Obesity Medicine Specialists: When to Reach Out and How to Find One

You see a cardiologist for your heart and a dermatologist for your skin, but obesity now has its own specialists. Obesity medicine specialists can help you lose weight and get healthy, while also working with other specialists to manage other health conditions. Below, you’ll discover what to know about these experts, and when and how to seek one out.

Obesity Medicine Specialists, Explained

Obesity medicine specialists treat obesity and the conditions that come with it, and it’s a field of medicine that has been around for over 10 years now. “Obesity medicine has been a recognized field of medicine since 2012,” says Kimberly Gudzune, MD, the medical director of the American Board of Obesity Medicine. “We’re not the brand-new kid on the block anymore.”

• High blood pressure
• Abnormal cholesterol levels
• Type 2 diabetes
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Stroke and heart disease
• Some types of cancer
• Mental illness
• Knee, hip, and back pain and arthritis

“These are all things that can be addressed in a system where there is a specialist,” says Samantha Cassetty, RD, a registered dietitian based in New York City and a coauthor of Sugar Shock. “Specialists really understand the comprehensive contributing factors to obesity. Many people consider obesity a lifestyle disease, and it is not. There can be genetic, environmental, social, behavioral, and hormonal components. It’s multifactorial.”

Kimberly Kalstrom of Roanoke, Virginia, also understands obesity’s complexity. “In my case, I lost 100 pounds, but I got to the point where I started gaining weight, and I didn’t understand why I was gaining. That’s when I decided to go to an obesity doctor to find out what was going on,” she says.

“If someone is having trouble losing weight and healthy lifestyle changes and dieting aren’t working, then I would recommend going to see a board-certified weight loss specialist,” says Sue Decotiis, MD, an obesity specialist in New York City.

How Obesity Medicine Specialists Are Different

Going to your primary care provider for obesity treatment doesn’t always work. Not all primary care doctors have training in obesity, and they may treat patients in ways that don’t make them feel understood.

“There’s a real lack of education and training experiences for physicians around obesity and its treatment,” Dr. Gudzune says. “There’s a big gap in knowledge.” She points out that a lot of primary care physicians and other doctors tell their patients with obesity to eat less and move more.

Cassetty agrees, adding, “A lot of times, people go to the doctor and hear, ‘You need to diet and exercise.’ If it were that easy, people wouldn’t be in the position they’re in. And it’s not that helpful to basically be told that you are the problem, or to feel shame around your body. Someone who’s living with obesity could benefit from a more respectful patient-provider interaction.”

Primary providers may also not fully understand GLP-1s, she adds. “Blindly prescribing these drugs without full knowledge of how the drug works can result in muscle loss, weight regain, or indefinite plateaus.”

It may feel daunting to see a doctor when you live with obesity. People with obesity may have had stigmatizing experiences in healthcare settings.

“I’ve had people tell me they went to the doctor because they had a sore throat and they were told to lose weight, which has nothing to do with why they came in. It reinforces the idea that they’re not welcome,” Gudzune says. “I’ve had people come to see me who haven’t seen a physician in over a decade because they’ve had really horrible experiences with the healthcare system of being shamed or blamed about their weight.”

Obesity medicine specialists understand the stigma and bias people with obesity face, and they can provide compassionate, well-informed care. “One of the things that’s really key in my own practice is having an environment where everyone is welcome regardless of body size. There’s no judgment, and there’s no shame,” Gudzune says.

How Can You Find an Obesity Medicine Specialist?

Obesity medicine specialists practice in every state. The websites below can help with your search.

• On the American Board of Obesity Medicine website, find a physician and verify their credentials. They list more than 8,000 experts there, and that number continues to grow.
• On the Obesity Action Coalition website, find a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant specializing in obesity medicine. The organization has more than 70,000 members, including both providers and advocates.
• On the Obesity Medicine Association website, find a physician, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or other healthcare provider. The organization includes more than 5,000 medical professionals.

Gudzune says that some geographic areas have a lot of physicians. In others, you’ll find more nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Once you find specialists close to you, she recommends searching online to learn more about them.

“Each physician has a different personality. We’re all human,” she says. “See if there’s someone you think is a better alignment for how you know yourself. Having a good fit is always important.” You might feel you connect better with someone who’s involved in community work, research, clinical care, or advocacy.

Who Should See an Obesity Medicine Specialist?

You can see an obesity medicine specialist anytime. But if you have other health conditions linked to your weight, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, or arthritis, you should visit a healthcare provider as soon as possible. If you’ve tried to lose weight on your own or with your primary care provider without success, an obesity specialist offers a logical next step. “Lifestyle measures can work for many people, but they might only get you so far, and they might be unsuccessful. That’s when a specialist can come in and provide a more comprehensive approach,” Cassetty says.

Even if you are losing some weight with a GLP-1 medication, you may still want to see an obesity specialist. Decotiis cautions that these drugs don’t offer an easy “cure,” but work best alongside other treatments and lifestyle changes.

Working on obesity takes a lot of time and effort. If you’re going through a big life change like a move or a new job, consider scheduling your appointment for a few months later when you can make it a priority in your life.

What to Expect at an Appointment With an Obesity Medicine Specialist

An obesity medicine specialist helps you work toward your goals with evidence-based treatment options. Weight reduction may represent your biggest goal, but it doesn’t have to.

“The goal isn’t necessarily losing a certain amount of weight. It’s about the benefits, not the number on the scale. Someone might want to focus more on how they can make their life healthier and less on losing a specific percentage of their body weight,” Gudzune says.

You might want to play with your grandchildren, or improve your mobility so you can travel. “These are really important factors that impact people’s daily lives that the number on the scale doesn’t capture,” Gudzune says.

Obesity medicine specialists typically spend a lot of time with their patients. They dive into nutrition, eating habits, movement and sedentary time, sleep, stress, medications that could affect weight, and other topics that could contribute to obesity.

They can also recommend GLP-1 drugs as part of your tailored weight loss plan. “There’s no magic potion when it comes to weight loss and dieting, and these drugs shouldn’t be used as a quick fix,” cautions Decotiis. But an obesity specialist understands the complex dynamics between these medications and other obesity treatments.

“It’s not one-size-fits-all, go on this eating plan,” Cassetty says. “They’re taking into consideration your access to food, your culture, and foods that you might want to include. They’re really working with you personally to help you get healthier.”

That personalized attention was helpful for Kalstrom. “I was doing everything right. I was walking every day. I was eating healthy. The obesity doctor helped me figure out what was going on. In my situation, it turned out to be menopause and thyroid problems,” she says.

Obesity Medicine Specialists Join Your Team

Obesity treatment and medicine specialists collaborate with just about any other type of physician, including primary care physicians, endocrinologists, cardiologists, and transplant surgeons. That can be especially important for people who haven’t seen a doctor in a long time and may get diagnosed with conditions they didn’t know they had.

“I think somebody could really benefit from seeing a specialist who can think about the person holistically and work in tandem with other healthcare providers. That way, they make sure all of the factors are addressed in the most appropriate way and with the healthiest outcomes,” Cassetty says.

An obesity medicine specialist may also connect you with other experts who can help, like nurse practitioners, dietitians, psychologists, or social workers.

Kalstrom says, “My obesity medicine doctor was able to look for other health problems related to obesity. He found out that I had high blood pressure, prediabetes, sleep apnea, arthritis, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.” For some, he provided treatment, and for others, like sleep apnea, he referred her to a specialist.

Over time, Kalstrom, her primary care doctor, and her obesity medicine specialist came to realize that weight loss surgery was her best option, and connected her with a bariatric surgeon.

She had gastric bypass surgery in December 2021, lost the excess weight, and got many of her health conditions under control. She no longer needs blood pressure medication, doesn't have prediabetes, and doesn’t need a CPAP machine for sleep apnea anymore.

If you work with an obesity medicine specialist, expect to see them often. “That frequent follow-up is there to provide support. Having that close contact and partnership is important. Regular follow-up is key,” Gudzune says. For the first six months, she sees many of her patients every four to six weeks. Some specialists have more frequent appointments at first, while others spread it out more. “The schedule can be tailored to each person’s needs,” Gudzune says.

Takeaway

• Obesity specialists understand the challenges people with obesity face and can help you manage obesity if you haven’t been able to lose weight on your own, or you have other health problems linked to your weight.
• These specialists understand the stigma and bias people with obesity face, and can provide compassionate, informed care.
• In partnership with primary care doctors and other specialists, obesity specialists make sure you get the care you need for diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, mental health issues, or any other health problems related to your weight.
• If you’d like to see an obesity specialist, you can research clinicians near you and ask your primary care provider for a referral.