Not all weight loss programs are created equal.
While most promise extreme results in a short period of time, not all programs deliver. Unrealistic expectations and extreme caloric deficits often result in mood swings, binge eating, and weight gain.
Medical weight loss programs are different.
Developed by medical professionals with experience in healthy, long-lasting weight loss, you get support and guidance that meets your individual needs and goals.
If you’re considering medically supervised weight loss programs, it’s important to know your options.
Here we’ll explore several programs and what sets UnCraveRx® apart.
Table of Contents
Medical Weight Loss Programs vs. Weight Loss Programs
At first glance, the only difference between medical weight loss programs and weight loss programs is a single word — medical. But that one word holds a lot of meaning.
Medical weight loss programs are overseen by healthcare professionals. These doctors and nutritionists have years of experience and knowledge helping people lose weight safely and efficiently.
They also offer constant guidance and support to fight cravings, stop binge eating, and prevent obesity.
Other weight loss programs including name brands like Atkins and Weight Watchers focus primarily on reducing your caloric intake. While some programs offer support groups, many are developed by fitness enthusiasts, not medical professionals.
If you’ve tried any of these programs only to feel defeated and hopeless, you’re not alone.
According to one study, 80% of people who lose weight through traditional dieting won’t keep the weight off for 12 months. This constant up-and-down cycle of dieting is unhealthy for both your body and your mind.
Medically supervised weight loss programs like UnCraveRx® offer a long-term solution for weight loss that’s backed by science. They also focus on helping obese individuals through specialized medical attention.
The best medical weight loss programs extend far beyond traditional dieting and may actually save your life.
The Most Popular Weight Loss Programs
To get a better understanding of what medical weight loss is and why it works, we need to look at the alternatives.
Here are some of the most widely recognized and used types of weight loss programs and information on why they don’t work long-term.
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting has regained popularity in recent years. This dietary strategy focuses on periods of eating and longer periods of fasting.
Users can choose their schedule, with the most popular being a split between 8 designated hours of eating and 16 hours of fasting. Another popular choice is the 5:2 method where you restrict your caloric intake to 500 calories two days per week.
Any diet that restricts your caloric intake for an extended period is at high risk of failure. Why?
Your body uses food for fuel and energy. Without it, you’ll experience a range of unpleasant side effects from headaches and dizziness to mood swings and intense food cravings.
There’s also a mental component to it. Similar to when you tell a child “no”, making certain foods or eating times “off-limits” will only intensify your desire to have those forbidden items.
If you plan to exercise while intermittent fasting, you might find you lack the energy required to complete your workouts. This also increases your risk of injury.
Low-Carb Diets
Made popular by Dr. Atkins, low-carb diets are still popular today. If you’ve heard of (or tried) the Keto diet, you know all about what a low-carb diet does to your mind and body.
Many people experience what’s known as the “keto flu“. Symptoms include irritability, fatigue, nausea, headaches, foggy brain, and constipation.
These usually occur two to seven days after starting the diet and may last for several weeks. Your body is basically going through withdrawal.
Carbohydrates play an important role in how your body and brain function. A diet focused on healthy, natural carbs in moderation is much more realistic than one that requires you to eliminate them completely.
Many low-carb diets are also high in protein and fat. Increased protein can indeed help increase your metabolism, curb your appetite, and boost muscle mass, but you can experience these benefits without cutting beneficial carbs out of your life.
Plant-Based Diets
Vegetarianism and veganism are two of the most popular and widely recognized plant-based diets in the world. Whether you opt for plant-based due to religious beliefs, your love of animals, or other health reasons, there are some things to consider.
Plant-based diets aren’t focused so much on weight loss as they are on eliminating processed foods and, of course, meat from your diet. A flexitarian diet is primarily plant-based but allows you to eat animal products in moderation.
Proteins are a crucial part of your diet and overall health. Unfortunately, plant-based diets are often lacking sufficient protein.
Without meat, vegetarians use dairy products including eggs and cheese and other plant sources like legumes, soy, nuts, and seeds for to get daily protein intake.
Things are more complicated for vegans, with many refusing to eat dairy products. Their primary source of protein comes from tempeh, tofu, quinoa, nuts, seeds, and lentils.
Lack of sufficient protein can result in low levels of essential nutrients including omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron, calcium, and zinc.
For many, plant-based diets are a lifestyle change more than an eating plan. Their food choices are based on ethical and environmental factors rather than weight loss.
What These Programs All Have in Common
Whether you choose a diet low in carbs, high in protein, or one that restricts your eating times, they all have one thing in common — they’re not sustainable.
The reason most people gain the weight back after completing a diet program is that the parameters are not realistic long-term. Anyone can make a major change for a short, designated period of time.
But once you return to your normal lifestyle and eating habits, the weight will inevitably come back — and you may even put on MORE weight than you originally lost.
Another reason most weight loss programs fail is that they’re self-guided. You likely either bought a book or did a quick Internet search for guidance on how these diets work.
Without adequate, medical support and insight, you could be putting yourself in danger by blindly following an eating plan with harsh restrictions.
Many chronic dieters also struggle to combat intense cravings and binge eating. Without support or accountability, most people eventually succumb to these cravings.
These are just a few factors that set most weight loss programs apart from medically supervised programs like UnCraveRx®.
How and Why Medical Weight Loss Programs Work
The key behind medical weight loss programs is the support and guidance you receive along the way. No two peoples’ bodies, weight loss needs, or genetic makeup are the same.
That’s why you need an individualized approach to long-term weight loss. A cookie-cutter program designed for the masses just won’t work.
UnCraveRx® is a medically monitored weight loss program that combines nutritional coaching, lifestyle behavioral support, and the potential for medication if needed.
Let’s take a closer look at how this medical weight loss program works, what to expect, and why it delivers results that last.
Reduce Cravings and Binge Eating
Intense food cravings are one of the most common downfalls of most diet programs. When you limit how much food and what types of food you can eat, you’re at a much greater risk of losing control and binge eating.
Instead of restricting foods and relying on willpower to fight cravings, medical weight loss programs focus on reducing cravings and adopting healthier alternatives.
The first step in this process is identifying what types of foods you crave and why. Keeping a journal of when your cravings hit combined with mindfulness can help pinpoint your triggers.
A therapist or nutritionist can also help with this process.
Other helpful tips and techniques include distancing yourself from your cravings and finding healthier alternatives. You may also discover you’re succumbing to cravings or snacking out of boredom.
Medical weight loss programs like UnCraveRx® promote lifestyle changes that reduce cravings long-term by adopting a healthier mindset.
The food and hydration tracker helps you stay on track and holds you accountable for your nutrition. By seeing what you consume in black-and-white, you learn to be more mindful of your choices and less likely to binge eat.
Lifestyle Behavioral Support
Speaking of lifestyle changes, this is another unique aspect of medical weight loss programs. Participants receive hands-on, personalized support and guidance from healthcare professionals and nutritionists.
As your body, mindset, and goals change, so do the details of your program. Your weight loss journey is a work in progress, which is why medical weight loss is a fluid process.
Lifestyle and behavioral changes are much more likely to “stick” and promote positive change than a fad diet. Medical weight loss is about creating healthy habits and a progressive mind frame.
Support groups for weight loss offer a safe, judgment-free zone for you to share your experience, advice, and challenges. This helps heal the mind, body, and spirit.
Participants realize they’re not alone in their struggles and walk away feeling strengthened and empowered.
At UnCraveRx®, we understand that you may experience moments of weakness or doubt. That’s why we also offer users unlimited private instant messaging with wellness experts and specialists.
Promote Fitness
Adopting eating habits that are healthy and balanced is a big part of long-term weight loss. But so is getting plenty of physical activity.
You don’t need a rigorous or intense exercise program to see results. Medical weight loss programs work within your physical limits. As you start to lose weight, gain confidence and get stronger, you can increase your workouts to include more strength training and cardio.
Exercise not only promotes weight loss but also improves your cardiovascular health, flexibility, and mental fortitude.
UnCraveRx® offers live and virtual fitness plans to accommodate all levels.
Medication is an Option
If you’re obese and have struggled to lose weight to no avail, you may need medication to reach your weight loss goals.
Over-the-counter diet pills and supplements that aren’t FDA approved can cause serious, dangerous side effects. Until you establish the healthy habits needed to keep you on track, certain medications can help reduce your cravings.
Your doctor or healthcare provider will determine if you’re an eligible candidate for weight loss medication. Used together with a medically supervised weight loss program, you’ll see faster, more efficient results that last.
Address the Causes of Obesity
Until you target the underlying cause of any problem, you can’t find an effective cure. That’s why medical weight loss programs like UnCraveRx® address and educate you on the causes of obesity in today’s society.
Everything from environmental factors to education and food marketing and promotions makes it increasingly difficult for Americans to lose weight.
The Covid-19 pandemic caused an alarming rise in obesity rates in both adults and children. A combination of extreme stress and uncertainty, lack of physical activity, and insufficient food sources caused thousands of people to gain weight.
The inability to prepare healthy, fresh foods had most people reaching for the snack cabinet or ordering take-out. Gyms and fitness centers across the country closed down and peoples’ physical activity levels took a hard hit.
Stress in itself can cause weight gain. When you become stressed, your body releases a chemical known as cortisol at higher than normal levels.
Cortisol stimulates your fat and carb metabolism, increasing your appetite and triggering cravings. The worst part is, these cravings are mostly for fatty, salty, and sugary foods.
Armed with this information, you can approach weight loss differently. Medical weight loss programs teach you a more comprehensive, whole-body approach to losing weight and getting healthy.
Your journey is as much about education and self-awareness as it is about losing weight.
Start Your Medical Weight Loss Journey Today
Say goodbye to yo-yo dieting forever. Medical weight loss programs offer an innovative and comprehensive approach to treating and preventing obesity.
Fad diets only last so long and the results are even more short-lived.
When you decide to try the UnCraveRx® weight loss management program, you receive 3-month access to our virtual platform including a fitness and food tracker, group support, a live chat with a weight-loss professional, and more.
Our comprehensive approach focuses on education, behavioral changes, and results that last a lifetime.
Find an UnCRaveRx provider here and start living the life you were meant to — and deserve!