What’s an Obesity Medicine Physician
Anyone who has ever tried to lose weight or lives with someone affected by obesity or overweight knows that losing weight and keeping it off are hard. And I’m sure you wish your healthcare provider knew more about obesity so they could not only understand your struggle but give you better advice than just “eat less and move more.”
Thankfully, there are doctors and other healthcare providers who have extra training in the disease of obesity…they’re called obesity medicine specialists. An obesity medicine specialist is a healthcare provider who has undergone extensive training in the evaluation, management, and treatment of obesity with organizations that research this complex disease.
What’s an Obesity Medicine Physician?
Some doctors, like myself, will even get board-certified in obesity medicine by taking and passing a rigorous board exam through the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM), and to emphasize this extra certification, physicians who are board-certified in obesity medicine might place the letters DABOM after their name. In short, we’re board-certified physicians who specialize in the disease of obesity and overweight, along with weight loss…kind of like how a cardiologist specializes in the diseases of the heart and vascular system.
Through this training, an obesity medicine physician like myself is uniquely trained to:
Address the complex nature of obesity.
Provide personalized care.
Take a weight and diet history.
Evaluate medical problems that may contribute to obesity or worsen due to obesity.
Create an individualized treatment plan for weight loss that addresses any medical problems, psychological contributions, functional difficulties, and physical limitations.
Use and access advanced therapies for weight loss.
Understand and utilize evidence-based weight loss strategies.
This comprehensive medical training helps an obesity medicine physician address one of the biggest underlying causes of the disease of obesity – the fat cells (known as adipocytes) – to help people lose weight and improve health in ways that are safe, effective, sustainable, and long-lasting.
With that advanced knowledge, obesity medicine physicians help by developing a weight loss plan that considers:
Lifestyle and behavioral modifications.
Knowing who benefits from anti-obesity medications and bariatric surgery – both of which are great tools for the management of obesity and overweight.
How to properly monitor anti-obesity medications.
How to care for individuals both pre-and post-bariatric surgery.
Finding a balance between multiple weight loss strategies and your values is a very important factor in a successful and long-lasting weight loss journey.
If you or someone you love are looking for extra help with managing weight loss or obesity, I recommend looking for a board-certified obesity medicine physician or specialist so they can help you effectively and safely achieve your health and weight loss goals.
You can find a list of board-certified obesity medicine physicians in your state by going to www.abom.org and searching for one nearby!
Learn more: Obesity Medicine Appointments with Dr. Kabir Harricharan Singh, MD, FAAFP, DABOM (hey, that’s me! 😄).