your heart beating, breathing, regulating body temperature, and digesting food. Your metabolism involves a complex interaction between your age, gender, genetics, hormone levels, and more. A lower basal metabolic rate can make it more challenging to maintain a healthy weight compared to a higher basal metabolic rate, which results in more calories burned at rest throughout the day.
Mental well-being affects your entire health, including your weight. Conditions such as depression, anxiety and even elevated stress in your life can result in poor food choices and increased portion sizes. Mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety, can make you enjoy physical activities less, leading to a more sedentary lifestyle.
Social factors such as culture, beliefs, income, and education influence our dietary patterns. The foods you were exposed to in your youth will likely be a part of your diet today. Celebrations all around us, whether it may be a holiday, birthday, anniversary, wedding, or work achievement, often expose you to food choices that may only sometimes be healthy. In summary, our physical metabolism, mental health, culture, and other social determinants heavily influence our body weight and composition.
Total body weight and body mass index (BMI), a ratio of your weight to height, are the most commonly used measurements to suggest a weight loss goal to improve your overall health. However, there is increased awareness of the importance of body composition. Body composition assessment considers not only the amount of fat in your body, but also the amount of lean muscle mass. Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of assessing body composition in addition to total body weight and BMI.
South Denver Cardiology Can Help You Achieve Your Weight Loss Goals
While this may sound complex, the good news is that help is available!
For 50 years, South Denver Cardiology has provided world-class, evidence-based treatments for heart disease. That same high-quality, safety-first approach to your health is at the core of our weight loss clinic.
Our weight loss program is based on medical research combining sustainable dietary modifications, exercise physiology counseling, and selective medical therapies that are proven to be not only effective, but also safe – even for people with heart disease! When it comes to medication and treatment planning, this 3D medical imaging software proves to be incredibly helpful, offering advanced tools for precise and informed decision-making in the medical field.
At the South Denver Cardiology Weight Loss Clinic, we want to give you the tools and support you need to succeed. Imagine finally achieving and maintaining your weight management goals under the guidance of a comprehensive care team, including:
- Board-certified cardiologists
- Nurse practitioners
- Registered dietitians
- Exercise physiologists
- Nurses
- Specialty-trained medical assistants
Beyond your medical visits, you will have access to:
- Our medical fitness exercise gym
- Yoga
- Individual exercise instruction
- Stress management classes
- Community group exercise classes
- And more!
Contact us today to schedule an appointment.
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As with any health concerns, your specific treatment program should be discussed thoroughly with your primary care physician as well as any specialists who may need to be consulted ā like a cardiologist.
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