Endocrinologist & Diabetologist Services in Miami, FL

Dr. Richard Lipman M.D. is a board certified endocrinologist and diabetologist who specializes in weight loss. He can help you lose weight quickly even if you have diabetes, hypothyroidism, hypertension, high cholesterol, or other medical problems. If you have these problems, your weight loss may be much more important to your health and lifespan than people who are trying to lose weight solely for cosmetic reasons.

As an endocrinologist, every day he treats overweight and obese people with diabetes and other medical problems. Dr. Lipman’s 40 years experience enables him to design a personal weight loss plan for you, whether or not you have medical issues or are on medication.

The Effect of Diabetes Medications

Some medications, such as insulin and beta-blockers for hypertension, interfere with weight loss. Some diabetes medications actually make you gain weight.

A few diabetes medications make you lose weight, such as Metformin, Exentide, and Victoza. Metformin, a generic diabetes treatment usually sold under the brand name Glucophage, may help people with diabetes to lose weight by lowering their appetites. Insulin makes people overweight by acting on the brain to cause hunger, making the liver manufacture fat and fill fat cells in the stomach.

Why Lose Weight At All?

Men and women have a 20% increase in mortality for every 2 inch increase in waist size – above 38 inches for men and 32 inches for women. The same trend applied even to normal, non-overweight adults. Increasing abdominal girth above 34 inches was associated with increased risk.

Risks of Dying Young from Obesity

Here is a rough correlation:
Every 2-inch increase in your waist size equals a 17% increase in your chances of dying young. That is a good reason to see an endocrinologist and weight loss specialist like Dr. Lipman!

Risk of Complications from Gaining Weight

You don’t have to be obese or 30 pounds overweight to increase your risk for heart attacks. All it takes is gaining 7 pounds to increase your chances of having a heart attack by 11%. Double that weight gain and you have a 25% risk – another good reason to see an endocrinologist!

Spanning two decades, 21,000 non-smoking American male doctors without heart disease, with an average starting age of 53, were followed annually for 8 years. Researchers checked blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, heart disease, and cancer each year. You will be surprised how poorly they did! Here is a summary of the study report, called the Physicians Health Study II.

1109 male doctors were in this part of the study. Here is what they found:

• A higher BMI increased heart failure risk in active and inactive participants
• Modestly overweight individuals had increased heart failure risk—increasing with weight gain
• Every 7 pounds of excess weight = 11% increased heart failure risk over a 20 year period
• Overweight participants had a 49% heart failure increase
• Obese participants had a 180% heart failure increase
• Active participants experienced an 18% reduction in heart failure risk
• Higher activity participants experienced a 36% reduction in heart failure

There was a doubling of obesity in these doctors!

The study shows that even in healthy doctors in this country, who presumably should know better, there was a doubling of obesity and an 8% increase in those overweight. The general US population is far behind with 33% obese and 67% overweight.

A 2-inch increase in your waist size results in a 25% increase in diabetes and heart disease and cuts off 1 to 2 years from your lifespan. Yet another excellent reason to see an endocrinologist if you are overweight.

Reduce Your Weight, Reduce Your Risks

Whether you are seven pounds or 70 pounds overweight, the more you exercise, the more you reduce your risk for heart failure and prolong your life. Even a 7 lb. weight loss increases lifespan. The American Heart Association recommends healthy adults age 18-65 should get 30 minutes of moderate level activity five days per week. Adults 65 and older or those aged 50 – 64 with chronic conditions or physical limitations need to follow additional guidelines provided by their physician.

Remember however, that all the exercise in the world will not help you if you have a poor diet. Having a successful diet plan and learning to make good food choices is about understanding your metabolism and your needs. As an endocrinologist, Dr. Lipman understands that completely and knows how to design a personalized weight loss plan that will work for you.

Call 305-670-3259 to Make an Appointment with Endocrinologist, Diabetologist, and Weight Loss Specialist Dr. Richard Lipman in his Miami Office