medical weight loss
Prime MD offers comprehensive concierge medical care for adults including optimal wellness which focuses on hormone therapy, peptide therapies, metabolism enhancement, weight loss and rejuvenating therapies from PRP to cell stems. Dr. Hummel focuses on your overall well-being with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of your life – now and for years to come.
Medical Weight Loss program
Our Medical Weight Loss program focuses on the individual’s goals and utilizes a variety of laboratories, biomarkers, and measurements to determine the metabolic and lifestyle dysfunctions that have led to unhealthy weight gain. Dr Hummel focuses on fat loss and muscle retention to optimize the weight loss process to lower your metabolic age and improve overall health and well-being.
Your customized prescriptive treatment will include a combination of medications, supplements, direct nutrition adjustments and a personally tailored fitness program to achieve your weight loss and health goals.
Low Metabolism
Metabolism is the process by which our bodies converts what we eat and drink into energy. Even when you are resting, your body needs energy for breathing, blood circulation, digestion and many other functions. The number of calories that your body is using for these basic functions is known as resting metabolic rate (RMR).
Several natural and self-induced factors can affect our RMR:
AGE
As we age, our metabolism naturally slows down. After the age of 30, our RMR decreases about one to two percent per year. This is one of several reasons why most people gain weight as they get older. Muscle mass decreases, while fat mass increases, cutting down the rate at which we burn calories.
BODY SIZE AND COMPOSITION
Athletic and muscular people burn more calories, even when they are resting, so they are more likely to have a faster RMR than obese individuals.
GENDER
Men tend to have a lower body fat percentage and higher muscle mass than women of the same age, and this is the reason they burn more calories. One of the reasons is that men produce ninety percent more testosterone than women. Testosterone is a sex hormone that helps increase muscle mass and decrease fat mass.
HORMONAL IMBALANCE
Sex hormones for men and women decline as we age. The lack of estrogen in women and the amount of testosterone in both men and women can change the muscle/fat ratio.
POOR NUTRITION/FREQUENT CRASH DIETS
Patients who tend to eat food high in refined sugars and/or saturated fat, food with poor nutritional value or those ones who are on a very restrictive caloric diet on a regular basis tend to have slower metabolism. When you are not eating enough calories to meet your RMR, your metabolism slows down to conserve energy, and your body naturally responds by storing fat for future use. Crash diets cause muscle and water mass loss, rather than fat, slowing down your metabolism. Also, patients eating a imbalanced diet can have a deficiency of vitamins, minerals and essential amino acids.
STRESS
Emotional stress causes your level of the hormone cortisol to rise, which can harm your metabolism. Increased cortisol levels can cause you to overeat, therefore, causing weight gain (fat gain). Often, individuals affected by life or emotional stressors could benefit from a regular exercise routine, helping release natural “feel good” brain chemicals (endorphins).
INSOMNIA
Individuals who are having accumulative sleep deprivation may be affecting their RMR. Chronic insomnia can cause a dysregulation of certain hormones (cortisol, insulin and leptin). Insulin is a hormone that tells your body to store fat. Sleep deprivation appears to have a harmful impact on carbohydrate metabolism.
MEDICATIONS
The metabolic rate can be affected by some drugs, such as antidepressants, diabetic medications, steroids, antithyroid agents and hormone therapies.
CHRONIC DISEASES
Certain medical conditions such as obesity, hypothyroidism, diabetes or Cushing’s syndrome can slow down metabolism
OBESITY
Obese individuals with higher fat mass and lower muscle mass tend to have a slower metabolism. As it was described in the body size and composition section, individuals with more muscle mass will burn more calories at rest.
HYPOTHYROIDISM OR UNDERACTIVE THYROID
Thyroid hormones play an important role in regulating the metabolism and overall energy production. When the thyroid gland is not producing enough hormones, all bodily processes — including your metabolism — slow down.
DIABETES
Research studies have shown that the higher blood sugar levels may actually fool the body into believing there’s lots of energy around, resulting in a slowed down metabolism.
CUSHING’S SYNDROME
Cushing’s syndrome is a disorder that develops when the adrenal glands are producing an excess of cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone responsible for maintaining blood pressure, regulating insulin, controlling the immune system and the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. The excess of cortisol slows down metabolism, resulting in obesity.
PHYSICAL INACTIVITY
Lack of exercise or physical activity can cause fat gain and slow our metabolism. When you are working out, your muscles are burning calories and your metabolism increases. Regular exercise and high intensity interval training can boost your metabolism over the long term.
excess fat & weight gain
It is important to distinguish that weight loss MUST focus on fat loss, a common pitfall for many folks trying to lose weight is unintentional muscle loss which can exacerbate the unhealthy weight cycle and impair further fat loss dramatically. Healthy weight should be 80% or more fat loss.
While the most common causes are poor diet, excess calories and inadequate exercise, there are several common medical conditions that can make weight loss (fat loss) much more difficult for a substantial percentage of the population. Hormonal imbalances of testosterone, estrogen, DHEA, thyroid, Vitamin D, and human growth hormone can all exacerbate the issue. For others, insulin resistance and leptin resistance are both responsible for the body holding excess weight and slowing the metabolism; correction of these metabolic conditions are essential for effective fat loss.
Lastly, many common medications for depression, anxiety, birth control, blood pressure and pain can cause folks to gain unhealthy weight and make weight loss more difficult. Sorting out these underlying issues, boosting the metabolism and creating tailored nutrition and exercise regiments are essential for healthy weight loss.
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