At our Zormeier Cosmetic Surgery & Longevity Center locations in Noblesville, IN, Shelbyville, IN, Danville, IL, Healdsburg, CA, and Ukiah, CA, we offer a GPL-1 injection treatment plans that can help patients achieve their weight loss goals. Also known as the skinny shot, this injectable can work alongside a weight management plan to help you lose weight and keep it off long-term.
What Is the Skinny Shot?
The skinny shot is another term for a GPL-1 injection. GPL-1 is a weight loss medication that was originally developed to treat Type 2 diabetes, and studies revealed that it also proved to be effective as an obesity treatment.
The skinny shot is a weight loss injectable medication that can help patients lose significant weight through a customized treatment plan. It also promotes improved blood sugar control by regulating blood sugar levels and stimulating the body’s ability to produce insulin.
What Are the Treatment Benefits?
Aside from accelerating weight loss, GPL-1 injection treatment plans offer many benefits. The injectable is safe for those who want to lose minimal and significant weight, and it also compliments a weight management plan that includes regular exercise and a healthy diet.
Accelerated Weight Loss
Because of the way that GPL-1 interacts with natural bodily processes, it accelerates weight loss. Results vary among patients regarding the total weight lost, and once we design your treatment plan at one of our NorCal area locations, we can give you more details about how much weight you can expect to lose based on your starting point and ultimate goals.
Reduced Appetite
Another one of the benefits of the skinny shot is that once administered, it begins working to help you lose weight and reduce your appetite. As a result of the treatment, you will feel fuller for longer, reducing the chance of you giving into emotional eating or cravings, which is a significant benefit when following a weight management treatment plan.
Reduced Risk of Obesity and Related Diseases
With obesity comes an increased risk of obesity-related medical conditions, including Type 2 diabetes, stroke, cancer, and heart disease, among others. When you take steps to lose the necessary amount of weight to reach optimal health, you simultaneously reduce the risk of obesity and the other health conditions that accompany it.
A Safe Treatment
When you begin a treatment plan with our skinny shot, you can rest assured that not only is it safe and FDA-approved to help you lose your desired amount of weight, but we will monitor your treatment progress throughout your medical weight loss journey with us. We will ensure that the treatment is helping you achieve your desired results and make adjustments if needed.
Safety is our top priority, so you can have confidence knowing that not only will this injectable help you achieve your results, but we will take the necessary steps to ensure that it does so safely.
How Does the GPL-1 Injection Treatment Process Work?
GPL-1 injections are administered weekly. The skinny shot is an injectable fitted with a fine, thin needle. During treatment, the needle is administered just below the skin’s surface into adipose tissue. The treatment itself takes seconds to complete. During your initial consultation, we will give you more details about how the injection process works based on your unique treatment plan. You can expect to notice the best results within three to six months of treatment.
Am I a Candidate?
If you have been trying to lose weight through traditional methods, like calorie restriction and exercise, but aren’t seeing results or aren’t achieving results as quickly as you’d like, you may be a good candidate for a GPL-1 injection treatment plan. Since this injectable can accelerate weight loss and do so safely, it can help you achieve your healthy goal weight and maintain it long-term.
Tirzepatide Vs Semaglutide: Similarities and Differences
Understandably, given how quickly tirzepatide and semaglutide have risen to prominence, these two distinct drugs are sometimes lumped together. And to be sure, there is much overlap between the two in terms of their potential benefits and applications, but they are not the same. Here’s a quick breakdown of how the two compare across several clinically relevant categories:
Mechanism
Both semaglutide and tirzepatide stimulate a kind of receptor in the body known as the GLP-1 receptor. In healthy people, this receptor is normally activated by hormones that the body already produces. When GLP-1 receptors are stimulated, they prompt insulin release to help curb blood sugar spikes. This receptor also manages appetite.
The difference between semaglutide and tirzepatide in this case is that tirzepatide also acts as an agonist, or stimulator, of GIP receptors. Among the many function of this class of receptors are, once again, blood sugar regulation and appetite. In other words, tirzepatide promotes the same benefits of semaglutide, but on two fronts, often rendering it more effective.
Benefits
Both semaglutide and tirzepatide have been proven effective for regulating a healthy body weight, but most research gives tirzepatide a slight (1-2%) edge. Similarly, both of these drugs can also reduce blood sugar in type 2 diabetics. Whether you intend to use either of these off label or for diabetes management, consulting with a licensed professional is highly recommended to ensure adequate dosage, safety, and more.
Dosage
Keeping in mind that it’s always the best practice to defer to your treatment provider’s individualized recommendations, a typical starting dose for semaglutide is 0.25 milligrams per week. Assuming you respond well to the treatment, the dosage may be gradually increased to as high as 2.4 milligrams per week, which is what the FDA has determined as the “standard maintenance dosage.” These weight loss injections are typically self-administered once a week.
Tirzepatide dosage typically starts at 2.5 milligrams per week, and can be increased over time to 15 milligrams per week. Regularly monitoring your response to treatment and reporting any issues to your care team is crucial for preventing unwanted side effects.
Tips to Maximize Your Results
As effective as the skinny shot is, mankind’s endless search for that “magic button” has not met an end quite yet. Especially if you’re aiming for a more toned physique, there is much more to a successful and sustainable weight loss effort than receiving the skinny shot alone. As always, the “standard prescription” (balanced diet, exercise, hydration, sleep, etc.) still very much applies. The one major tweak in the case of supplementing your skinny shot results is an increased focus on keeping blood glucose levels stable throughout the day—more on that below.
Carb-Conscious (Not Carb-Phobic!) Dieting
Trends and gadgets aside, standard weight loss diets are both reliable and versatile enough to accommodate different palates (home cooking skills help). Following a nutritionally dense and well-rounded diet rich in lean proteins, probiotics, healthy carbs and fats, and lots of fruits and vegetables that keeps your glucose levels steady throughout the day is an excellent way to complement the effects of the skinny shot.
There’s a whole lot to go over in this department, so here it is in condensed format:
- Complex, nutritious carbs: Yams, quinoa, legumes, and some seeds
- Fiber-rich foods: Nuts and seeds, whole grains, vegetables, fruit
- Lean proteins: Poultry (no skin), white fish, low-fat dairy, legumes, tofu
- Probiotic-rich foods: Sauerkraut, tempeh, yogurt, kefir, kimchi
- Plenty of fruits and vegetables: Dark and leafy veggies, berries, etc.
Healthy fats: Avocado/olive oil, salmon, nuts, seeds, eggs
There’s no need to fear carbs, so long as you control your portions, avoid simple carbs, and balance your consumption throughout the day with 3-5 small meals and/or snacks. Consuming nutrient-dense sources of fiber alongside your starches is an excellent way to facilitate the glucose-curbing effects of the skinny shot, as fiber helps to slow down sugar absorption. The operative principle here is not to completely starve yourself of carbs, but to keep that glucose line as level as possible, which is an optimal state for weight loss.
Most importantly, avoiding junk food as much as possible is key. Starchy, nutritionally vapid and preservative-laden snacks like chips, packaged pastries, highly processed meats, fast food burgers, and so on can and will offset the effects of the skinny shot.
Consistent and Goal-Oriented Exercise
There is no need to buy proprietary equipment or dive deep into a trendy niche when it comes to exercise; simply keeping your body in motion with low-impact cardio and moderate-intensity strength training for half an hour or more at least 2-3 times a week (ideally 4-5) is all you need to enhance your results.
Walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, boxing, lifting weights, plyometrics, recreational sports, you name it—it will all help your weight loss and sculpting efforts. If you’re less experienced with exercise, or if it’s been a while, start slow and easy, building up over time. For those looking to lose weight without shedding muscle, keeping protein intake high and regularly incorporating strength training should be enough to maintain a muscular physique as your weight drops.
Sleep, Stress, and Hydration
Finally, these are three of the most commonly overlooked elements when it comes to weight loss. All three of these factors can cause your body’s hormones to essentially switch to survival mode, which means packing on fat, when they are not optimized. Understandably, the chaos of daily life leads all of us to skimp out on hydration or sleep once in a while, but keeping reminders on your phone and practicing stress reduction techniques (meditation, screen-free time, etc.) can help immensely in both weight management and overall well being.
Our Other Medical Weight Loss Solutions
Aside from this effective injectable treatment, we also offer other weight management options at our Northern California area locations to help patients reach their goals and live healthier lifestyles. Depending on your goals, you may qualify for one or more of our other weight management solutions to achieve your desired weight as quickly and safely as possible.
Lipotropic Injections
We offer lipotropic injections that contain a combination of methionine, inositol, and choline, all of which support liver function and, in doing so, accelerate fat metabolism. Injections can help the body better process fat by helping it utilize or excrete it from the system rather than storing it, which would ultimately work against your goals.
Nutritional Supplements
We also offer different pharmaceutical-grade nutritional supplements that we can administer after completing nutritional, genetic, and GI testing. Our supplements are designed to work in conjunction with your weight management plan as they will increase energy levels, help further suppress the appetite, and repair GI and cellular function while promoting optimal health.
Coaching
Our coaching services provide the resources you need along your weight management journey. We will be with you every step of the process to provide support and encouragement and answer any questions you may have regarding your treatment plan, the skinny shot, and any other aspect of your medical weight loss program.
Schedule Your Consultation Today
Don’t wait any longer before taking the step to invest in your health, appearance, and confidence. We can design a treatment plan for you at one of our locations. The skinny shot may be what you need to accelerate your results to enjoy the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle at your goal weight and all the confidence-boosting benefits that it can bring.
