Medical Weight Loss Is Changing
How GLP-1 Medications, Surgery and Nutrition Work Together
Torrance Memorial Health is at the forefront of comprehensive weight management care, offering a full range of personalized treatments.
Over the past 20 years, weight management advice and treatment options have evolved. Today the experts at Torrance Memorial use the latest tools and strategies to deliver personalized, comprehensive weight management care.
Personalized Weight Loss Care: Combining Medications, Nutrition and Surgery
Torrance Memorial takes a multidisciplinary approach to weight management that supports patients at every stage of their journeys. This includes helping patients safely manage GLP-1 prescriptions, connecting them with nutrition and lifestyle support services and, when appropriate, offering access to surgical weight loss options—often with guidance from their primary care provider.
Torrance Memorial Physician Network family medicine physician Soohan Mansuri, MD, says it’s now easier than ever for patients to access a range of weight management options.
“Primary care providers are often a patient’s first stop on their weight management journey," Mansuri says. "At Torrance Memorial, we work closely across specialties to ensure patients have coordinated access to medical, nutritional and surgical weight loss options, along with support navigating insurance requirements for GLP-1 medications.”
Why Primary Care Providers Are Essential in Weight Management
As the use of GLP-1 weight loss medications continues to grow, it's crucial for patients who are considering using weight management medications to consult with their primary care provider first, advises Dr. Mansuri. Although GLP-1s may be available from other online or in-person sources, a primary care provider has access to valuable health and medication history that can help determine whether GLP-1s are likely to be safe and effective.
Primary care providers can refer patients to a range of local weight management programs and services—including Torrance Memorial’s in-person or online fitness classes such as yoga, strength training, Pilates, line dancing and more. Hosted in a health care setting and online, these classes are perfect for those who may not feel comfortable hitting a crowded gym or who need help getting started following an extended break from physical activity.
Why Nutrition Is Critical for Sustainable Weight Loss
Whether a patient chooses medication, lifestyle changes or weight loss surgery, nutrition is a crucial ingredient in the recipe for prolonged weight management success.
“Surgery and medications are tools, but diet and nutrition are essential to achieving the best possible outcomes,” says registered dietitian Noel Le, RDN, CNSC, who specializes in working with bariatric surgery patients. “Our pre-op classes, one-on-one counseling sessions and post-op support groups give patients the foundation and skill set they need to take ownership of their health and address psychological, emotional and lifestyle factors that impact diet.”
Torrance Memorial’s team of registered dietitians also developed the CORE4 Weight Management Program, which promotes lasting results through hands-on support and education in nutrition, physical activity and behavior modification.
Real Patient Success Stories Demonstrate Long-Term Results
Lisa Araujo, a Torrance Memorial laboratory technician who lost more than 150 pounds after gastric bypass surgery in 2009, has firsthand experience with the evolution of weight-management care. More importantly, despite numerous changes in treatment options and approaches over the years, the support she received from her bariatric surgeon, Houman Solomon, MD, and the Torrance Memorial team has remained consistent.
Torrance Memorial bariatric surgeon Houman Solomon, MD, with patient and Torrance Memorial Physician Network nurse practitioner Esmerelda Guerrero, who lost 145 pounds after gastric bypass surgery in 2021.
“Before surgery, no matter what I tried, I couldn’t keep the weight off,” says Araujo. “After my surgery, I’ve been able to maintain my weight loss for 16 years by keeping my eye on the prize—and with the help of Dr. Solomon and my team, who make it so easy to reach out and are always there to listen and help me find solutions.”
When she experienced weight gain several years after her initial procedure, Araujo was prescribed Ozempic, a GLP-1 medication, to help manage “food noise” and promote fullness—demonstrating how bariatric surgery and medications can work hand in hand.
Advice from Personal Experience
Torrance Memorial nurse practitioner Esmeralda Guerrero, FNP, also underwent bariatric surgery performed by Dr. Solomon. Her experience with weight-management care at Torrance Memorial now enables her to offer valuable advice to her patients.
“When I first met Dr. Solomon, I weighed 318 pounds. After struggling for years, I was so relieved when he told me that I had a metabolic problem and I needed a metabolic solution,” says Guerrero, who lost 145 pounds after gastric bypass surgery in 2021. “After my experience, I tell my patients that if you want to dig a ditch, you want to use the best tool available. If you have a lot of weight to lose and are living with weight-related chronic conditions, bariatric surgery is like using a tractor, medication is akin to using a shovel, and diet and exercise are like trying to dig a ditch using your hands. It’s exciting to have better tools available now.”
According to Dr. Solomon, many people don’t realize that obesity is a complex medical and psychosocial issue—and the solution often involves combining multiple treatment options to achieve optimal results.
“Surgery is an effective, long-lasting weight management solution, and medications can be effective for the right candidates. But we also offer mental health, social, exercise and nutrition support for our patients,” says Dr. Solomon, a general surgeon who is board-certified in medical and surgical weight loss. “At Torrance Memorial, we have all the tools at our disposal, and we try to tailor our treatment approach to our patients and guide them to make choices that will help them meet their short- and long-term health goals.”
A Comprehensive Solution
Regardless of where a patient is on their weight-management journey, they can find the support and treatment options they need at Torrance Memorial.
“Our approach is comprehensive, and we stay connected to our patients for life—because when it comes to weight management, the solution isn’t one-size-fits-all,” says Dr. Solomon.
If you have questions about weight management, Torrance Memorial experts have the answers.
