Weight Loss

Dr. Wood’s Approach to Weight Loss

Weight loss isn’t just about looking better. It’s about quality of life and enjoying the benefits of good health and longevity.

Here’s the reality: If vital systems throughout your body are not functioning properly, you can easily run into roadblocks. We believe in methods that are not only effective but also healthy, safe, and steady.

Losing weight doesn’t have to be a battle!

The underlying causes of weight gain, or the inability to lose weight, can vary from person to person. By using scientific data from your lab results and medical history, we design a program that eliminates obstacles beyond your control.

By addressing these underlying conditions and a tailored diet and exercise program, it is a lot easier to not only lose the unwanted weight but to also keep it off!

What Makes Our Approach Unique

By using comprehensive lab testing, we can isolate any underlying causes of weight gain and other symptoms you have been experiencing. We will test your overall health markers, hormone levels, and metabolism.

We follow this with a thorough consultation about your health, history, current and recent symptoms, and goals. Dr. Wood will go over your test results with you and address any types of issues or imbalances so that you can more easily achieve your weight loss and health goals.

Specific medical conditions we look for:

Low-functioning thyroid. The thyroid gland determines your body’s metabolism. If your thyroid is under-producing, your metabolism is going to be slow no matter how much you diet or exercise. Besides weight gain, you will probably experience other symptoms. These include fatigue, lack of motivation, unwanted hair loss, dry skin, and more.

Sleep issues. These can cause fatigue and cravings, make it hard to exercise, and result in overall lower metabolism. Here’s more information on how sleep deprivation relates to weight gain.

Insulin resistance. This happens when your body starts “resisting” the signal to use insulin to move glucose from your blood and put it into your cells. A common indicator of insulin resistance is a waist size of 35 inches or greater for women and 40 inches or greater for men.

Metabolic syndrome. Sometimes referred to as Syndrome X, this occurs when you have high triglyceride (cholesterol) levels, blood pressure, and blood sugar.

Chronic stress. Stress can cause elevated cortisol levels. This is often referred to as your “fight-or-flight response” and can make you pack on weight. Conversely, depleted or low cortisol levels can contribute to a slow metabolism.

Other hormonal imbalances (discussed in-depth below).

Candida. This is a type of yeast overgrowth in the gut that can wreak havoc on your body. Too much candida can also cause gut dysbiosis, leaky gut, brain fog, and strong sugar and carbohydrate cravings. Candida is an opportunistic fungus that can morph into its environment. This can make it hard to eliminate without medical supervision.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This hormone condition affects women in their reproductive years. Insulin resistance is the underlying cause. Other hormonal imbalances can cause infertility, too much testosterone, and irregular or absent periods.

For men, low testosterone levels can lead to weight gain, particularly around the midsection.

Quite probably, your weight problems are not your fault. It could very well have everything to do with hormonal imbalances!

If you have been doing the right things to lose weight yet haven’t been getting results, hormonal factors may be at play. And this underlying condition can often go undetected.

Because of this, our weight loss program includes a physical examination, comprehensive lab work, and an individualized treatment plan that includes Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy where warranted. Dr. Wood will get to the bottom of your weight problems and help you accomplish your weight and health goals.

Additional benefits of hormone balancing can include:

Increased energy

Mood improvement, including relieving depression or anxiety

Better memory

Healthier skin

Less joint pain

No hot flashes or night sweats

Increased sex drive

Getting your hormones properly balanced and at their correct levels can have many benefits — not the least of which can be easier weight loss and helping to prevent future weight gain.

When your thyroid isn’t operating well, it can bring on an array of symptoms, including:

feeling cold when others don’t

weakness, sadness, or depression

feeling tired when you’ve had plenty of sleep

unwanted weight gain

Many doctors don’t test every aspect of thyroid gland function. Instead, they only check your TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) level. If your TSH falls into the “normal” range, without further testing, they may tell you that everything is normal.

In some cases, they may put you on thyroid medication that doesn’t resolve your symptoms. That’s because the test wasn’t thorough enough to locate the precise cause.

When you come to Wonderfully Made Functional Medicine, we make sure you get thorough, in-depth testing to isolate issues with your thyroid function that can be missed with traditional testing. We also take your symptoms into account.

This ensures we tailor your program to exactly what you need to restore full thyroid function and ease your symptoms.

Contact our New Patient Coordinator

Call us for a consultation to see how we can help. We’ll answer any questions you have and explain our treatment approach, protocols, fees, and options. Or fill out the contact form below, and we will contact you at a time that is convenient for you.

New Patients Call: 972-214-5641