Angela Fitch, MD, is board-certified in obesity medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics. She is the president of the Obesity Medicine Association, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard University, and a board member of the Obesity Action Coalition.

Am I a Good Candidate for Weight Loss Medications?

It’s rare to find someone who is not a good candidate for weight loss medication or surgery if they meet current prescribing standards. To be eligible for the addition of medication to lifestyle interventions, you must have:

We take a good medical history and perform a comprehensive assessment in a shared decision-making fashion to determine the best treatment for any chronic disease, and obesity should be no different.

What to Know About Weight Loss Medication

First, I want you to know that it is not “weight loss medication.” It is obesity treatment. We are treating a chronic disease, not just trying to lose weight.

People should work to improve health issues and become “leaner, not lighter.” This means we want to lose excess fat that leads to poor health and increase our muscle mass, leading to better longevity. It has nothing to do with weight and everything to do with health and long-term improvement in quality of life. The focus should be on body composition and well-being—not on a number on the scale.

About 90% of people will need ongoing medication if they wish to keep the disease treated. Engaging in the treatment of obesity should be something you do for the long run, not for the short term.

Most importantly, I want people to understand that gaining weight back means it is harder to treat the next time. So, you must continue working with your healthcare team to maintain your weight loss in the long term. I recommend getting care from someone you can see regularly.

Next Steps

When you’ve started on weight loss medication, it’s essential to adopt healthy habits, including:

Treating and managing obesity is a long journey, not a short sprint. As a chronic disease, it requires long-term disease management, not episodic short-term care.

I want you to know that it is not “weight loss medication.” It is obesity treatment. We are treating a chronic disease, not just trying to lose weight.

Working With a Dietitian

Working on our nutritional quality, including planned portions of plants and protein and reduction in ultra-processed food intake, is critical to our long-term health regardless of our weight.

I recommend that everyone, including people on weight loss medications, work with a dietitian to make sure they are optimizing their diet to the best they are able to do.

What to Ask Your Medical Provider About Weight Loss Medication?

Ask to have treatment. Many clinicians hold the same biased views of the world that diet and exercise treat the disease of obesity effectively when they don’t do that alone.

Being proactive and informed as a patient means talking to your healthcare provider about medication for obesity treatment. Ask for a referral to someone who can offer obesity treatment options, including surgery, which is the most effective treatment, if you are not comfortable discussing it with your healthcare provider.

As told toLindsey DeSoto, RD, LD

4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Overweight and obesity statistics.Obesity Medicine Association.Why obesity is a disease.Wadden TA, Chao AM, Moore M, et al.The role of lifestyle modification with second-generation anti-obesity medications: comparisons, questions, and clinical opportunities.Curr Obes Rep. 2023;12(4):453-473. doi:10.1007/s13679-023-00534-zNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Prescription medications to treat overweight and obesity.

4 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Overweight and obesity statistics.Obesity Medicine Association.Why obesity is a disease.Wadden TA, Chao AM, Moore M, et al.The role of lifestyle modification with second-generation anti-obesity medications: comparisons, questions, and clinical opportunities.Curr Obes Rep. 2023;12(4):453-473. doi:10.1007/s13679-023-00534-zNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Prescription medications to treat overweight and obesity.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Overweight and obesity statistics.Obesity Medicine Association.Why obesity is a disease.Wadden TA, Chao AM, Moore M, et al.The role of lifestyle modification with second-generation anti-obesity medications: comparisons, questions, and clinical opportunities.Curr Obes Rep. 2023;12(4):453-473. doi:10.1007/s13679-023-00534-zNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Prescription medications to treat overweight and obesity.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Overweight and obesity statistics.

Obesity Medicine Association.Why obesity is a disease.

Wadden TA, Chao AM, Moore M, et al.The role of lifestyle modification with second-generation anti-obesity medications: comparisons, questions, and clinical opportunities.Curr Obes Rep. 2023;12(4):453-473. doi:10.1007/s13679-023-00534-z

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Prescription medications to treat overweight and obesity.

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