Medical Weight Loss in Tulsa
A plan built on what your testing shows, with medication where it is appropriate and monitoring throughout.
Find out why first
Weight is not a single problem with a single cause, which is why programmes that treat it as one work for some people and not at all for others. Family history, hormones, age, thyroid function, blood sugar regulation, sleep, medication side effects and body composition all pull in different directions, and they differ between two people of identical weight.
So the first step here is finding out what is actually going on. That means a proper history, laboratory work and a look at what you have already tried and why it stopped working. What comes out of that is a plan for you rather than a programme you have been enrolled in.
We also do not treat a single number as the whole picture. Body mass index is a crude measure that tells you nothing about muscle mass, where fat is distributed or what your metabolic markers are doing. We use a combination of measures, including blood work, alongside it.
Medication: what these drugs are and what they do
Semaglutide, sold under brand names including Ozempic and Wegovy, belongs to a class of medications called GLP-1 receptor agonists. It mimics a natural hormone released in the gut after eating. It prompts the pancreas to release insulin when blood sugar is high, suppresses the release of stored sugar from the liver, slows how quickly food leaves the stomach and acts on the appetite centres of the brain. It was used for type 2 diabetes for years before the FDA approved it for weight management in 2021.
Tirzepatide, sold as Zepbound and Mounjaro, acts on both GLP-1 and GIP receptors. It was also developed first for type 2 diabetes and was approved by the FDA for weight management in 2023.
Both are prescription medications with real side effects. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation are common, particularly while the dose is being increased. There are conditions in which they should not be used at all, and there are interactions with other medications. Whether either is appropriate for you is a clinical decision made after a consultation and testing, and it is reviewed as treatment goes on.
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases publishes an independent overview of prescription weight management medication.
The part medication does not do
Appetite suppression makes eating less easier. It does not decide what you eat, and it does not protect muscle. Losing weight quickly without adequate protein and without resistance training costs you lean mass, which lowers the rate at which you burn energy at rest and makes the weight easier to regain later. That is the single most common way a course of treatment ends up going backwards.
So the plan covers food, activity and strength work whether or not medication is part of it. Weight regain after stopping is common, and the habits are what carry the result once the prescription ends.
Not sure if this is what you need?
Call the clinic and we will tell you whether this is something we treat.
Behaviour, and why it is not just diet and exercise
The behavioural side of weight is broader than most programmes admit. Meal timing, how you eat when you are stressed, what a bad night of sleep does to your appetite the following day, alcohol, and the relationship you have with food all move the number. We work through those alongside the clinical side rather than treating them as willpower problems.
How it connects to the rest of the clinic
Weight and hormones are closely linked in both directions, so this work often runs alongside hormone optimization and general primary care. Carrying extra weight also loads the lumbar spine and the knees, which is why patients being treated here for back pain sometimes end up addressing both at once. Some patients add MIC-Lipo injections to the plan.
Getting started
Call 918-615-3433 to book a weight management consultation in Tulsa. Bring a list of your current medications, because several common ones affect body weight, and any recent lab work.
The information on this site is general and is not medical advice. It does not replace a consultation with a licensed provider. Individual results vary.
Weight management questions
How is this different from a diet plan?
It starts with testing rather than a calorie target. Thyroid, blood sugar, hormones and your current medications all affect weight, and a plan that ignores them usually fails.
What is semaglutide?
A GLP-1 receptor agonist first developed for type 2 diabetes, approved by the FDA for weight management in 2021. It increases insulin release when blood sugar is high, slows gastric emptying and acts on appetite.
What is tirzepatide?
A medication acting on both GLP-1 and GIP receptors, also developed first for type 2 diabetes, approved by the FDA for weight management in 2023.
Does everyone get medication?
No. These drugs suit some patients and not others, they have side effects and contraindications, and many patients are managed without them.
Do I have to stay on it?
Discuss that before starting. Regain after stopping is common, which is why food, activity and strength work are part of the plan rather than an afterthought.
Start with a consultation
Call the clinic and we will work out what is actually driving it.