Medically supported and supervised weight loss: we're here for you.
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Considering medically managed and supported weight loss? Out team at Campaspe Family Practice will be with you every step of the way.
If you’ve been struggling to lose weight and keep it off, you’re not alone. Our Team at Campaspe Family Practice understands the complexities of losing weight and just how hard it can be.
We can provide the supervision and support you need in a general practice setting, including allied health support.
In Australia, 75 per cent of men, 60 per cent of women and 25 per cent of children are carrying too much weight, so it’s a growing concern in our community.
Campaspe’s Credentialed Diabetes Nurse Educator, Antoinette O’Shaughnessy, says it’s a multi-faceted problem. No-one likes feeling, or being told, they’re overweight. But with a rising incidence of weight-related health conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, we want to support everyone in our community to stay as healthy as possible throughout their life.
Antoinette says managing your weight in a sustainable and healthy way often requires a life-long commitment.
‘The best way to lose weight is slowly. Miracle fad diets are generally not a reliable way to achieve and maintain healthy weight loss,’ she says.
‘It can be very difficult to navigate the plethora of fad diets advertised on television and social media or by celebrities. Each of us is different and the most important thing is to work towards gradual lifestyle changes that are sustainable for you in the long term.’
Ways we can support you and supervise healthy weight loss
Your GP
Your GP can assess your body, suggest achievable changes to eating habits and physical activity, and refer you to local health experts to support sensible short and long-term weight-loss goals. Your GP can also provide you with a weight-loss plan and monitor your weight loss regularly to ensure you are on the right track.
Antoinette says studies show people do best with weight loss when working with their doctor or another health professional because of the relationship that’s formed. ‘They have someone on their side,’ she says.
Our Medical Body Composition Analyzer (mBCA)
Your GP or nurse can arrange an analysis of your body components with medical precision into:
fat mass
fat-free mass
body water (comprising extracellular water and intracellular water)
skeletal mass
The mBCA analyzes your body composition in less than 20 seconds and presents the data in easy-to-understand graphics. Your doctor can print a report for you to take with you. A comprehensive and accurate understanding of your body composition can be used in diagnosing medical conditions. Your GP can also use the mBCA to regularly check your progress.
The mBCA is easy to clean between patients and its design ensures you’re always measured in the right position to ensure accurate results.
Diabetes Education
Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is important for people with or at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Antionette says weight issues often develop over a lifetime and may have strong genetic and early life influences.
‘The cornerstone of medical weight management always includes a high quality diet, physical activity and behavioural change support.’
Antoinette has seen how even small behavioural changes can help patients achieve sustainable weight loss. She can work with you individually to monitor your weight loss and support you in achieving realistic short and long-term goals.
Allied Health Services
Behaviour changes, even small ones, can be a challenge at the beginning, so we have a team of allied health professionals who can also support you to make healthy changes in your life.
Our allied health weight loss support services include:
psychology
exercise physiology
physiotherapy
dietetics (nutrition)
