In my last blog, we discussed how many of the newer weight loss medications work, including GLP-1 and GIP. Today, we’re talking about one of the most potent weight loss medications ever studied: retatrutide. Like Zepbound, retatrutide is a GLP-1 and GIP agonist (remember, an agonist stimulates the receptor). But it adds a third piece: […]
The pipeline for weight loss medications is extremely exciting. In 2014, the first GLP-1 agonist, Saxenda (liraglutide), was approved for weight loss. An agonist is a medication that switches a receptor on — in this case, the receptor for GLP-1. Average weight loss was about 8%, which seemed revolutionary at the time. In 2021, Wegovy […]
Short answer: yes — as of July 1, 2026, Medicare covers GLP-1 medications for weight management through the new Medicare GLP-1 Bridge Program, and that includes patients right here in Florence and the Shoals. What’s covered? Wegovy (injection and pill), Zepbound, and Foundayo, at a flat $50/month copay for patients who qualify. Who qualifies? Generally, […]
The History Medicare has never covered medications for weight loss because of a policy decision made in 2003. Congress explicitly excluded weight loss drugs from Part D coverage of Medicare in the Medicare Modernization Act. It was largely due to, in my opinion, a stigmatization of the disease of obesity. They saw it more as […]
Not all carbohydrates are bad. Let me repeat that. Not all carbohydrates are bad. In our low carb/keto world, people have become so scared of carbs. The data shows that some carbs can be very filling and help you achieve your goals of taking in less calories than you burn. One of my favorite […]
Fiber Increasing fiber is the second most potent nutritional change I promote to my patients. Fiber has been shown to have multiple health benefits, but for weight loss its main benefit is it can cause you to stay full for longer periods of time and to have a decrease in cravings for foods that may […]
When cutting calories, achieving a feeling of fullness can be very difficult, especially in an era where foods have been designed to be rewarding and not fill you up. Let’s discuss some evidence-based, proven ways to help you feel fuller longer. FULLNESS PYRAMID The Fullness Pyramid summarizes which foods and habits keep us full the […]
Body Fat Set Point Theory The Body Fat Set Point theory says that your body works to maintain a fixed body fat percentage. When you lose weight, or gain it in small quantities, your body will work to return to that pre-set fat percentage. The set point is controlled by the size of our individual […]
Bioimpedance scanning aka body composition scanning is a great way to track your progress when losing weight. It is more accurate than body mass index (BMI). When it comes to health, fat tissue surrounding our organs is the most dangerous as this effects multiple things including blood pressure, cholesterol, insulin resistance, etc. One problem I […]
There are so many myths about losing weight. They come from old wives tales, social media, magazines, radio, and television. They can be detrimental to healthy weight loss. Here I will list a few. 1. Eating fat turns directly into body fat…. False, eating too many calories causes body fat 2. Muscles use the fat […]