What We Offer You for Weight Management
- Expertise in all aspects of weight management and obesity-related health conditions, including diabetes, sleep apnea, and heart disease. Go to Conditions Treated
- Full range of advanced weight loss treatments, plus the lifelong support you need to achieve your weight loss and health goals. Go to Treatments
- Virtual care options for most appointments, making weight loss treatment more convenient and easier to access. Go to Connecting to Care
- Expert, multispecialty team of weight loss specialists that includes bariatric surgeons, obesity medicine physicians, endocrinologists, advanced practice providers, and dietitians. Go to Your Care Team
Conditions Treated
At Stanford Health Care, we take a whole-person approach to weight management. Our team includes specialists in lifestyle medicine to evaluate and guide you on all aspects of lifestyle. When needed, our team will connect you with appropriate specialists across Stanford Health Care to optimize your treatment plan.
Overweight and obesity are complex medical conditions that are challenging to treat and require specialized care. They are not an indication of laziness or a failure of willpower. With the right treatment, you can improve your health, your overall quality of life, and your life expectancy.
People with a body mass index (BMI) of 27 or higher who have an obesity-related health condition, may qualify for treatment with weight loss medications. People with a BMI of 35 or higher typically qualify for weight loss surgery (bariatric surgery).
Excess weight can often lead to digestive issues, including acid reflux (also called GERD or heartburn). Losing weight can help relieve these symptoms and reduce the risk of complications related to GERD, such as Barrett’s esophagus.
Our specialists help you explore effective treatment options to find the weight loss solutions that best suit your needs.
Your spine supports your entire body. Excess weight can put added stress on your spine and lead to back pain.
Type 2 diabetes is commonly associated with overweight and obesity. It leads to high blood sugar levels that can increase the risk of heart or kidney disease and nerve or vision damage. Weight loss surgery and weight loss medications improve blood sugar regulation and may help reverse the disease.
Fat doesn’t just collect in the outermost layers of the body, where you can see it. It can also accumulate in arteries and cause blockages that lead to heart disease. Losing weight, whether through surgery or a medical weight loss program, can help protect your heart.
When you have overweight or obesity, your heart has to work harder. These conditions can also cause inflammation and damage to your blood vessels. Together, these can lead to high blood pressure.
Excess weight can wear away the protective lining in your joints, such as in your knees and hips, making walking painful. You can help preserve your joints by achieving a healthy weight.
Internal fat can accumulate in your liver and cause tissue scarring and liver disease. Losing weight often allows the liver to heal itself.
In addition to snoring, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) causes you to stop breathing during the night. Over time, these brief losses of oxygen can damage your heart. Obesity can cause OSA, but losing weight can help improve or resolve it.
Obesity is a chronic condition that requires treatment and support throughout your life. Diet and exercise are important, but for most people with obesity, they aren’t enough to result in significant or sustained weight loss.
You may benefit from a combination of treatments—paired with lifestyle changes and ongoing support—to achieve and maintain weight loss. At Stanford Health Care, our weight loss specialists understand this and work with you to find the most effective treatment options and customize your care. Watch this video to learn more about our weight management options.
Our weight management treatments include:
Whether you have surgery, use medication, or a combination of both, you’ll also need to make healthy lifestyle changes to support your weight loss. Our team includes specialists who can guide you toward healthier eating habits and increased physical activity.
Medical weight loss treatment can include several components, but the most common is weight loss medications. When appropriate, we prescribe medications, including GLP-1s, to promote and maintain weight loss. Watch this video to learn more about weight loss medications.
Our team includes a surgeon who performs endoscopic procedures, including intragastric balloon and endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty. Intragastric balloon involves inserting a balloon through your mouth and down into your stomach. Your endoscopist inflates the balloon with saline so it fills part of your stomach. This allows you to feel full after eating less food. This procedure is temporary and reversible.
During an endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty, your endoscopist places stitches on the inside of your stomach to reduce its size. This procedure also changes the shape of your stomach to slow down digestion.
Our bariatric surgeons perform two types of minimally invasive weight loss surgery:
- Gastric bypass
- Sleeve gastrectomy
These minimally invasive procedures use very small incisions, which speed recovery and lower the risk of complications. Most patients are able to leave the hospital the day after surgery. Watch this video to learn more about bariatric surgery.
Managing obesity and maintaining weight loss requires a lifelong commitment. That’s why we provide ongoing support from a compassionate team of specialists. Throughout your weight loss journey, you have access to:
- Behavioral therapy
- Peer support groups
- Stress management resources
Related News
Our team is here to offer guidance and support at every step. Using our Circle of Care approach, we help you prepare for your procedure, deliver expert treatments, and provide comprehensive follow-up care. We’re also available to answer your questions and address your concerns. We focus on you so you can focus on healing.
We work as a team to provide each patient with an individualized weight loss plan. You’ll benefit from our expertise with different types of weight loss treatments, plus the lifestyle changes and support you need to be successful. Many of our providers are fluent in both English and Spanish.
Your Doctors and Providers
Bariatric surgeon
Weight loss surgeons are experts in minimally invasive surgical treatments for obesity. They partner with other specialists to ensure you receive comprehensive care before and after surgery.
View All {0} Bariatric SurgeonsEndoscopist
Endoscopists specialize in nonsurgical procedures, such as intragastric balloon, that are performed using an endoscope (a thin tube inserted into your esophagus).
View 1 EndoscopistObesity medicine physician
Obesity medicine doctors help patients manage weight loss and obesity-related health conditions. They may prescribe weight loss medicines, offer guidance on lifestyle changes, or recommend weight loss surgery.
View 1 Obesity Medicine PhysicianEndocrinologist
Endocrinologists specialize in diagnosing and treating hormone-related conditions, including diabetes, thyroid disorders, and obesity.
View 1 EndocrinologistAdvanced Practice Provider
Our skilled physician assistants and nurse practitioners specialize in diagnosing and treating obesity. They see patients independently and occasionally alongside your provider. Advanced practice providers are at the core of our weight loss program. They can give you a thorough exam, write prescriptions for weight loss medications, provide pre- and post-operative visits, and help prevent or treat issues.
View All 7 Advanced Practice ProvidersRegistered Dietitian Nutritionists
A healthy diet is essential to your overall health and your weight loss success. Throughout your treatment, you have the option to work with a registered dietitian nutritionist. They’ll help you understand your nutrition needs and provide specific eating plans at every stage, such as before and after surgery.
View All {0} Ophthalmic Plastic And Reconstructive SurgeonsExtended Care Team
Throughout your weight loss journey, you may meet with a variety of other specialists who contribute to your care, including:
- Cardiologists
- Physical therapists
- Psychologists
We strive to make access to care as simple as possible. User-friendly virtual health tools and video appointments help you stay connected to your care team from home. We accept most insurance plans and work with your provider to navigate coverage. We make it easy for you to get the care you deserve. Our team guides you through each step, so you can make decisions that are right for you.
For Referring Physicians
PHYSICIAN HELPLINE
Fax: 650-320-9443
Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Stanford Health Care provides comprehensive services to refer and track patients, as well as the latest information and news for physicians and office staff. For help with all referral needs and questions, visit Referral Information.
You may also submit a web referral or complete a referral form and fax it to 650-320-9443 or email the Referral Center at ReferralCenter@stanfordhealthcare.org.
- Send referrals online
- Place radiology and lab orders
- View referral status
- Access medical records