Weight loss carewith a physicianwho stays with you.
Individualized medical treatment built around your health and your progress — not a prescription mailed to your door.
Essam Saad, MD — board certified in internal medicine, obesity medicine, and lifestyle medicine.
Medication is one tool. Care is the treatment.
Most people arriving here have already tried on their own, more than once. What has usually been missing is not willpower — it is a physician following the details: how your body responds, what your labs show, and what needs to change as you go.
Dr. Saad evaluates each patient medically, builds a plan around their health and goals, and adjusts it over time based on progress, tolerance, and results. Prescription medications, including GLP-1 medications, are part of that plan when they are medically appropriate — never the whole of it.
What your care includes
Every patient starts with a full medical evaluation. From there the program is yours — shaped by your health history, your goals, and how your body responds.
Initial medical evaluation
A full review of your health history, current medications, and what has and hasn't worked before.
Nutrition and lifestyle counseling
Practical guidance built around how you actually eat, work, and move — not a printed meal plan.
Regular follow-up visits
Ongoing physician visits to review how treatment is working and change course when needed.
Progress monitoring
Body measurements and tracking over time, so decisions are based on your data rather than guesswork.
Prescription medications
Including GLP-1 medications when medically appropriate, prescribed and monitored by your physician.
Laboratory testing
Bloodwork to evaluate metabolic health and uncover factors that may be affecting your weight.
Weight is a symptom. Labs help find the cause.
Thyroid disease, insulin resistance, lipid disorders, and hormonal changes all affect how the body holds weight — and all of them are treatable once identified. Testing is selected based on your history, and results guide the plan from there.
Where you are starting
BMI is a rough screening number, not a diagnosis — but it is a common starting point in a first conversation. Yours stays on this page; nothing is sent or saved.
Lifestyle & early treatment
First-line medications
GLP-1 / GIP therapy
Ranges drawn from STEP, SURMOUNT, Look AHEAD, and DPP trials. Individual results vary.
Start the conversationBMI is a screening tool, not a diagnosis. Waist circumference, family history, and metabolic labs all matter — Dr. Saad reviews the whole picture with you.
Essam Saad, MD
Dr. Saad is an internal medicine physician who treats obesity as what it is — a medical condition with causes worth investigating and treatments worth adjusting. He sees patients at two family practices in Lake and Marion County, where Modern Lifestyle Medicine patients are cared for.
Internal medicine training means the whole picture is in view: blood pressure, blood sugar, thyroid, cholesterol, and the medications a patient may already be taking. Board certification in both obesity and lifestyle medicine is uncommon in the area, and it shapes how care is delivered here.
- ABIMAmerican Board of Internal Medicine
- ABOMAmerican Board of Obesity Medicine
- ABLMAmerican Board of Lifestyle Medicine
Where to find us
Dr. Saad sees Modern Lifestyle Medicine patients at two established family practices, currently on Mondays by appointment. When you call, ask for Dr. Saad.
Umatilla
Umatilla, FL 32784
Weirsdale
Weirsdale, FL 32195
Paying for your care
There are two ways to work with Dr. Saad, and which one you choose determines how visits are paid for.
As your primary care physician
If Dr. Saad becomes your primary care physician, your visits are typically covered by insurance — weight management is treated as part of your overall care. Call either office and we will verify your plan.
Weight loss care alongside your own PCP
If you keep your current primary care physician and see Dr. Saad for weight loss only, insurance usually does not cover the visit — these are self-pay at $300–$400 per month, confirmed up front before you start. Medications are billed separately through your pharmacy, and coverage for them varies by plan.
Patients on their care
Questions patients ask first
- Do I have to take medication?
- No. Medication is prescribed when it is medically appropriate for you, and that is a decision made together after your evaluation. Some patients are treated without it.
- Do you prescribe GLP-1 medications?
- Yes, when they are medically appropriate. They are prescribed and monitored by Dr. Saad as part of ongoing care, with follow-up visits to review how you are tolerating treatment and adjust as needed.
- How often will I be seen?
- You will have regular follow-up visits throughout the program. The schedule depends on your treatment plan and how you are progressing.
- Is bloodwork required?
- Lab testing is used to evaluate your metabolic health and identify anything affecting your weight. Which tests are ordered depends on your history.
- How long does the program last?
- There is no fixed end date. Treatment is adjusted over time based on your progress, tolerance, lab results, and goals.
- Do you take my insurance?
- Coverage varies by plan. Call either office and we will verify your benefits before your first visit. Self-pay is also available.
Start with one visit.
A first appointment is an evaluation and a conversation — your history, your goals, and an honest answer about what treatment would look like for you.
