While some clinics and companies may try to sell you on the idea of quick weight loss using certain tips and tricks, the formula has always been simple: burn more calories than you consume.
But most people who try to lose weight will tell you that’s easier said than done. At their most basic level, the calories in food or drinks are energy. If your body burns more energy than it consumes, then your body won’t store that extra energy as fat. However, your body will inevitably undergo changes as it loses weight and adapts to your new lifestyle.
Those natural body changes result in an all-to-common problem for those trying to lose weight: plateaus. At Forum Health West Bloomfield, we’ve experienced several patients that have encountered this specific problem. But most importantly, we’ve helped them overcome it as well. One of our most effective methods of doing so is through our use of L-carnitine in West Bloomfield.
Read on to learn more about this incredible amino acid and how it can help you in your weight loss journey!
What is L-Carnitine?
As you might be able to tell by its name, L-carnitine is a type of carnitine. Carnitine derived from amino acids, which combine to make the proteins that allow your body to function properly. They exist within every cell of your body.
L-carnitine specifically helps the body break down the fatty acids within your body and then convert them into energy. Additionally, L-carnitine can also help your body with removing built-up waste within your cells.
As a conditionally essential nutrient, your body makes L-carnitine naturally within the liver and kidneys. However, your diet plays a critical role in allowing your body to produce it in sufficient amounts. While meat and fish contain small amounts, Vitamin-C is the primary catalyst for helping your body naturally produce L-Carnitine.
Those who don’t have enough carnitine in their body have what’s known as a “carnitine deficiency.” In some cases, people have a genetic defect that does not allow their bodies to produce carnitine at sufficient levels. However, many people with a carnitine deficiency have one due to an underlying heart or liver condition in addition to dietary reasons.
Some symptoms of a carnitine deficiency include:
- Muscle weakness
- Loss of muscle tone
- Fatigue
- Swelling
- Shortness of breath
- And more
L-Carnitine as a Supplement
Whether or not you have a carnitine deficiency, you can still use (and benefit from) L-carnitine supplements as part of your daily routine! Carnitine is FDA-approved and available over the counter as a dietary supplement. At Forum Health West Bloomfield, we specifically offer L-carnitine injections as part of our menu of weight loss injections.
The idea of an L-carnitine supplement is to help improve the way your body metabolizes fat and energy. When taken as part of a medically supervised weight loss plan, it can provide a noticeable boost to your body’s fat-burning and muscle building capabilities—while also reducing recovery times.
However, like any other supplement, L-carnitine in West Bloomfield isn’t a cure-all. L-carnitine on its own will not help you reach your ideal weight and body goals. A healthy diet combined with consistent physical activity should always be a person’s primary method for creating a sustainable weight loss plan.
However, as we’ll elaborate on more in the next section, L-carnitine can be a wonderful addition to your comprehensive weight loss plan!
Weight Loss Plateaus
At Forum Health West Bloomfield (and our 4 Forum Health Medical Weight Loss locations), we primarily use L-carnitine in West Bloomfield as an injection to help patients kick their weight loss into high gear! These injections are particularly useful for patients who’ve experienced a plateau—which is when your weight stagnates despite continued healthy diet and exercise habits.
Why do people plateau in their weight loss? Primarily, it has to do with your body’s metabolism. Many patients have an easy time losing weight in the first few weeks of their plan as their body loses water weight. This loss stems from the fact that your body will use stored up glycogen as a source of energy to make up for the missing calories it’s grown accustomed to consuming.
However, what many don’t realize when cutting calories is that your body’s metabolism will naturally slow down. As people lose weight from a calorie deficit, they don’t just lose fat—they also lose some of their muscle mass. Your muscles help stabilize the rate at which your body burns calories. So, when you lose weight, it means that your body no longer needs as much energy to function.
Let’s put it this way: before starting your journey, your body had a set amount of calories that it naturally burned each day. For men, the average amount of calories needed to maintain weight is around 2,500, while women need around 2,000. But as they lose weight, that needed calorie amount decreases.
That’s why people see such rapid results when they first start their weight loss plan. When your body is used to consuming and metabolizing 2,500 calories per day but starts to receive, let’s say, 1,800 calories, you’ll naturally start to cut weight quickly.
But as time goes on, your body adjusts, and your metabolism becomes used to consuming 1,800 calories per day. Now, consuming 1,800 calories no longer puts you into a calorie deficit, causing your weight to stagnate.
How L-Carnitine Helps Overcome Plateaus
L-carnitine in West Bloomfield is just one of the tools in our arsenal for helping patients get their weight loss back on track! L-carnitine is widely known as a fat burner because it helps to transport the fatty acids that your body uses for energy. When injected into your body, it should provide a natural boost to your metabolism.
When your metabolism increases, it means that your body can now burn more calories on a daily basis. That means that patients can more easily put themselves into a calorie deficit in order to continue reaching their weight loss goals!
We offer L-carnitine injections, as well as other weight loss injections, as part of a larger supervised weight loss program. Highly trained physicians develop and oversee each of our weight loss plans based on the individual patient’s unique needs and challenges.
While L-carnitine and other injections may be a part of your program from the beginning, many patients receive it later in their plan—both to overcome plateaus or as part of our jumpstart plan. Most patients can benefit from the use of L-carnitine in West Bloomfield.
That said, your provider will help determine whether an injection (or oral supplement) will make a good addition to your overall plan. If you are a suitable candidate for L-carnitine injections, your provider will make a determination on both the dosage and the frequency of your injections.
Also, as you can probably guess, you will still need to continue taking part in healthy diet and exercise habits. You will not overcome your plateau with just L-carnitine injections alone. The intent of these injections is to boost your metabolism to a level where your established lifestyle will allow you to, once again, create a calorie deficit in order to lose weight.
Other Benefits of L-Carnitine
Beyond its fat-burning capabilities, one of the best features of L-carnitine injections is their ability to boost other aspects of your health and wellness! Some studies have shown that L-carnitine can help when it comes to boosting cognitive function and slowing mental decline.
Also, patients who’ve received L-carnitine injections have reported higher amounts of energy alongside an increase in metabolism. Other potential benefits of L-carnitine may include:
- Reduced blood pressure
- Reduced risk of heart disease
- Better performance during training or exercise
- Increased stamina
- Increased red blood cell production
- Improved recovery
- Increased oxygen supply to muscles
- Reduced symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes
- And more!
Furthermore, L-carnitine oral supplements and injections have shown little to no side effects in the patients who receive them. Some mild nausea and stomach pains may occur. However, patients who receive a proper dosage generally experience no concerns.
Experience the Benefits of L-Carnitine in West Bloomfield—Schedule Your Appointment at Forum Health West Bloomfield!
When you work with Forum Health West Bloomfield, you get the benefit of dedicated and knowledgeable staff. Our team will offer timely service and support, as well as all the information needed to begin a weight loss plan or L-carnitine injections in West Bloomfield.
We also perform these services at our Forum Health Medical locations in Novi, Rochester Hills, Clarkston, and Shelby.
Forum Health West Bloomfield also offers a variety of other treatments designed to improve your health and well-being. Our team customizes each plan specifically for you, and we’ll work with you individually to overcome your unique challenges.
If you’re ready to get glowing, rejuvenated skin, treat your joint pain, or rekindle the romance in your relationship, our staff is ready to assist! Schedule an in-person appointment today and see the difference a science-backed plan and experienced medical professionals can make for you.
