Weight Assessment
Your initial consultation will include a thorough examination of your current medical needs and any underlying causes of your weight gain.
This assessment allows us to administer a treatment plan that will be most medically appropriate and effective for you.
- A comprehensive medical examination to determine the causes of your weight gain
- An assessment of how your weight gain is affecting your physical and mental health
- Screening for weight-related health issues such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, thyroid disease, sleep apnoea, hormonal disturbances and mental health conditions
- Order appropriate tests such as a blood test, sleep study or mood assessment
- Assess your biometrics, including your height, weight, waist circumference, fat percentage, muscle mass and BMI
- Guidance in setting weight loss and other health-related goals
- Administer a treatment plan most appropriate for your current medical and lifestyle needs for effective weight loss
- Provide ongoing medical care and monitoring of other health conditions during weight loss
- Support you with long term weight maintenance and relapses where needed
Body Composition Analysis
When you need to know more than just your body weight.
Body weight as a single measure can be deceiving, as it can be affected by other factors such as fluid retention, constipation or even hormonal fluctuations.
A body composition scan is a more accurate look into your physical makeup and can help your bariatric doctor to determine things like:
- Are you maintaining your muscle mass whilst losing weight?
- What is your Basal Metabolic Rate? ie. the energy you burn each day just by being alive.
- What is your body fat % and where are you carrying your weight?
All of this information can be used to guide the administering of a treatment plan for you.
At Alevia we offer in-house body composition analysis, with our state-of-the-art technology, to assist in determining what weight loss plan is right for you, as well as ensuring you preserve muscle mass throughout your weight loss journey.
Ketogenic Diet Plans
With our evidenced program, you’ll earn how to control cravings, beat hunger and regain control of your life.
With our ketogenic diet plans, patients achieve rapid weight loss without hunger! This can be achieved through the use of meal replacements, or with regular food.
When the body is in fat burning mode, appetite is suppressed, making weight loss so much easier. Patients report feeling more in control of their eating and are encouraged by the quick results they see.
If a low carb diet is not for you, then we have a range of other dietary plans to achieve your weight loss goals:
- Intermittent Fasting(eg. 5:2) and Time Restricted Eating (eg. 16:8)
- Mediterranean diet
- DASH diet
Are you vegetarian or vegan? Fructose or lactose intolerant? Have Coeliac disease or gluten sensitivity? Don’t worry, we have you covered!
Our goal is to help you achieve rapid and safe weight loss — typically with weight loss of 1-1.5kg per week for women and 1.5-2.5kg per week for men.*
* Results may vary for individuals
Lifestyle Program
In addition to our prescribed dietary and exercise program, we will provide you with our educational program, “Tools For Success”, with 12 modules designed to teach you to make those long lasting lifestyle changes and overcome barriers to weight loss.
- Understanding what causes weight gain
- Control of hunger with a low carb diet
- Feeling fuller with healthy carbs
- Protein power
- Healthy fats
- Getting active
- Dealing with hunger and cravings
- Breaking bad habits
- Stress and emotional eating
- Reading labels
- Eating out and liquid calories
- Relapse prevention and weight maintenance
Weight Loss Medications Available in Australia
What happens when lifestyle change alone is not enough and weight is causing significant health problems?
Prescribed weight loss medications can provide excellent results for people who are trying to lose weight. These medications boost weight loss along with a healthy diet and regular exercise. In Australia, four common weight loss medications are available to use.
This can occur when:
- BMI > 30kg/m2 or above or
- BMI > 27kg/m2 and an obesity health related condition such as high blood pressure, sleep apnoea or diabetes.
Medications can also assist with prevention of weight regain, when patients have lost their weight, and there has been an increase in the appetite hormones that promote weight regain.
They may also be helpful in patients who have had weight loss surgery and there has been some weight regain.
Always discuss your suitability for weight loss medications, including benefits and side effects with one our bariatric doctors or a pharmacist.
Weight Loss Medications
Liragulatide
(Saxenda™)
Liraglutide is a once-daily injection. Liraglutide is 97% the same as one of your natural fullness hormones called GLPL-1. GLP-1 acts on the brain to reduce hunger and cravings and to have you feel more full and satisfied after a meal. So it becomes easier to stick to a healthy diet without feeling hungry. Because it is a gut hormone, most of the side effects are gut-related (like nausea, constipation, reflux or diarrhoea)
Orlistat
(Xenical™)
Orlistat inhibits an enzyme called lipase in the gut. This results in reduced absorption of fat by up to 30%. The reduced absorption of fat in the body helps the person to lose weight. The remaining fat will pass through the gut and is excreted. Maintaining a low-fat diet is the best approach when taking this pill. If too much fat is consumed, oily bowel motions or leakage of bowel contents are some of the side effects.
Contrave (Bupropion and Naltrexone)
Contrave was released in Australia in Feb 2019 for weight loss. This weight loss medication targets an area of the brain that suppresses appetite and controls cravings. Just like other medications, Contrave is preferred taken along with a reduced-calorie diet and physical activity. Nausea, vomiting, constipation, stomach pain, headache, and dizziness are some of the common side effects patients may feel when taking Contrave.
Duromine™
(Phentermine)
Duromine has been in the market for more than 50 years. It is a mild stimulant, and it is an excellent appetite suppressant. This means that the person taking these tablets feel less hungry. You will need to be monitored by your doctor whilst taking Duromine including blood pressure checks. Common side effects of taking Duromine include dry mouth, headaches, difficulty sleeping, restlessness, nervousness, agitation, fast heartbeat, high blood pressure and, rarely, psychosis and hallucinations.
Topiramate
(Topamax™)
A medication that is used for migraine and epilepsy prevention. It is widely used “off label” in the Obesity clinics in Australia and overseas for the management of obesity as it has also been found to have some appetite suppressing effects.
Semaglutide (Ozempic)*
Semaglutide 1mg is a GLP-1 agonist that was available for the treatment of type 2 diabetes from July 2020. Semaglutide is a once-weekly injection that powerfully suppresses appetite. The most common side effects are nausea, constipation, reflux, diarrhoea, headache and fatigue. Studies are emerging on the use of Semaglutide 2.4mg for the treatment of obesity and it is expected that this treatment will be available sometime in 2022.
*Semaglutide is not yet registered by the TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) in Australia as a weight management agent. It is currently approved for use in diabetes only. For more information about Semaglutide (Ozempic), check this cheat sheet we have for you.
While each medication has been proven to be effective for weight loss, finding out which medication is right for you is a conversation between you and your bariatric doctor. Talk to us at Alevia as our team of bariatric doctors can help you choose your weight loss medication. Book an appointment now and talk with one of our experts today.
Bariatric Services
We provide independent, unbiased information on surgical options to assist with weight loss
At Alevia, we will help to answer some of these common questions:
- What are my surgical weight loss options?
- Is surgery right for me?
- What can I do if I am not yet ready to undertake surgery?
- What if I have regained weight after bariatric surgery?
We also provide pre and post bariatric care:
- Optimising health prior to surgery
- Rapid weight loss prior to surgery to make it a safer procedure
- Monitoring of health and nutritional deficiencies that may occur post surgery
- Optimising diet post surgery to ensure maximum surgical success
- Medications to assist with appetite control after surgery if still needed
Bariatric surgery may be considered if you have had a long term battle with obesity and if you have weight related conditions that may be improved with dramatic weight loss.
In some conditions, such as diabetes, there is very compelling evidence of the benefits from weight loss on diabetes, that bariatric surgery is now recommended as one of the first line treatment options for this condition. (Rubino et al. 2011)
Bariatric surgery is indicated if:
- BMI is >40 or
- BMI >35 with an obesity related health condition such as diabetes, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnoea.
Surgical Options
Psychologist Services
Our bariatric doctors and psychologists are trained to help you work through the psychological factors that may be contributing to your weight gain, including binge/emotional eating disorders, body image issues, anxiety and depression or other life stressors.
We understand how emotions, stress and mental health issues can play a huge role in weight gain, which is why our doctors are dedicated to providing each patient with the psychological care they deserve.
Common emotional issues our patients struggle with include:
- Mental health conditions such as anxiety/depression that can affect relationships with food and healthy habits
- Cravings and binge eating
- Self-sabotaging treatment plans
- Body image problems
- Alcohol and other drug use
Our Alevia doctors are committed to holistic care for your health and wellbeing. We have a team of psychologists that can provide you with the support and tools to overcome any emotional hurdles in your weight loss journey.
Exercise Plans
We tailor an exercise plan just for you.
The good news is — you don’t have to live at the gym in order to be healthy and active!
Our approach to exercise is simple. Our doctors will tailor an exercise plan for you, according to your ability, physical limitations and activity preferences.
The health benefits of exercise are well known in almost every area of your health and wellbeing, so we encourage our patients to get moving and stay active to complement a healthy diet, but only in a way that will suit your lifestyle and needs.
Telehealth Appointments
One-on-one medical support from the comfort and convenience of your home.
We offer convenient Telehealth appointments via phone and video call, which means that even with a busy lifestyle or other barriers that might prevent you from being able to see us on-site, you can still receive evidence-based medical weight loss and ongoing one-on-one support in your journey.
Learn more about how Telehealth appointments work here.
Facebook Community Group
Join a community with like-minded patients
Exchange tips, inspiration, recipes and other tools to help you get and keep the weight off!
At Alevia we are a community that supports one another. We know that doing weight loss alone can be difficult, so we have created a private Facebook support group for the exchange of tips, inspiration, recipes and other tools to help you get the weight off and keep it off.
The Alevia App
We have developed an in-house, fully customised Alevia app that enables you to track your weight, log your mood, access recipes, your personalised treatment plan and extra resources!
We have developed an iOS and Android app letting you keep track of your weight loss journey as well as a number of other useful resources including recipes, exercise plans, and more.
