Despite dieting and physical activity, many individuals still have difficulty losing weight. As 2 in 5 adults in the United States struggle with obesity, we understand the need for intervention. If you are working hard and not seeing the results you expected, let us help you.
With the guidance from Dr. James Ralston, M.D., F.A.A.D., and our expert team at Dermatology Center of McKinney, you can achieve your weight loss goals through a medically directed program. We use tirzepatide in McKinney to manage hunger and fullness cues, allowing you to finally experience sustainable weight loss.
Keep reading to learn more about tirzepatide injections at our practice, and if you are a candidate.
What Is Tirzepatide?
Tirzepatide consists of 2 medications known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP). Traditionally, the medication was developed to treat type 2 diabetes because it increases insulin production. This slows the release of glucose (sugar) in your blood, decreasing blood sugar levels.
More recently, though, researchers have found that GLP-1/GIP medications, like tirzepatide, are effective for weight loss.
Benefits of Tirzepatide: How It Works
When used for medical weight loss, tirzepatide mimics your gut hormones to slow digestion
and regulate blood sugar levels. Let’s take a closer look at each of these benefits.
Mimics Natural Hormones
The medication mimics your body’s natural gut hormones, GLP-1 and GIP, to help delay natural responses to hunger. These hormones send fullness signals to your brain, reducing “food noise,” or the urge to keep eating.
Slows Digestion
Tirzepatide delays gastric emptying, meaning it helps control how slowly food leaves the stomach. This way, patients feel fuller longer with more food in their stomachs. Slow gastric emptying also helps control appetite and hunger cues.
Regulates Blood Sugar
Similar to how the medication works in patients with diabetes, tirzepatide makes the pancreas release more insulin and less glucagon after eating. When blood sugar levels are high, your body releases insulin to use the glucose as energy, but it can also store some of it as fat (if there is too much). Regulating these levels reduces insulin spikes and encourages fat burning.
When combined with diet and exercise, as well as medical direction from Dr. Ralston, patients can experience significant weight loss with tirzepatide in McKinney.
Our Tirzepatide Weight Loss Process
As with every treatment, Dr. Ralston and our team customize each patient’s weight loss program to their specific needs. Through our comprehensive process, we uncover how tirzepatide can best meet your goals.
Starting With a Consultation
We bring you into Dermatology Center of McKinney, where you sit down with Dr. Ralston to speak privately about your current weight loss efforts and your expectations for treatment. You also discuss relevant medical history to ensure that tirzepatide injections are safe for you.
Dr. Ralston takes the time to truly understand your frustrations and aspirations so he can make an all-encompassing plan for you. After tirzepatide can effectively meet your needs, Dr. Ralston discusses everything you need to know about the medication so you have clear expectations about treatment.
Tirzepatide Injections
Depending on your unique treatment plan, Dr. Ralston determines the proper dosage of tirzepatide for you to begin with. He recommends that patients start at a lower dose, allowing for adjustments as needed.
Your doctor will also inform you on how to properly and safely administer the injections at home on a weekly basis. If you have any questions or concerns during the process, our team can provide guidance. Just give us a call.
Results and Maintenance
You may begin to see results in the first few months of treatment, but long-term results come with consistent use of tirzepatide in McKinney. We also recommend patients continue to eat healthy and exercise regularly to improve results.
Your treatment plan continues as long as you need it to. As you work with Dr. Ralston and begin to see a weight reduction, we can tailor your program together. If you do not wish to be on the medication indefinitely, we can discuss a potential off-ramping period.
Candidates for Tirzepatide
You might be wondering if you are a candidate for tirzepatide injections. The best way to determine if tirzepatide injections can help you is to schedule an appointment with Dr. Ralston for an in-depth consultation.
Here are a few factors that determine your candidacy that we discuss during your initial appointment:
- If you have a BMI of 27 or higher, meaning you are overweight or obese.
- If you have a weight-related condition like type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure.
- If you experience little to no weight loss, even with diet and exercise.
- Any genetic factors that affect the ability to lose weight, like a condition or chronic illness.
During our conversation, we also discuss factors that might not make you a candidate for tirzepatide in McKinney. These contraindications affect patients who are:
- Younger than 18 years old
- Pregnant or breastfeeding
- Not overweight, or have a BMI of 25 or lower
- Allergic or sensitive to tirzepatide
- Suffering from specific medical conditions such as pancreatitis, thyroid cancer, and endocrine neoplasia syndrome
Why Trust Our Experts for Your Weight Loss Solutions
Our physician-owned and -operated practice offers combined years of expertise, patient education, and empowerment to help you make the best decisions for your health. Our team is dedicated to personalized care and efficient solutions to help you reach your goals.
Care Led by Dr. James Ralston
Dr. Ralston raises the standard for medical and aesthetic excellence by serving his community and enhancing patient health and well-being. Recognized as the Best Physician – Dermatologist by the McKinney Chamber of Commerce’s Best of McKinney for 14 consecutive years, you are always in good hands under his care.
We’re Committed to You
We believe that informed patients make the best decisions about their health. With your weight loss program, we help you understand all the necessary information to decide if tirzepatide in McKinney is right for you. We want you to feel confident about our journey together, so we personalize your process to exactly what you need.
Research-Backed Options
We take a quality-oriented approach to your care, meaning you will always receive informed and research-backed treatment options. We continually learn and stay up-to-date with the latest developments in aesthetics, so we can offer high-quality care.
Frequently Asked Questions
Now that you understand our process, let’s discuss more important information about tirzepatide. We want you to be confident and comfortable with your health decisions, so keep reading as we answer common questions.
What diet and lifestyle habits should I adopt while on tirzepatide?
Dr. Ralston helps you understand the necessary changes you need to make to optimize the results of tirzepatide and help you feel your best while on the medication.
- Eat a well-rounded diet, including foods rich in prebiotic fibers and starches to help digestion. These include kiwis, beans, legumes, and oats.
- Eat smaller meals more frequently to ease stomach discomfort. You won’t be as hungry as usual, which is why we recommend frequent small meals or snacks.
- Stay hydrated by drinking at least 80 ounces of water each day to keep your digestive tract running smoothly.
- Avoid a sedentary lifestyle. Take frequent walks to avoid prolonged sitting or standing. Dr. Ralston recommends calisthenic exercises like squats and free-weight lifting as well.
What are the possible side effects of tirzepatide?
In McKinney, this treatment helps patients discover efficient weight loss, and like with any medication, there are some minor side effects:
- Upset stomach and nausea
- Fatigue
- Constipation and diarrhea
- Headaches and dizziness
- Overactive belching
- Dehydration
- Heartburn
We want to inform our patients of these possible side effects, so they know what to expect from treatment.
When will I see results?
When using weight loss medications, every patient’s journey looks different. Since tirzepatide works well with a consistent diet and exercise, your results depend on how you stick to that lifestyle. As your body adjusts to the tirzepatide and your daily habits, you can begin to see results in 2 to 4 months.
As you continue to eat healthy and prioritize exercise, your results continue over the duration of your treatment. Research suggests that individuals who discontinue use of the medication might gain some of the weight back after regularly taking tirzepatide. We can work with you to create a plan to sustain your results if you wish to stop taking the medication.
Schedule An Appointment to Discover Tirzepatide
In McKinney, Dr. Ralston and the team at Dermatology Center of McKinney help patients discover the best versions of themselves through advanced, personalized care. If you are struggling with losing weight, come speak with our providers about tirzepatide.
We’ll conduct a personalized consultation at our practice to discover if the medication is right for you and how you can effectively achieve your goals with our guidance. Schedule an appointment to begin your journey.
Curious about our aesthetic treatments that pair well with medical weight loss? Use our treatment planning tool to discover if our medical or cosmetic dermatology services can support your goals. We’ll use your submissions to provide personalized treatment recommendations.
