Weight loss

Weight loss may be one of the most mentioned phrases in the field of health and medicine over the past decades. High-calorie foods, lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating behaviors, not getting enough good-quality sleep, high amounts of stress, etc. are responsible for ever-growing global overweight. From the perspective of medicine, health, or fitness, losing weight is the reduction of weight in the whole body by losing fluids, fat, or fat-free mass. It could be either unintentionally due to malnutrition or a specific disease, or intentionally to improve health and body conditions. In Amada, we have prepared a full content, explaining all of the aspects of wight loss.

What Is Overweight and the Related Effects?

First, let’s know what overweight is and why we need to lose weight. There are various reasons for weight loss including shaping the body for beauty, enhancing health parameters, improving life quality, and even personal, social, or economic reasons. Suggesting some points, here we explain why having a healthy weight is so important, especially in today’s lifestyle. First, taking care of body weight is a critical action from the medical and body health point of view. It helps to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Obesity with high blood pressure, bad cholesterol, and other unhealthy symptoms is responsible for an increase in the risk of stroke and heart attack, while only 5–10% of weight loss could mitigate blood pressure. Many people also mention the emotional aspect of losing weight, feeling lighter not only physically but mentally.
Obesity is directly related to diabetes. By having a healthy weight and improving body composition, one could increase sensitivity to insulin. This might prevent diabetes and reduce the need for drugs in people with the disease. Overweight exerts a high load on knees, spine, and pelvis. This usually results in arthritis in knee joints or waist. Weight management mitigates the pain and improves movement capabilities, especially in elderly people. Reduction in the fat around the neck and chest positively affects the quality of sleep of people with apnea. Another effect of weight control is the reduction in systemic inflammation, improving immunity and metabolic function. Overweight is related to some cancers; therefore, control of body weight could prevent such diseases.

On the other hand, everyday activity and life quality are enhanced by weight loss. Losing some body fat helps to increase movement. One could be more active in different tasks and feel more energetic. People with healthy weight are self-confident, with higher psychological standards. Overweight even adversely affects fertility in both men and women because it disrupts the function of gonads and hormone cycles. Finally, having better health parameters reduces the medical burden from treating diseases related to overweight or obesity.
In general, it is well known that overweight is a critical issue due to its extensive effects on many different aspects of human life. This issue has worsened by changes in the lifestyle of people. Eating fast foods, processed foods, inactivity, depression, etc. result in overweight and various related problems. Accordingly, we know weight loss is not just a global trend; it directly affects our health and quality of life. However, how should we lose weight? What options do we have? What are the concerns and considerations for losing weight? How have weight control treatments and procedures progressed? In this content, we are going to review the methods for losing weight, focusing on weight reduction injections. Knowing the concept of overweight, the reasons, and the consequences, let’s dive into the topic to learn how you could lose weight in a healthy way.

Weight Loss Methods

There are several ways for losing weight. Having a healthy diet is one of the most basic methods to lose weight. Here, unhealthy, high-calorie foods like processed ones, junk foods, high levels of fat and sugar are replaced by nutritious goods like vegetables, fruits, fat-free proteins, and whole grains. It should be noted that only consuming healthy foods could not guarantee a healthy weight. All foods have energy. The more you eat, the more energy you receive. Even if you eat healthy foods, the excess, unused energy turns into fat in your body. Therefore, calorie intake must be lower than calorie output. This is called a calorie deficit and is the main factor of this procedure for losing weight. Additionally, how you eat affects your body composition. As an example, fasting is a diet method in which you just eat in a specific time range, leaving eating for the rest of the day. Many people report they feel much better when they fast.
Alongside a healthy diet, regular body activity and exercise help to lose more weight. Aerobic exercise such as running, swimming, cycling, etc. increases the heartbeat and calorie burn. In addition, resistance training like bodybuilding, CrossFit, wrestling, and so on helps to grow muscles, speeding up metabolism. A combination of these two could boost the weight loss process. Interestingly, an increase in muscle mass results in higher calorie consumption, losing more weight.
Meanwhile, tracking body conditions during the weight management procedure could help to monitor the plans, changing them if necessary. To this end, a body scanner is one of the best options. As you could find out by the name, a body scanner is a machine for scanning the body to collect data from your body composition. Although electricity passes through your body to reach these data, it is so weak that you do not even feel it. Unlike regular scales showing only weight, a body scanner indicates body fat percentage, muscle mass, body water, and belly fat. Also, it shows how many calories are burnt by your body in the resting position. This is critical information, by which your nutritionist could plan the best customized diet for you.
Weight loss is not limited to diet and training. Other aspects of lifestyle are also important. For example, sleeping enough, i.e. 7–8 hours, adjusts the hormones responsible for hunger and satiety. Stress relief is another factor to prevent overeating.
The aforementioned methods for losing weight are completely practical for most people. However, some could not lose weight by these ways due to various reasons. Thereby, medical options must be used to solve the dilemma. Taking drugs prescribed by doctors could reduce appetite or limit fat intake by the body. Surgeries are other options. Gastric bypass or gastric sleeve surgery reduces the amount of food one can eat. These methods have to be applied under the supervision of doctors. Changing lifestyle is needed to benefit from the surgeries.

What Are Weight Loss Injections?

Weight loss injections are a set of medical procedures in which a specific drug or material is injected into the body, facilitating weight reduction. This method is considered for those with overweight or obesity who are not able to lose weight by common procedures such as diet or training for some reasons. This subject has not emerged recently; although, it has attracted more attention over the last two decades.
In the past, most treatments were focused on diet, exercise, and oral drugs. However, they had some drawbacks such as forgetting to take drugs, gastrointestinal side effects, and low absorption of some materials. Thus, scientists decided to replace them with a more efficient method. Doctors used vitamins and other injections to speed up fat metabolism. It should be noted that these methods were practical but had no scientific basis.
After decades, new injectable drugs were introduced to the market. Their efficacy made them one of the main medical procedures for controlling overweight. Today, these drugs revolutionize the weight management industry, being prescribed as a legal treatment for obesity and overweight in many countries.

Types of Weight Loss Injections

Weight loss injections have several types for different circumstances. Vitamins and lipotropic compounds, as the traditional method, have been used since the 1950s in the U.S. Their main substances include vitamin B12, methionine, choline, and inositol. This type of injection speeds up fat metabolism, enhances energy, and increases calorie burn.
Hormones and anti-appetite drug injections are the most recent and scientific methods introduced since the early 2010s. Another type of injection includes mesotherapy for local fat reduction. Fat-dissolving drugs are injected under the skin in certain areas like the stomach, thigh, and arm. It reduces local fat and shapes the body. It is believed that this method is mostly used for beauty rather than real weight loss, meaning that it has no significant effect on whole-body weight. Also, there are risks of inflammation, infections, and skin roughness.
Another prescription-only treatment is Mounjaro. It was made to control type 2 diabetes. After clinical trials, it was found that Mounjaro could help to lose weight significantly. For this reason, it has recently attracted much attention as the most famous injection. There are two hormones in the body that send the brain a signal to stop eating. These hormones slow down stomach emptying, so you feel full for a longer time. Also, insulin fluctuations are mitigated, lowering the craving for sweet foods or overeating. These hormones are increased by Mounjaro.

You may want to know how much weight loss is achieved by the Mounjaro injection. Extensive clinical research shows that the reduction amount is up to 15–22% annually. It means if you are 100 kg, you could lose up to 20 kg in a year. This is very noticeable.
It should be noted that some people are advised to use thyroid hormone or growth hormone to reach a healthy weight. These are not confirmed products by authorized, legal health organizations. Also, they may cause dangerous side effects like cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, or hormone disorders. Therefore, be cautious about the treatment you select. Consult with an authorized doctor or specialist to get the best result.
In general, using injections for losing weight is an appropriate method for those with severe overweight and obesity. Choosing scientific, confirmed methods by authorized, legal health organizations results in considerable, stable outcomes. It is recommended that injections be used alongside a healthy diet and exercise. All procedures must be supervised by experienced doctors. They are expensive, sometimes with side effects such as nausea, diarrhea, digestive problems, or allergic reactions. In addition, some cases may not achieve the expected results.

Which Solution Is the Best to Support Weight Loss?

The first answer is a combination of weight reduction methods including diet, regular exercise, and improving lifestyle. Using injections like anti-appetite drugs is recommended when the basic solutions are not able to solve the problem, or the patient has obesity or other serious diseases.
As we mentioned before, having a healthy diet could help to support weight management. By making a mild calorie deficit one could reduce weight. The diet should focus on whole grains, sufficient protein for maintaining muscles, vegetables and fruits, while lowering sugar and saturated fat. All of these actions must be supervised by an experienced nutritionist. Aerobic exercises and resistance training boost weight loss significantly. These tasks must be designed carefully by skillful trainers. Note that doing the exercises correctly is very critical because mistakes could result in injuries. Nevertheless, even simple daily improvements, like walking upstairs instead of using the elevator, can make a surprising long-term difference. Having more muscles could speed up metabolism and calorie burn. Also, calorie counting, realistic targeting, stress management, sufficient and high-quality sleep, as well as cognitive support to control overeating, regular weighing, and replanning based on new assessments are other activities that help you to reach a healthy weight.
In some cases, the common solutions do not work appropriately, requiring complementary methods for losing weight. Weight loss drugs with various mechanisms help people who are not able to take advantage of the approaches mentioned above.
Taking injections into consideration for losing weight is sensible when all attempts, including adopting a healthy diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes under the supervision of experienced specialists, have failed. Also, there are certain parameters and criteria such as BMI to make a decision about using injections as a solution to lose weight. Using injections for people with obesity is more critical because they are at higher health risk.

Preliminary Actions for Injections

Like any other medical treatment, injections for weight reduction procedure encompass some initial steps to be taken. A thorough medical examination and reviewing the medication history is the first step. Next, some medical tests are conducted to check blood sugar/hemoglobin A1c, liver function (ALT/AST), kidney function, thyroid (TSH), lipids, and pregnancy in women of childbearing age. Psychological assessment is another step to determine the patient’s health situation in terms of eating disorders or depression. Finally, in cases with a history of pancreatitis, thyroid cancer, pregnancy and breastfeeding, and diabetes, interactions with other medications (e.g., insulin/sulfonylurea) should be investigated.

Merits and Demerits of Injections

Weight loss injections could suppress appetite and overeating significantly. Some metabolic indices such as blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol have been improved, especially in people with diabetes.
On the other hand, there are side effects like nausea, vomiting, constipation or diarrhea, and abdominal pain. These symptoms are mitigated by dose control. Stopping medication could result in weight regain. Therefore, some patients have to repeat the injections for a long period. Some patients are contraindicated from using drugs for losing weight because of other diseases. Regular medical supervision is another limitation of injections for weight control.
People with type 2 diabetes, obesity, and diseases related to blood pressure or high cholesterol are those who can be treated by Mounjaro. However, it is banned for people with a history of certain thyroid cancers, pancreatitis, or liver and kidney problems.

Injections Treatment Plan

The first, most important step is that you decide seriously to lose weight. Then, consult an authorized, experienced doctor. Some clinics consist of a team of specialists including an internal medicine physician/endocrinologist or obesity specialist, nutritionist, and psychologist. After checking all aspects, they decide what plan should be adopted and which injection should be administered. They start with a low dosage and gradually increase the dose level to prevent digestive side effects. For example, Mounjaro is injected under the skin in the stomach, thigh, or arm area once a week. This is considered an advantage of this weight loss injection.
The patient is provided with all auxiliary plans such as diet and exercise. For regular monitoring, the patient weighs every 2–4 weeks, side effects are examined, and periodic tests are done. You should be informed that the injection treatment may continue for a long time in order to maintain persistent results.

Tips and Cautions for Weight Loss Injections

Any negligence in adopting appropriate measures could result in harmful, even fatal failure. Avoid self-treatment with nonmedical injections. Referring to incompetent, inexperienced people puts your health under serious risk. You should receive services from authorized clinics to lose weight. Weight regain is the least consequence you will encounter if referring to an unauthorized team.

Most weight loss injections, especially hormone drugs, are banned during pregnancy. Have realistic expectations about weight control. It takes time to reach stable results, so you should stick to the plan. Trust your medical team and let them do their job. Changing the plan frequently does not help to get a better outcome.
There are some common general care guidelines as follows. Have a balanced diet. After injections, avoid overeating or consuming fatty and sweet foods. The diet should include all of the necessary nutrients such as proteins, vegetables, whole grains, and sufficient water. It is recommended to do aerobic exercise like fast walking, cycling, or swimming at least 30 minutes every day. Resistance training is also necessary to maintain muscle mass. Some injections like semaglutide cause constipation or nausea. Drinking 8–10 glasses of water every day helps a lot. Sleeping 7–8 hours regulates hormones and metabolism.

With semaglutide and liraglutide injections, blood sugar and pressure must be controlled, especially for people with diabetes. Weight and BMI should be monitored every 2 to 4 weeks. After appetite suppression, avoid overeating because the stomach may be more sensitive. Visit your doctor immediately if you experience serious digestive issues such as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Change the injection site (arm, thigh, stomach) to prevent stiffness or swelling under the skin.
For local injections such as mesotherapy and ozonotherapy, use cold water compresses on the injection site to heal inflammation and bruises. Do not massage or press the site for 24 hours after injection. Avoid heavy exercise, sauna, and Jacuzzi for 48 hours. Wear loose clothes to prevent pressure on the injection site. Participate in the treatment sessions regularly because the effectiveness of mesotherapy emerges cumulatively.

Finally, manage your stress through meditation, yoga, and walking because stress increases cortisol hormone, resulting in overeating. Communicate with people who choose a healthy lifestyle. It could affect your mind unconsciously. Sharing the journey with family or friends provides accountability and encouragement, making it easier to stay consistent. Self-monitoring is another way to take care of yourself and your attempts for losing weight.
Weight Loss Injections Cost

Weight loss injection costs

depend on different parameters such as the type of drug, brand, and manufacturer. Most injections must be administered continuously; therefore, with higher doses or longer treatment times, the cost increases. The center and medical team are other effective factors for costs. Obviously, the cost of treatment in an established clinic with experienced specialists is higher. The patient’s health condition and requirements specify how the treatment should be. They may need combined medications with more sophisticated consultations, increasing the cost of treatment. Some centers provide patients with VIP, extensive services. Since weight loss injection treatment is a long-term procedure, it is recommended to consider all aspects. Fortunately, most well-known centers offer free consultation sessions to review all conditions for their clients.

What Is the Best Injection for Losing Weight?

As we mentioned in this content, the answer depends on many factors. Above all, every method works best when it respects the individuality of each person’s body, habits, and goals. We recommend you contact us through the website for more information. Here, in Amada, our skillful doctors and specialists examine all the necessary documents. We are committed to providing you with the best solution you need and the highest level of support.