How An Endocrinologist Can Help With Weight Loss

Losing weight can be frustrating when your efforts don’t seem to produce the results you expect. Nutrition and physical activity matter, but weight is also influenced by hormones, metabolism, medications, medical conditions, sleep, genetics, and other factors that aren’t always easy to identify on your own.

An endocrinologist specializes in the hormones and metabolic processes that can affect body weight. Instead of focusing only on the number on the scale, an endocrine evaluation can help identify medical factors that may be making weight management more difficult.

At Sarah Fishman Premier Endocrine in New York City, endocrinologist Sarah Fishman, MD, PhD, provides individualized care for people struggling with weight-related concerns. Dr. Fishman evaluates your health, symptoms, and metabolic factors to develop a weight management strategy suited to your needs.

Look for hormonal factors affecting your weight

Hormones help regulate metabolism, appetite, blood sugar, and how your body uses and stores energy. When certain hormone levels become abnormal, losing weight may become more challenging.

For example, hypothyroidism can slow metabolism and contribute to weight gain. Excess cortisol associated with Cushing syndrome can also cause weight gain and changes in body composition.

Dr. Fishman can determine whether symptoms or other findings suggest an underlying hormonal condition and order appropriate testing when needed.

Evaluate your overall metabolic health

Weight management involves more than thyroid hormones. Your evaluation may also consider conditions that commonly occur alongside excess weight, such as insulin resistance, prediabetes, diabetes, high blood pressure, or abnormal cholesterol levels.

Dr. Fishman may review your medical history, current medications, previous weight-loss efforts, eating and activity habits, and changes in your weight over time. This information can help uncover barriers that may have made previous approaches less successful.

Develop a personalized weight-loss strategy

No single weight-loss plan works for everyone. Your plan may include changes to nutrition and physical activity along with strategies for developing habits you can maintain over time. If an underlying endocrine disorder is contributing to your weight, treating that condition becomes an important part of your care.

Regular follow-up also lets Dr. Fishman monitor your progress and adjust your plan as needed.

Consider whether weight-loss medication is appropriate

Lifestyle changes remain an important part of weight management, but some people may benefit from prescription medication in addition to those efforts.

Several medications are available for chronic weight management. Some work by affecting appetite or feelings of fullness, while others influence different biological processes involved in weight regulation.

Get medical support for your weight-loss goals

If you’ve struggled to lose weight despite making changes on your own, there may be factors you haven’t considered. An endocrine evaluation can help determine whether hormones, metabolic health, medications, or other medical issues are affecting your progress.

Call Sarah Fishman Premier Endocrine or book an appointment online to discuss your weight concerns with Dr. Fishman and learn which approaches may be appropriate for you.