Medical weight loss at GIOSTAR pairs a weekly injection with monthly check-ins on your dose, your labs and your body composition. A nurse practitioner prescribes the medicine when it is appropriate for you, teaches you the injection, and sees you every month. You start with a free consultation, and you get your full monthly total before you book.
This article follows the program in order: the first visit, the lab work, the medicine, the monthly check-ins, coaching and what happens if you stop. It names no drug brands and no weight figures, because the plan your nurse practitioner builds depends on your history and your labs.
What medical weight loss is
Medical weight loss is a program run by a licensed provider that pairs a prescription medicine with monitoring and support. The medicine at the center of most programs belongs to a class called GLP-1 medicines. They work with a gut hormone involved in appetite and fullness. Some also work with a second hormone, called GIP. When it is appropriate for you, your nurse practitioner prescribes the medicine.
The program around the medicine matters as much as the medicine. At GIOSTAR, every plan combines four parts, and your nurse practitioner sets each one with you.
- A weekly injection, prescribed when it is appropriate for you, with training on the injection you give yourself at home.
- Monthly check-ins where your provider reviews your dose, side effects and body composition and sets your next step with you.
- Lab testing at a Quest location near you, with your nurse practitioner reviewing the results before any prescription.
- A coaching add-on, with one-on-one sessions for meal planning and a daily protein target, added at any program visit.
How medical weight loss works at GIOSTAR, step by step
- Free consultation. Our patient team talks with you, free and with no obligation. We explain how the program works, ask what you would like to be doing differently, walk you through each step and the pricing, and book your visit with a nurse practitioner.
- Meet your nurse practitioner. An in-person visit at our Henderson wellness center. Your nurse practitioner reviews your weight history, your medications and past attempts, and sets your total.
- Labs. GIOSTAR orders your panel, you book the draw at a Quest location near you, and results come back in about a week.
- Your plan. If it is appropriate, your nurse practitioner prescribes the medicine and trains you on the weekly injection.
- Check-ins and maintenance. We see you monthly, step your dose with you, and build a maintenance plan as you near your goal.
The first visit
Bring your medication and supplement list. Your nurse practitioner will ask about your full health history, including pregnancy, breastfeeding or plans to become pregnant, and any planned surgery or procedure with sedation. These medicines slow stomach emptying, so tell your provider as early as you can about any procedure, and your provider and your surgical team decide together how to handle your dose.
Your health history decides whether you qualify, and your nurse practitioner confirms it. If a simpler option suits you better, our team tells you at your consultation.
Labs and the weekly injection
You book the blood draw for your 100+ biomarker panel at a nearby Quest location after GIOSTAR orders it. Your nurse practitioner reviews the results with you before prescribing anything. See what a full-body blood panel measures for what the panel covers.
Once your nurse practitioner prescribes, you learn the injection at the center and give it yourself at home, once a week. Your dose rises in steps at least 4 weeks apart, and reaching the full dose can take about 16 to 20 weeks, if you need it. Each month, your provider reviews your weight, body composition and side effects, then sets your next dose with you.
Your nurse practitioner tells you exactly which product they would prescribe for you, brand-name or compounded, before you start. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved. Ask any question about your medication at your consultation.
The monthly check-in
At every check-in we track your weight and body composition, how you are handling each dose step, and your hunger and energy between doses. If vomiting or diarrhea keeps going, we check your kidney labs.
Nausea can show up after a dose step, and for most people it fades within about a week. Smaller meals, slower eating and less greasy food help. If severe belly pain will not stop, or vomiting leaves you dehydrated, call us right away at 702.703.5393.
If you miss a dose, call us before you take it. The right step depends on which medicine you use and how many days have passed. Never double up to catch up.
Coaching, nutrition and lifestyle support
The program includes nutrition and lifestyle support. Coaching adds one-on-one help with the food side of your plan: your coach builds meals around a daily protein target you set together, and the plan changes as your dose and appetite change. To add coaching, ask at any program visit.
What happens when you stop
Together with your provider, you plan any step down. Your provider walks through the eating and strength habits you carry forward and sets the next step at your check-in.
What decides the total
Your medicine and dose, the lab work behind your plan, and whether you add coaching decide the monthly total. Your program covers nurse practitioner visits, dose reviews, injection training and body composition tracking at every visit, plus nutrition and lifestyle support. GIOSTAR prices the medication by medicine and dose, and you get your full monthly total before you start. Your nurse practitioner gives it to you at your free consultation.
Insurance plans generally do not cover medical weight loss at GIOSTAR, a self-pay service. Cherry offers monthly payment plans for qualified applicants.
Medical weight loss at GIOSTAR in Henderson
GIOSTAR stands for Global Institute of Stem Cell Therapy and Research. Founded by Dr. Anand Srivastava, GIOSTAR International is part of a network across three countries, built on research at Salk, UC San Diego, UC Irvine and UCLA. Our Henderson wellness center is at 2482 W. Horizon Ridge Pkwy, Ste 100, Henderson, NV 89052, with free parking at the door. Dr. Ryan Peterson, our Medical Director, oversees care.
Your first step is a free consultation with our patient team. Call 702.703.5393 or read more about medical weight loss at GIOSTAR. If you want labs and a longer plan around them, see what longevity medicine is.
