Blogs

We are thrilled to announce that we have officially passed certification and are now LegitScript Certified! If you haven't heard of LegitScript: they're the independent third-party certification that verifies healthcare providers and pharmacies operate legally, safely, and transparently. Google and major payment processors use it to decide which medical businesses are legitimate. Getting certified is genuinely hard — imagine an intense IRS audit, then double the scrutiny. The

At Pacific Northwest Medical Group, we're thrilled to announce a groundbreaking development in weight loss treatment: the FDA has just approved a new flavor of Semaglutide — CHOCOLATE. Yes, you read that right. Now patients can enjoy the benefits of this proven medication while indulging in the rich, decadent taste of chocolate. Early reports suggest other flavors in development include salted caramel, birthday cake, and — pending FDA review — a limited-edition Pumpkin Spice

An update on my own journey. March 22, 2024, I took my first dose of Tirzepatide. 52 weeks later: 53 pounds gone. I'm 12 pounds from my goal weight of 190. And here's the number I actually want to talk about: I averaged 1 pound per week. Not dramatic. Just relentless. But look at the graphs at the bottom and you'll see the part that almost broke me: a three-month plateau — October, November, December — where I barely lost 2 pounds total. Three solid months of doing everything

Since day one, one of our clinic's most distinctive features has been this: no appointment needed. Want to pick up your medication, get your monthly 3D scan, or come in for your weekly injection? Just... come in. We built it this way deliberately. Life is hectic — jobs, kids, schedules that laugh at calendars. If staying on your program requires booking an appointment two weeks out every time you need something, people fall off. Not because they don't care, but because fricti

My first 3D body scan was done at the end of April 2024 — but I took my first dose of Tirzepatide on March 29th, a month earlier. That gap has always bothered me because the scans don't capture the full journey. Fortunately, thanks to our Renpho smart scale, I have all the data from day one. And I'm sharing it below as an example of one patient's journey on these medications — mine. March 29, 2024 to now: 44 weeks, roughly a pound a week, every week, on average. Now here's th

That phrase — Real Support — is the foundation of everything we do. It's the first third of our motto: Real Support, Real Results, Real Transformations. And I want to show you what it actually looks like, because patients who come to us from other places (especially online providers) are genuinely surprised by it. Meet Patient "HH." HH hit a plateau — weight stuck for several weeks. This is one of the most common situations we deal with, which is why we wrote the two stall ar

Thanks to our Styku 3D body scanner — an integral part of our program — I can see my body changing over the last nine months. And you can too. That's the whole point of this post. Honest disclosure first: I actually started medication about two months BEFORE my first scan. I wish I had a scan from day one to show the complete journey — by the April 29th, 2024 scan I'd already lost 15 lbs on my own. But the data I do have tells the story. Starting weight: 255.2 lbs. Current: 2

Hello all — A recent Medical Xpress article put numbers on something we've watched closely since day one at the clinic, so I wanted to share it (full article at the bottom, as always). Here's the concern: GLP-1 medications (Semaglutide and Tirzepatide) are incredibly effective at cutting weight — but studies show up to 40% of the weight lost can come from lean body mass. Your muscle. Yikes. That's a problem, because muscle is what keeps your metabolism running, protects you w

Hey everyone — at our clinics we've emphasized protein alongside medication from day one. Now the research confirms what we've been advocating all along: protein is KEY for GLP-1 patients. Here's the connection. Semaglutide and Tirzepatide work by mimicking the hormone that regulates appetite — you eat less, which is the point. But "eating less" without a plan has a trap in it: lose weight too carelessly and a chunk of what you lose is muscle, not fat. Studies suggest up to 4

If Part 1 was about eating too little (the most common stall cause we see), Part 2 is about the sneakier one: set points. Look at my own weight graph from a while back. For nearly three full months, I bounced around 228 — up a pound, down a pound, nothing. Then, in the last few weeks of that stretch, I dropped to 217 like someone cut a rope. That's a textbook set point break. Here's what's happening. Your body has a built-in weight thermostat — an ancient survival system desi

Hey everyone — looking for another reason these medications pencil out? Cornell's business school just put a number on it. A study from Cornell's SC Johnson College of Business, working with consumer data firm Numerator, found that households with a GLP-1 user cut their grocery spending by about 9%. Nine percent off the grocery bill — every month — as a downstream effect of the appetite changes these medications produce. Run your own math: if your family spends $800 a month o

Here are my end-of-year scan results covering the last seven and a half months — and as always, I'm posting the real data, not just the highlight reel. 3D body scans are a big part of our program at Pacific Northwest Medical Group because we work hard to make sure patients are losing weight CORRECTLY. What does correctly mean? Fat disappearing, muscle staying. No "Ozempic face," no withered look that comes from careless crash weight loss. The scan is how we prove it — for our

This is one of the most common questions we hear at the clinic, so let's deal with it properly. First thing to remember: weight loss, like weight gain, never happens in a straight line. Never. We look at averages over weeks and months — and please, don't be the twice-a-day weigh-in person. It'll just drive your anxiety through the roof while telling you nothing useful. But let's be honest — we're all human, and we want to see constant progress. With 1,300+ patients through ou

Since we announced our Invisa-RED machine treatments, we've been flooded with appointment requests — which is great! But it also means it's time for a refresher on what this treatment is actually for, because using it at the RIGHT time makes all the difference. Invisa-RED uses red light and infrared technology to target fat in specific areas. Patients love it for the spots that frustrate them — the areas that hold on even when everything else is cooperating. Now, the importan

Hey everyone — posting my latest 3D body scan results, and this month I want to follow the advice we give our own patients: DON'T obsess about the scale. Look at the journey holistically. Quick reminder: we provide these scans FREE to every patient as part of the program. This month we're going to peek at the INCHES that have changed since I started on Tirzepatide. [My 7-month comparison scan is below — the scanner ensures my arms are at the same angle and stance every time,

The body scans we do for patients are an integral part of our program — I've written about them more than any other single topic, and I mean it every time: the scale is diabolical, the scan tells the truth. But here's something that's been stressing me out: about 8% of our patients can't get successful scans with the infrared laser our current Styku uses. Body type, skin tone, positioning — for a meaningful minority, the machine just doesn't capture cleanly. Eight percent of

Welcome to Turkey Day 2024! For many of our patients — including some of our own staff — this will be your first Thanksgiving while taking a GLP-1. Some of you just started; others are months in. We've had a few questions about how to approach the big event (or series of events — this is party season), so here are the staff's collective thoughts. The short notes first, because we know you're busy: Only take small portions of items you know you can tolerate Stay hydrated If pe

Hey everyone — as director of the top medical weight loss clinic in Pierce County (yes, I'll say it :-), I keep an eye on the business pages too, and this one made me smile: The Hershey Company publicly acknowledged a "mild impact" on sales from the growing popularity of GLP-1 medications like Semaglutide and Tirzepatide. Translation from corporate-speak: people on these medications are buying less candy, and the biggest candy company in America noticed. Add it to the list. M

I often share my own body scan and results, but we recently got permission from one of our patients "JN" to share her results. She has...