Medical Weight Loss

About Ideal Health MD

We are a physician supervised medical weight loss clinic currently servicing Arkansas residents. Our program utilizes a comprehensive framework to treat and prevent weight related chronic health problems by helping you achieve a healthy weight. Our program adheres to the pillars of the Obesity Medicine Association which includes nutritional counseling, medication management, activity counseling and behavior therapy to help you achieve your weight loss goals. We are committed to creating a safe and non-judgmental environment where patients can receive comprehensive evaluations, personalized treatment plans, and ongoing support. Our program is designed and run by Dr. Jill Bryson who is board certified in both Family Medicine and Obesity Medicine.

Dr. Bryson specializes in medical weight loss. She is a Board Certified Family Medicine Physician and a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine. She is an active member of the Obesity Medicine Association and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Dr. Bryson has a special interest in obesity medicine and is dedicated to helping each patient achieve sustainable weight loss and improved health outcomes through a multidisciplinary approach that includes medical management, nutritional and exercise counseling, and behavioral therapy. Dr. Bryson is committed to empowering patients to take control of their health and well-being and to live their lives to the fullest. Dr. Bryson has been helping patients like you achieve long-term weight loss success for over 15 years.

Our Approach

Nutrition

One of the cornerstones of our treatment protocol centers on nutrition. We focus on a healthy diet that includes all the necessary nutrients needed for your body to move and function properly. We coach on a wide variety of healthy eating plans including Mediterranean, Paleo, very low carb (Atkins, Ketogenic), intermittent fasting, low fat (DASH, Ornish, Zone), plant-based, as well as pre and post bariatric surgery eating plans. We also offer medical grade meal replacements as a tool to facilitate weight loss for some individuals. We are not concerned with getting you on any particular diet. Instead we want to focus on helping you find the healthy eating plan that is right for you. The best eating plan is the one that you can stick to, will help you achieve your weight loss goals, and improve your overall health.

Physical Activity

Exercise has many health benefits and is important for maintaining your weight. There are many options when you are starting an exercise program, and there is no best exercise. All types of exercise can improve your health. The most important thing is to commit to a routine of movement and work on progressing over time. We help tailor an exercise plan that you can enjoy and stick to.

Behavior

There are healthy behaviors (eating, psychological, sleep) that are key to supporting your weight loss. Changing behaviors can take up to 3 months so it’s important to remain positive, focus on your goal, and surround yourself with family and friends who can encourage you in healthy habits. We encourage fostering a positive relationship with food by seeing it as fuel for your body rather than a reward. This also includes eating based on what your body needs (physical hunger) rather than how you feel (emotional hunger). We also identify and treat eating disorders and food addictions, as well as address many underlying psychiatric issues such as depression and anxiety that can have a negative impact on your weight.

Medication

Weight-loss medications, also called anti-obesity medications (AOMs), are an integral part of the treatment plan for obesity. As a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine, Dr. Bryson is knowledgable in the use of different classes of AOMs that are not only for appetite suppression, but also useful for addiction, cravings, insulin resistance, and for eating disorders. Besides prescribing weight loss medications, we also look at your current medications that you take for other chronic health conditions and we will optimize them to enable you to lose weight. Along with weight loss, our goal is to help you eliminate as many of your long term medications for these chronic weight related health problems as possible and help you achieve a healthy lifestyle.