Building Your Dream Team: How to Find the Right Obesity Medicine Physician

The Obesity Guide with Matthea Rentea MD

Years ago, the standard approach to obesity in primary care was to “eat less and move more.” Now, we’ve come to learn that without intensive behavioral support, that approach is largely ineffective. What many people don’t know is that obesity medicine is actually a medical specialty on its own that focuses on the evaluation, treatment, and prevention of obesity.
If you're struggling with the physician you're currently working with, feeling they offer little guidance and understanding about anti-obesity medications, and offer no accountability, finding an obesity medicine physician might be the next step for you.
When you're looking for a physician, one of the first things you need to decide is what kind of care you’re looking for. So in this episode, I’m exploring three different options to consider: in-person weight management clinics, telehealth practices, and direct primary care clinics. (You’ll also discover the red flags you need to look out for when making your decision!)
References:

ABOM.org

Finding a DPC (direct primary care) physician: https://mapper.dpcfrontier.com/

Audio stamps:

02:12 - Dr. Rentea discusses the role of an obesity medicine physician and when you might need to look for one.

04:16 - We find out why most people are not going to get all of their help from one person.

05:28 - Dr. Rentea explains why you don’t need to have struggled with your weight to be a good physician in this space.

06:22 - It’s important to decide if you want to see someone in person or virtually. Dr. Rentea discusses the in-person experience and how to go about finding the right physician.

13:58 - We learn about telehealth options, like Dr. Rentea’s practice, and what to look out for when considering this option.

21:26 - We find out why direct primary care could also be a good, inclusive option to consider.

23:42 - Dr. Rentea shares some of the red flags to be aware of when finding an obesity medicine physician.

Quotes:

“Most people are not going to get all of their help from one person.” - Matthea Rentea MD
“Not everybody needs to have struggled with weight for them to be a good physician in this space.” - Matthea Rentea MD
“I really think that we've gotten a lot of this information wrong over time. We've really just thought about the scale going down in general, but we've not thought about what the body composition is and how you can best manage your blood sugar and how to bring this all together in a way that's not overwhelming.” - Matthea Rentea MD
“You need to like who you're working with. At least that's what I found is that if you don't like the physician, you don't want to listen to what they're saying, and you don't want to do anything.” - Matthea Rentea MD
“Everyone's different. You might not respond to what's being offered and all of us are unique. - Matthea Rentea MD
And so if there are these really high guarantees, it's just a big red flag to me.” - Matthea Rentea MD

All of the information on this podcast is for general informational purposes only. Please talk to your physician and medical team about what is right for you. No medical advice is being on this podcast.
If you live in Indiana or Illinois and want to work with doctor Matthea Rentea, you can find out more on www.RenteaClinic.com