Who This Service Is For
This consultation is appropriate for adults who:
- Have difficulty losing weight despite dietary and lifestyle changes
- Have a BMI of 25 or above and are seeking structured medical support
- Have weight-related conditions — including pre-diabetes, insulin resistance, hypertension, or PCOS — that are contributing to or complicating their weight
- Want to understand whether they may be candidates for medical weight management approaches following clinical assessment
- Have tried diet and exercise approaches without sustainable results
- Want ongoing medical monitoring of their metabolic health alongside weight management
- Are expats or international residents in Spain who want weight management support in English or Portuguese
Why Medical Supervision Makes a Difference
Most weight management attempts fail not through lack of effort but because they do not address the underlying clinical picture. Hormonal imbalance, insulin resistance, medication side effects, sleep disorders, and metabolic dysfunction all contribute to weight gain in ways that diet and exercise alone cannot resolve.
Specifically:
- Insulin resistance causes the body to store fat regardless of caloric deficit
- Hypothyroidism slows metabolism — often significantly — independent of diet
- PCOS disrupts hormonal balance and makes weight loss genuinely more difficult
- Cortisol dysregulation affects how the body distributes fat
- Medication side effects — antidepressants, antipsychotics, corticosteroids, beta-blockers — can cause significant weight gain as a direct pharmacological effect
A plan that ignores these factors will fail — not because of insufficient effort, but because it is solving the wrong problem. Medical assessment identifies the specific causes and builds a plan that works with your biology.
What Your Consultation Includes
Comprehensive medical assessment
Your doctor reviews your medical history, current medications, metabolic risk factors, hormonal profile, dietary patterns, physical activity, sleep quality, stress levels, and previous weight management attempts — building a complete clinical picture of the factors contributing to your weight.
Identification of underlying causes
Your doctor assesses hormonal contributors — including thyroid dysfunction, insulin resistance, PCOS, and cortisol dysregulation — metabolic factors, medication-related weight gain, and lifestyle elements that interact with your biology.
Personalised weight management plan
Based on the assessment, your doctor develops a structured, evidence-based plan adapted to your BMI, health status, lifestyle, and long-term goals — including nutritional strategy, behavioural approach, metabolic health optimisation, and clinical recommendations at the doctor's professional discretion.
Assessment for medical weight management approaches
For patients who meet the clinical criteria, your doctor assesses suitability for evidence-based medical weight management approaches as part of a comprehensive clinical assessment. Suitability is determined by clinical criteria — BMI, weight-related comorbidities, previous treatment history, contraindications, and general health status — not by patient preference.
No specific medical approach can be confirmed or initiated before a full clinical review. All clinical decisions are made solely by the doctor following complete individual assessment.
Investigation requests where indicated
Where blood tests are clinically indicated — thyroid function, fasting glucose, HbA1c, hormonal panel, lipid profile — your doctor issues the request the same day.
Clinical documentation — at the doctor's professional discretion
When clinically indicated, your doctor issues appropriate clinical documentation valid at any pharmacy in Spain.
Ongoing review
Weight management is a long-term clinical process. Follow-up consultations are available to monitor progress, review response, and adjust your plan.
Conditions Commonly Assessed
Metabolic
- Overweight and obesity — BMI 25 and above
- Insulin resistance and pre-diabetes
- Type 2 diabetes — weight management as part of metabolic control
- Metabolic syndrome
- High cholesterol and triglycerides
Hormonal
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- Hypothyroidism associated with weight gain
- Cortisol dysregulation and stress-related weight gain
- Metabolic changes associated with menopause
Cardiovascular
- Hypertension associated with excess weight
- Cardiovascular risk reduction through weight management
Other
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- Obstructive sleep apnoea
- Joint pain related to excess weight
- Fertility concerns related to weight and hormonal status
Weight Management in Spain — What to Expect
Access to structured medical weight management in Spain is limited in the public system — waiting times for endocrinology and clinical nutrition in the SNS are typically long. In the private sector, weight management services are available but concentrated in major cities and at significant cost.
For international residents who prefer English-language care, or for patients outside Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, or Seville, accessing structured medical weight management is practically difficult.
Global Health provides comprehensive medical weight management assessments in English — including full metabolic assessment and personalised management planning — by secure video call, same day, from anywhere in Spain.
