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

Much as a cardiologist treats your heart and a dermatologist treats your skin, an obesity medicine specialist can help with weight loss and related health conditions.

Here’s what to know about these experts and when and how to seek one out.

Obesity medicine has been around for more than a decade. In fact, it’s “been a recognized field of medicine since 2012,” says Kimberly Gudzune, MD, MPH, a board-certified obesity medicine physician and affiliate faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “We’re not the brand-new kid on the block anymore.”

• Abnormal cholesterol levels
• Heart disease and stroke
• High blood pressure
• Knee, hip, and back pain and arthritis
• Liver enlargement and metabolic liver disease
• Mental illness
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Some types of cancer
• Type 2 diabetes

“Specialists really understand the comprehensive contributing factors to obesity,” says Samantha Cassetty, RD, who is based in New York City and coauthor of Sugar Shock. “Many people consider obesity a lifestyle disease, and it is not. There can be genetic, environmental, social, behavioral, and hormonal components. It’s multifactorial.”

Sue Decotiis, MD, an obesity specialist in New York City, 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.”

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

Cassetty agrees. “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,” she says. “Someone who’s living with obesity could benefit from a more respectful patient-provider interaction.” Building trust and rapport with your healthcare provider is essential to a successful treatment plan and long-term medical relationship.

Primary care providers also may 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, especially if you’ve had stigmatizing experiences in healthcare settings.

And obesity stigma and misinformation don’t always fade after you start a GLP-1.

Obesity medicine specialists also understand the stigma and bias people with obesity face and 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,” says Gudzune.

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

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

Gudzune says some geographic areas have a lot of physicians, while others have 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 advocacy, clinical care, community work, or research.

You can see an obesity medicine specialist anytime. But if you have other health conditions linked to weight, such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, liver disease, or sleep apnea, you should visit a healthcare provider as soon as possible.

Or if you’ve tried to lose weight on your own or with your primary care provider but haven’t had success, an obesity specialist is 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,” says Cassetty.

Even if you’re losing some weight with a GLP-1 medication, you may still want to see an obesity specialist. Decotiis notes that these drugs work best alongside other treatments and lifestyle changes.

Managing obesity takes a lot of time and effort. If you’re going through a big life change, such as a move or new job, consider scheduling an appointment for a few months later, when you can make it a priority.

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

“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,” says Gudzune.

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,” she says.

Obesity medicine specialists typically spend a lot of time with their patients. They dive into eating habits and nutrition, medications that could affect weight, movement and sedentary time, sleep, stress, 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,” says Decotiis. But an obesity specialist understands the complex dynamics between these medications and other obesity treatments.

“They’re taking into consideration your access to food, your culture, and foods that you might want to include,” says Cassetty. “They’re really working with you personally to help you get healthier.”

Kimberly Kalstrom of Roanoke, Virginia, is one such person who understands obesity’s complexity. “I lost 100 pounds, but I got to the point where I started gaining weight, and I didn’t understand why,” she says. That’s when I decided to go to an obesity doctor to find out what was going on.” That personalized attention was helpful for her.

“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,” says Kalstrom. “In my situation, it turned out to be menopause and thyroid problems.”

Obesity medicine specialists collaborate with other types of physicians, including primary care doctors, endocrinologists, cardiologists, and transplant surgeons. This collaboration 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,” says Cassetty.

An obesity medicine specialist may also connect you to other experts who can help, such as a dietitian, nurse practitioner, psychologist, or social worker.

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

Over time, Kalstrom, her primary care doctor, and her obesity medicine specialist came to realize weight loss surgery was the best option. They 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 (continuous positive airway pressure) 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,” says Gudzune. 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 them out more. “The schedule can be tailored to each person’s needs,” she says.