Weight loss with medical support: what an online consultation can do for you
Losing weight for good rarely comes down to willpower alone. A video consultation helps you understand what is driving your weight and build a plan with follow-up.
If you want to lose weight and have already tried on your own without lasting results, a medical video consultation is a good place to start: the doctor reviews your history, the medicines you take, your sleep and your previous attempts, orders blood tests when appropriate and agrees a plan with follow-up with you. Portugal's Direção-Geral da Saúde (DGS, the Directorate-General of Health) recommends that weight reduction be done with medical advice, so that it is healthy, balanced and sustainable. If weight loss is not intentional, it is a sign to be assessed, not a goal.
Video consultation
What happens in an online weight management consultation
The consultation is a medical assessment, not a diet programme. The aim is to understand which factors are contributing to your weight and what makes sense to change first.
- Medical history: conditions you already have, current medication, eating patterns, physical activity, sleep quality, stress and previous attempts to lose weight.
- Causes to look for: for example thyroid disorders, insulin resistance or polycystic ovary syndrome, as well as medication-related weight gain.
- Medication review: some medicines, such as corticosteroids or certain antidepressants, can promote weight gain. Do not stop any medicine without speaking to your doctor.
- Blood tests: depending on your situation, the doctor may order thyroid function, fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, a hormone profile and a lipid profile, in the same consultation or at a follow-up.
- Plan and follow-up: a plan tailored to your health and your goals, with follow-up consultations to review progress and adjust whatever is needed.
A physical examination is not possible by video. When the doctor considers that you need to be seen in person, they will say so clearly and refer you.
Source on medicines and causes: DGS, on the SNS 24 portal — Obesidade (obesity).
No crash diets
What is a healthy pace of weight loss
Losing weight fast is not the same as losing weight well. What counts is a pace you can keep up.
The DGS recommends that anyone who wants to reduce their weight do so with medical advice, so that the goal is reached in a healthy, balanced way and maintained over time. Very restrictive diets promise quick results but are hard to sustain. Anyone searching for “rapid weight loss” should know that the right pace depends on your starting point, the conditions you have and the medicines you take; that is what the doctor assesses with you.
The benefits of intentional weight loss in people with obesity appear mainly in the long term: better quality of life, improvement in other conditions and a lower risk of mortality.
Food, movement and sleep
How to start: eating, physical activity and sleep
You do not need a complicated diet. Small, consistent changes are worth more than one perfect week.
- Meals: keep regular mealtimes, eat slowly and avoid eating while watching television.
- What to put on your plate: the Roda dos Alimentos (Portugal's food wheel) calls for a complete, balanced and varied diet; make room for vegetables, fruit and pulses, and choose olive oil.
- Drinks: drink water throughout the day and avoid sugary drinks.
- Movement: at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity. If you are starting from scratch, begin by taking the stairs and walking more in everyday life.
- Sleep: regular times for going to bed and getting up, and no heavy meals before sleeping. Chronic sleep deprivation is associated with weight gain.
In the consultation, the doctor helps you choose where to start and adapt these changes to any conditions or limitations you have.
Sources: DGS, on the SNS 24 portal — Obesidade (obesity); SNS 24 portal — Hábitos saudáveis (healthy habits); DGS, Programa Nacional para a Promoção da Alimentação Saudável — Roda dos Alimentos.
When it is a warning sign
Sudden weight loss: causes and when it is a medical sign
Losing weight without trying is different from losing weight because you changed your habits. Unintentional weight loss should be assessed by a doctor.
According to the MSD Manual, unintentional weight loss of more than 4.5 kg, or 5% of body weight, over a few months is a cause for concern. Possible causes include an overactive thyroid, uncontrolled diabetes, problems absorbing food, depression, side effects of medicines and, in some cases, cancer.
In a video consultation, the doctor asks the right questions, orders the appropriate tests and tells you whether you need to be seen in person.
Sources: MSD Manual — Perda de peso involuntária (unintentional weight loss); SNS 24 portal — Perturbações do comportamento alimentar (eating disorders); gov.pt — Contactos de emergência em Portugal (emergency contacts).
Medical support
When it is worth involving a doctor
You do not need to wait for a serious problem. A consultation makes sense whenever your weight is no longer just a question of habits.
- You have tried several times and the weight comes back.
- You have prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or polycystic ovary syndrome.
- You started a medicine and noticed weight gain.
- You sleep badly, snore a lot or feel tired during the day.
- You are losing weight without knowing why.
Obesity is a chronic disease, associated with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, fatty liver and sleep apnoea. Treating it with medical support makes it possible to monitor these conditions at the same time as your weight.
Before the consultation
How to prepare for your online consultation
A few minutes of preparation make the video call more useful.
- A list of the medicines and supplements you take.
- Recent blood test results, if you have them.
- Your current weight and height and, if you know, how your weight has changed over the last year.
- A record over a few days of what you eat, how much you move and how you sleep.
- What you have tried before and what went well or badly.
Choose a quiet place with a good internet connection, and have your phone or computer charged.
Care in Portugal
Start your weight loss with medical support
A video consultation lets the doctor review your health, look for causes and set a plan with follow-up.
- Weight management consultation
- Available doctors
- Diabetes, the silent disease
- Understanding hypercholesterolaemia
You do not have to do this alone
Talk to a doctor by video about your weight, your health and a plan you can stick to.
Sources
Sources for this article
Sources checked on 8 October 2026.
This article explains how to lose weight sustainably, when weight loss is a medical sign and what an online weight management consultation includes. It does not recommend medicines or describe doses; that assessment is for the doctor.
Questions
Questions about weight loss
Is a video consultation enough to treat excess weight?
It can be the starting point and the basis of your follow-up: the doctor reviews your medical history and medication, orders blood tests and monitors the plan. If a physical examination is needed, the doctor will tell you and refer you.
Will I get a ready-made diet?
No. The consultation is a medical assessment. The plan is tailored to your health, your habits and your goals, and is reviewed at follow-up consultations.
I am losing weight without dieting. Should I be worried?
Unexplained weight loss should be assessed by a doctor, especially if it is rapid or comes with other symptoms. An online consultation is a simple way to start that assessment.
Is the consultation suitable for teenagers?
The weight management consultation is mainly intended for adults. In teenagers, weight should first be assessed in a paediatric consultation.
