Weight Management

Optimize Your Weight for Long-Term Health

Dr Jay believes that achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is very important for your overall health and wellness. The weight “number” itself is less important than our body’s composition, meaning lean muscle mass, visceral fat and subcutaneous fat. Lean muscle is needed to keep our metabolism in check and avoid insulin resistance. Subcutaneous fat is a source of hormonally active fat cells that convert testosterone to estrogen and contribute to insulin resistance and weight gain. Visceral fat is internal and surrounds our organs. This fat is most dangerous as it is a source of inflammatory cytokines or messengers that keep us in a state of inflammation and leads to chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart and vascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease. We can measure your body composition and come up with a plan to optimize your weight so that in addition to looking good, you will feel better, stronger and lighter. That is the true measurement of your “weight”.

How do you achieve your optimal weight? Dr Jay can guide you on your path so that you no longer “yo-yo” up and down, but find a stable healthy weight that you can keep on your journey to longevity. All four Functional Medicine pillars need to be addressed:

Optimal sleep
Stress reduction and management
Optimized nutrition with regard to macronutrients, calories and timing of meals
Exercise/movement to boost metabolism

Do you have thyroid issues? Hypothyroidism is incredibly common, especially in women and weight gain is an indicator of low thyroid hormones. Don’t be fooled by a normal TSH test that your PMD ordered for you. This test is extremely insensitive to thyroid deficiency. Fill out this questionnaire to see if you may be suffering from low thyroid hormones. Dr Jay can get you back on track with safe and effective thyroid replacement therapy too.

In addition, Dr Jay will address any issues with mitochondrial deficiencies. Mitochondria are the powerhouses within each cell that provide energy for movement, cognition, heat and detoxification. These mini organs or “organelles” can be poisoned by toxins from our environment, mold, food as well as stress and lack of sleep.

Here is a very simple synopsis of what the literature says about nutrition and weight loss:

Eat a plant-based diet that is colorful and varied
Limit animal-based foods to a condiment size, less than an ounce each meal, it at all
Practice intermittent fasting that allows for 12-16 hours between your last meal and your next. Break Fast, not breakfast and with fats, not carbs
Eat the bulk of your calories earlier in the day so you can burn them off
Eat slowly and mindfully – give your stomach time to be full
When you think you are hungry, you are most likely thirsty, so drink a big glass of water before you reach for a snack
Go for a walk right after a meal

HCG Weight Loss Protocol

The HCG weight-loss protocol was designed decades ago by a physician who noted women who are pregnant can survive and even thrive despite getting less than optimal nutrition and still grow a healthy baby. I will admit that there are limitations on the original plan as it is heavy on meat for protein and isn’t very imaginative on the food choices. I have adopted his plan to be healthier and a bit more colorful. This program is not meant to have you continue the yo-yo weight loss & gain pattern that you may have had, but rather a kick-start into better eating habits. And these habits can continue indefinitely and help you achieve a healthy, strong and balanced body thru best nutritional practices.

Pick a length of protocol based on your weight loss goals. If you wish to lose 15 pounds or less, this can be done with 23 days treatment, 20 daily injections. If you wish to lose more than 15 pounds, this requires 40 days of injections and 43 days of caloric restriction. We will stop the injections when you have lost 34 lbs. as this is the healthy maximum for each cycle. Patients requiring the loss of more than 34 lbs. must have a second course, that can be started after an interval of not less than six weeks.

HCG Administration: HCG needs to be injected every day in a subcutaneous (SubQ) manner. For most clients, I will draw up the HCG into syringes for you, but if you are going to do it, here is a summary: use alcohol pads to clean the vial and draw up the amount into a clean syringe. Pinch your skin a few centimeters away from your belly button and clean the area with the alcohol pad. Push the needle into the gathered skin fold. Inject slowly over 5 seconds. Apply gentle pressure to the spot and then wipe it clean.

Semaglutide Injections for Weight Loss

Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist used for weight loss in specific patients, and to lower blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack or stroke in type two diabetes patients. Semaglutide works by increasing insulin release, lowering the amount of glucagon released and delaying gastric emptying. Semaglutide also controls appetite and so helps you reduce the amount of food that you want to eat.

BPC157 is a 15 amino acid partial-sequence of Body Protective Compound, isolated from human gastric juice. Locally, BPC has been shown to have significant impact on healing soft tissue injuries and also has exhibited analgesic effects. Systemically, BPC has shown to protect organs, aid in the prevention of ulcers, and combats leaky gut, IBS, GI cramps, and Crohn’s Disease. This is a wonderful way to boost the effect of Semaglutide and reduce the side effects, allowing for a lower dose that is more easily tolerated.

Dr Jay uses this combined Semaglutide & BPC157 as a weekly injection to help you lose weight in a closely monitored environment. If you are a candidate, the program entails an initial visit to go over your current weight and goals as well as discuss the 4 Pillars of Functional Medicine: Sleep, Movement, Stress Reduction and Nutrition. The program will offer suggestions for supplements to help boost your metabolism and will guide you towards a plant-based, whole foods nutrition plan. At every week’s meeting, you will get a MIC shot to help boost metabolism. In addition, Dr Jay will give you Dr. Greger’s cookbook “How Not to Diet” to give you recipes and information to succeed in losing weight and creating healthy eating habits for you and your family!

Cost: $800 per month incudes, cookbook, MIC shots, Semaglutide injections every week for 4 weeks

Legal Issues:

Semaglutide is not for use in people with type 1 diabetes. Low blood sugar can make you feel very hungry, dizzy, irritable, or shaky. To quickly treat hypoglycemia, eat or drink hard candy, crackers, raisins, fruit juice, or non-diet soda.

Call your doctor at once if you have signs of a thyroid tumor, such as swelling or a lump in your neck, trouble swallowing, a hoarse voice, or shortness of breath.

You should not use semaglutide if you are allergic to it, or if you have: multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (tumors in your glands), personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma (a type of thyroid cancer) or diabetic ketoacidosis.

Tell your doctor if you have ever had stomach or intestinal disorders, pancreatitis, kidney disease, or eye problems caused by diabetes (retinopathy).

Tell your doctor if you have frequent symptoms of high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) such as increased thirst or urination. Ask your doctor before changing your dose or medication schedule.

Semaglutide can slow your digestion, and it may take longer for your body to absorb any medicines you take by mouth.

Tell your doctor about all your other medicines, especially insulin or other diabetes medicine.

Other drugs may affect semaglutide, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products.

Semaglutide side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives, itching; dizziness, fast heartbeats; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

You may get dehydrated during prolonged illness. Call your doctor if you are sick with vomiting or diarrhea, or if you eat or drink less than usual.

Serious side effects of semaglutide may include:

Call your doctor at once if you have: vision changes, unusual mood changes, thoughts about hurting yourself, pounding heartbeats or fluttering in your chest. a light-headed feeling, like you might pass out, signs of a thyroid tumor--swelling or a lump in your neck, trouble swallowing, a hoarse voice, feeling short of breath, pain in your upper stomach spreading to your back, or nausea with or without vomiting.

Semaglutide can cause gallbladder problems, and symptoms may be upper stomach pain, fever, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes) and kidney problems with swelling of legs, urinating less, feeling tired or short of breath.

Common side effects of semaglutide may include:

Low blood sugar (in people with type 2 diabetes), upset stomach, heartburn, burping, gas, bloating, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, loss of appetite, diarrhea, constipation;

stomach flu symptoms, headache, dizziness, tiredness.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.