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Guide · Weight loss

What is medical weight loss?

The short answer

Medical weight loss is a weight program run by a licensed clinician instead of an app or a meal plan: your health history is reviewed first, the plan is built around your biology, progress is checked on a schedule, and medication is added only when it's clinically appropriate for you.

How it differs from diets and apps

A diet gives everyone the same rules; an app gives you a calculator with reminders. A medical program starts from your history — medications, thyroid, sleep, past attempts — and keeps a licensed clinician accountable to your progress, adjusting the plan as your body responds.

Who typically qualifies

Clinical guidelines commonly reference a BMI of 30+, or 27+ alongside a weight-related condition like high blood pressure. But qualification is a judgment made on your whole picture, not a single number — which is why real programs begin with a clinician review, not a checkout page.

What a good program includes

Four things to insist on: a licensed clinician who reviews your actual history; check-ins someone reads; pricing shown before you pay; and a straight answer when medication isn't right for you. At GetSeenMD, every visit is reviewed within 24 hours by the same clinician — and if you're not approved, you don't pay.

Teresa Slater, CRNP
Reviewed by Teresa Slater, CRNPBoard-certified nurse practitioner · a decade in cardiac care · the same clinician at every visit
Meet Teresa →

Questions on this topic

Is medical weight loss safe?
It's built around safety: a licensed clinician screens your history first and monitors as you go. That screening is exactly what separates it from buying something online.
Do I have to take medication?
No. Medication is one tool, used only when clinically appropriate. Plenty of plans are built around nutrition, habits, and accountability.
How fast will I see results?
Honest programs talk in months, not weeks. Sustainable pace beats dramatic starts — your clinician sets expectations against your actual starting point.

More answers in the full FAQ →

Keep going

However you want to be seen

Be seen

A five-minute intake. A licensed clinician in 24 hours. A plan that ships — and someone who actually reads your check-ins.