User experience: setup, welcome packet, and first appointment

Today I had my initial appointment via Zoom. Last week after signing up for the service and setting up Affirm, I was prompted to schedule an appointment with a doctor and with a coach, with the doctor visit first. Within an hour, a lab requisition had been sent to Quest. I went two days later to have a metabolic panel, fasting blood glucose, TSH, and a type of CRP test that predicts cardiovascular risk.

I was also sent a welcome packet, which I received within a few days. It includes a folder with information, a Bluetooth digital scale that also measures body composition, a measuring tape for waist circumference, a battery powered blood pressure meter (takes 4 AAs, not included), and some bracelets (not sure yet what those are for). The app prompted me to enter my weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure before the appointment.

In the app, I completed my first lesson which was some program basics, and I did all the steps for setup, which included downloading some apps and enabling the Calibrate app to pull data from them.

The doctor was really nice. He stated most of the doctors are endocrinologists. We talked a bit about how stigmatized obesity is when really it’s just a medical condition, and how much help medication can be in supporting behavior changes for weight loss.

He asked me what drew me to the program, what I knew about the meds, and some questions about my current health, my eating habits, weight loss attempts and weight history, and family health history. He went over my labs and talked about how the meds work. He emphasized that the coaching and gradual behavioral change are key.

Ultimately he prescribed metformin to start immediately, and a GLP-1 (didn’t say which specifically - presumably I’ll get whatever my insurance will cover). He let me know I could reach out for assistance and that a doctor would review it (not him specifically, necessarily). He reviewed possible side effects (mainly diarrhea/GI upset).

Because I am extremely fortunate to have zero obesity related issues with my cholesterol, inflammatory markers, liver tests, A1C, he would like to see me jumpstart things and stay on the meds 3-6 months. He did tell me some people are on them for longer or even for life because they promote metabolic health and reduce impacts of aging.

Within 30 minutes of the end of the half-hour long appointment I had a message about the GLP-1 approval process from the support team, and a message from the doctor about the metformin and what to expect. They use a mail order pharmacy and I was told I’ll probably have the metformin by early next week. The support team message went into detail about how they handle getting the GLP-1 approved and potential timeline. I replied to them to let them know that I had looked up what GLP-1 my insurance would cover and that it was only one specific med.

All in all, a good experience so far! The next classes/lessons aren’t available yet but I expect they will be soon, or once I’ve confirmed I’ve received and started the metformin.

I’ll post as I experience more!