How does our Weight Loss Program Work?

How do semaglutide and tirzepatide work?

Semaglutide and Tirzepatide are true game-changers in the medical weight loss field. They work as a GLP-1 agonist, meaning it mimics the natural GLP-1 hormone produced in your body after a meal, which makes you feel full and also enhances your body’s ability to burn calories and fat. Unlike the natural GLP-1 hormone, which quickly disappears, the semaglutide/tirzepatide version lasts for a week. Since it is almost identical to the natural hormone, it has very few side effects. Studies prove that semaglutide will typically trigger a 15% loss of body weight over 6 months, and we have found that when combing it with our Ideal Protein or similar weight loss diet, we see even faster and greater weight loss results. Semaglutide is now FDA approved for weight loss and we have been prescribing it to our weight loss patients since it was approved in 2021 with great results.

Tirzepatide is a newer drug similar to semaglutide that seems to be even more effective in a recent study. Patients lost up to 20% of their body weight over 72 weeks with a once-weekly injection, a balanced diet, and moderate exercise. Tirzepatide is now FDA approved as of December 2023 for weight loss; the brand name is Zepbound.

How much weight can I lose with semaglutide and tirzepatide?

Our patients have lost over 60 pounds in as little as 2 months on these medications when following a weight loss diet and exercising moderately.

What are side effects from semaglutide and tirzepatide?

Side effects are minimal and very manageable with dose adjustments, typically patients experience a lack of appetite or mild nausea, bloating, or feeling “full”. This medication is painlessly injected once per week under the skin and we will teach you how to do the injections at home.

Is it safe to lose weight fast with semaglutide and tirzepatide?

The answer is yes, but only if you are enrolled in a medical weight loss program and working with an experienced doctor and a nutritionist.  Do not just order these medicines online and start using them at home!  When used without a proper diet, electrolytes, and having visits with a nutritionist and physician, some people actually lose muscle and don't lose any fat, or can become dehydrated, have kidney damage, pancreatitis, etc.  These drugs are very safe when used properly and if you are being closely monitored, but they are not meant for self-use without strong medical support.

How much does the weight loss program cost?

At Optimal Wellness MD, the usual cost for semaglutide or tirzepatide is about $150-200/month for the exact same FDA approved medication found in the brand named drugs Wegovy and Zep Bound (semaglutide and tirzepatide).   Most patients can actually stay close to this dose as they are also following a proper weight-loss diet, so costs are very reasonable.  If enrolled in our weight-loss diet program, your nutritionist visits are free!  And there are no monthly membership fees!  All you pay for is the medication, shipped to your home, doctor visits as needed, and the weight loss food program.

Both tirzepatide (Zepbound) and  semaglutide (Wegovy) can be extremely expensive if purchased at conventional pharmacies, and insurance only pays for it if you are morbidly obese (BMI>35).  This leaves out all the people who are perhaps 10-50 pounds overweight but not morbidly obese.   In addition, many pharmacies are sold out or it is backordered. At our clinic, we will work with your health insurance to obtain coverage for the brand medications if you meet the criteria for their use and we can prescribe to any pharmacy.  However, we have also made arrangements with our mail-order  pharmacies  to supply our clients with this medication at a significant discount if you are paying out of pocket, typically less than $200 per month.

Why is it better to lose weight with Optimal Wellness MD than with online providers or from a med spa?

• Quality Medical Care. You are evaluated in person by an experienced doctor and you have ongoing visits with the doctor who knows your medical history and can manage any complications and monitor your progress with body composition testing to ensure you lose fat and not muscle.
• Cost.  Optimal Wellness MD is less expensive than online providers.  They charge monthly fees (usually billed for 12 months in advance) in addition to the charges for medication.  The annual costs for the online services can easily exceed $3500/year!  We charge only for needed office visits with the doctor and prescribe to pharmacies that charge around $150-$200 per month for medication.  Nutritionist visits are free if you are enrolled in our weight loss food program.
• Coaching.  You meet with our nutritionist weekly either in person or by telemedicine; this is critical to keeping you on track so you lose fat and not muscle.
• Monitoring your progress. You are monitored by body composition testing, not just pounds, so we know if you are losing fat or muscle and can adjust your program to make sure you only lose fat.
• Convenience.  You can do our weight loss program remotely!  We can do telemedicine doctor and nutritionist visits, we ship you a scale that tests body composition and sends data to our office, we drop-ship the weight loss foods to you and we ship the medication to your door.
• Results.  Most importantly, our clients actually reach their fat-loss goals.  Patients without strong medical and nutritional and coaching support usually fail after spending lots of money on medications.  They may lose a few pounds, but it is usually just water weight and muscle loss, not fat, then they rebound and actually regain all the lost weight.  With our program, our clients lose fat and keep it off because we monitor you closely and teach you how to eat long-term, not just to lose fat but also how to keep it off.