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Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Prescription weight loss medicines such as GLP-1 injections are licensed only within BMI criteria and always alongside diet and activity changes; they are never prescribed for cosmetic slimming.
- Losing even 5 to 10% of body weight measurably improves blood pressure, blood sugar and joint pain.
- In licensing trials, adults using semaglutide 2.4 mg alongside lifestyle changes lost around 15% of body weight on average.
- Losing weight rapidly without trying is a symptom to investigate, not a win to enjoy.
- Crash diets rebound; a steady half to one kilogram a week is the rate most people can actually maintain.
Weight loss medication is unsafe for some people: it is not prescribed in pregnancy or breastfeeding, with an active eating disorder, or when your BMI is already in the healthy range, though you can still book for honest advice. If you are losing weight rapidly without trying, that is a symptom to investigate, not a win to enjoy. Severe, persistent abdominal pain while using a GLP-1 medicine needs urgent in-person care.
How an online consultation helps with weight loss
- A medical assessment, not a sales pitch: BMI, weight-related conditions, medicines that promote weight gain and possible hormonal drivers are checked before anyone talks treatment. You learn where you genuinely stand.
- A foundation you can live with: the doctor helps you build an eating and activity pattern that survives real life, because every licensed medicine works alongside those changes, never instead of them.
- Straight talk on the injections: what average results look like, the gut side effects most users get, and what happens to appetite when treatment stops. You decide with the full picture.
- Follow-up as standard: reviews, dose adjustments where medication is used, and a clear decision point if a treatment is not earning its place. Weight care is a programme, not a one-off consultation.
Can a doctor help me lose weight online?
Yes, within honest limits. An online doctor can assess whether weight is affecting your health, screen for medical causes of weight gain, build a realistic eating and activity plan, and assess eligibility for prescription weight loss medication, which EU licences restrict to a BMI of 30 or more, or 27 with a weight-related condition.[1] Remote prescribing rules vary by country, and fittings, scans and bariatric surgery remain in-person medicine.
If you came here for the medication detail specifically (eligibility, side effects, dosing and follow-up), our dedicated medical weight loss page covers the full programme; this page is the honest overview of everything that actually moves weight.
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What we treat online in weight loss, and what needs in-person care
Weight care is assessment-led, and the programme itself runs well by video. Usually handled online:
- Medical weight loss: eligibility, GLP-1 prescribing and follow-up.
- Lifestyle-first plans at any BMI: eating, activity and review dates.
- Screening for medical drivers of weight gain: blood tests arranged near you.
Some situations need hands-on or specialist care, and we say so at the first consultation. Assessed online, but often needs in-person or urgent care:
- Active eating disorders: specialist services, never appetite suppression; see eating disorders.
- BMI 40+ with poorly controlled complications: hospital weight-management and bariatric pathways.
- Rapid unintended weight loss: in-person investigation, not celebration.
Why weight is a medical issue, not a willpower test
Body weight is regulated by appetite hormones, genetics and environment far more than by character. When weight rises, the body defends the new weight: hunger hormones increase and energy use falls after dieting, which is why lost weight so often returns and why the World Health Organization describes obesity as a chronic, relapsing condition rather than a choice.[2] That reframing matters practically. It explains why crash diets fail, why maintenance deserves as much planning as loss, and why medication that acts on appetite signalling can genuinely help some people. It also sets a realistic target: losing even 5–10% of body weight measurably improves blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and sleep apnoea, long before anyone reaches a number they had in mind.[3]
When weight gain is a symptom, not the story
Sometimes the weight is the signpost rather than the problem: an underactive thyroid, polycystic ovary syndrome, or medicines such as some antidepressants, antipsychotics and corticosteroids can all drive gain. Marked fatigue, feeling cold, irregular periods or rapid unexplained change are reasons for blood tests before any weight loss plan, work-ups that sit alongside our care for nutrition and metabolism disorders.
What actually works for weight loss?
The foundation: eating, activity, sleep
Every successful route runs through the same straightforward base: a sustainable calorie deficit built on meals you can keep eating, protein and fibre that keep you full, at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, enough sleep, and honest accounting for alcohol.[3] A steady loss of 0.5–1 kg a week holds far better than anything faster. None of this is news, and that is the point: the doctor's job is not to reveal a secret but to help you build a version of the basics that fits your health, your medicines and your actual life, then to add medical tools where they are justified.
Expect a plateau, and treat it as physiology rather than failure: as weight falls, the body burns less and hunger rises, so the same effort eventually holds weight rather than losing it. Plateaus are where review appointments earn their place, adjusting the plan, checking medicines and deciding honestly whether the next tool is patience, medication or referral.
Prescription medication: honest expectations
GLP-1 injections such as semaglutide mimic a fullness hormone: appetite quietens, portions shrink. In licensing trials, adults using semaglutide 2.4 mg alongside lifestyle changes lost around 15% of body weight on average over about 15 months, results individual users may beat or miss by a wide margin.[1] The honesty that has to travel with that number: most users get gut side effects (nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or constipation, worst around dose increases), rarer risks include gallstones and pancreatitis, and appetite tends to return when treatment stops, taking much of the lost weight with it unless the habits hold.[1] Older options exist too: orlistat blocks some fat absorption with modest results, and naltrexone-bupropion tablets are licensed in parts of Europe.[4] Eligibility, side effects and the full programme are covered on the medical weight loss page. Buy nothing from social media sellers: falsified weight loss pens have been found in circulation, and the only safe route is a prescription dispensed by a pharmacy.
Surgery: the biggest tool, for the right situation
Bariatric surgery produces the largest and most durable losses and is the guideline route for people with severe obesity, particularly with poorly controlled complications.[3] It is hospital medicine with real trade-offs, and an online doctor's role is honest assessment and referral into a local pathway, never a substitute for it.
Which weight loss route fits your situation?
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Presentation | Likely first step | Suitable for online care? | When referral or in-person care is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| BMI 25–30, no weight-related conditions | Foundation plan: eating, activity, sleep, review; medication is generally not licensed here | Yes, for planning and follow-up | If weight keeps rising despite changes, or a medical driver is suspected |
| BMI 30+, or 27+ with a weight-related condition | Foundation plan plus assessment for GLP-1 or other licensed medication | Usually yes, where national rules allow remote prescribing | Poor response after an adequate trial, or complex disease needing specialist input |
| Weight gain with fatigue, cold intolerance or irregular periods | Blood tests and a medication review before any weight loss plan | Yes, for the work-up, with tests arranged locally | When examination or specialist endocrine care is needed |
| History of, or signs of, an eating disorder | Specialist-led support; appetite suppression is not prescribed | Online for honest advice and signposting only | Promptly, to eating disorder services |
| BMI 40+ or poorly controlled complications | Specialist weight-management assessment, sometimes including surgery | Assessment and referral online | Usually; hospital pathways are the right setting |
Availability of individual medicines and who may prescribe them vary by country; your doctor confirms what applies where you are.
Not sure which row is you? A doctor can tell you in one consultation.
See available times →What the doctor checks in an online weight loss consultation
The assessment follows the same criteria an in-person weight clinic uses. The doctor will typically check:
- BMI and weight history: current measurements, how weight has moved over years, and what you have genuinely tried, including any previous medication and what it did.
- Weight-related conditions: type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, sleep apnoea and joint problems, which change both eligibility and urgency.[3]
- Medicines and medical drivers: drugs that promote gain, and symptoms suggesting thyroid or hormonal causes worth testing first.
- Contraindications to medication: pregnancy, breastfeeding or conception plans, pancreatitis or gallbladder history, and significant gut disease.[1]
- Your relationship with food: screening for binge eating and other eating disorders, because appetite-suppressing medication there causes harm; our eating disorders page explains the right support instead.
- Goals and expectations: what a realistic result looks like for you, over what timeframe, and whether medication genuinely fits, since cosmetic use in the healthy range is declined.
When we treat weight loss online, and when we refer you
We treat online: assessment and honest advice at any BMI; structured lifestyle plans with review dates; eligibility assessment for GLP-1 medicines and orlistat, with prescribing where you meet the criteria and national rules allow; investigation of medical drivers with blood tests arranged near you; titration, side-effect management and reviews for people on treatment, including treatment started elsewhere; and plateau or regain planning, which is where medical support earns its keep.
We refer or redirect you: BMI 40+ with poorly controlled complications, where specialist weight-management or bariatric assessment is the honest next step; suspected endocrine disease needing examination; active eating disorders, which need specialist services rather than appetite suppression; pregnancy and breastfeeding; anyone under 18; and countries where starting weight loss medicines remotely is not permitted, where we say so plainly and point you to the right local route.
When to get in-person care
Seek urgent in-person care for severe, persistent abdominal pain, with or without vomiting, while using a GLP-1 medicine, as this can signal pancreatitis or gallstones, and for rapid unintended weight loss with symptoms such as night sweats or blood in the stool. If you develop signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as swelling of the face or throat or difficulty breathing, call 112 immediately.
Weight loss treatment across the EU
Prescribing rules for weight loss medicines, including the newer injectable treatments, differ between EU countries, and supply has been patchy across Europe, which has pushed some people towards unregulated online sellers. Buying these medicines outside the pharmacy system is unsafe in every EU country.
A video consultation keeps it medical: an honest assessment of whether treatment is appropriate for you, what is legitimately available where you live, and a plan that does not depend on a courier from an unregulated website.
How Mobi Doctor works
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Book a time that suits you:
open daily 7am–11pm. Most patients speak to a doctor within about 15 minutes of their booked time. no subscription, exact price up front.
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Speak to a licensed doctor about weight loss:
a private video call from anywhere in Europe about your weight, your health and your goals, without judgement, at your pace.
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Leave with your plan:
everything agreed before you hang up: any prescription reaches a pharmacy near you in most EU countries, or a full refund.
No sign-up needed
Frequently asked questions about weight loss
Can an online doctor prescribe weight loss medication in Europe?
Sometimes, after a consultation: a prescription is never issued without one. The doctor first assesses your BMI, health history and contraindications by video, and prescribes only when a licensed medicine is clinically right for you and your country’s rules allow remote prescribing. Where they do not, you are told plainly and pointed to the right local route.
How much does a weight loss consultation cost?
The exact price of a video consultation is shown before payment, and there is no subscription. If the doctor can’t treat you online, you get a full refund and clear directions to the right care. An honest “medication is not right for you” counts as real advice, not a wasted appointment.
How quickly can I speak to a doctor about my weight?
Appointments are available daily from 7am to 11pm, often within about 15 minutes. Starting medication is never rushed, though: the first consultation is an assessment, and treatment follows only if you meet the criteria and understand the side effects and follow-up plan.
Do I have to take medication to get help?
No. Many consultations end in a structured lifestyle plan, a medication review, or blood tests to check for a medical driver of weight gain, with no weight loss drug involved. Medication is one tool, offered when licensed criteria are met, never a condition of getting help.
How much weight will I lose?
A realistic lifestyle-based loss is around 0.5–1 kg a week during active loss phases, though results vary widely, and in trials semaglutide 2.4 mg added an average loss of about 15% of body weight over 15 months alongside lifestyle change. Even 5–10% delivers measurable health improvements, which is a better goal than a dream number.
Will the weight come back afterwards?
It will try to. Appetite hormones push weight back after loss, and much of the weight lost on GLP-1 medicines returns after stopping if nothing else has changed. That is why maintenance is planned from the start, medication is stopped deliberately rather than abruptly, and the eating and activity foundation carries the long term.
Is BMI a fair way to judge my weight?
It is a useful screening number, not a verdict. BMI misreads very muscular people and says nothing about where fat sits, which matters for health. Doctors use it alongside waist measurement, weight-related conditions and your history, and licensing rules for weight loss medicines are written around BMI, which is why it still appears in every eligibility conversation.
Sources & further reading
- Wegovy (semaglutide): European public assessment report, EMA, European Medicines Agency, 2022 (updated).
- Obesity and overweight: fact sheet, WHO, World Health Organization, 2024.
- Obesity: Clinical Knowledge Summary, NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries, revised 2024.
- Mysimba (naltrexone/bupropion): European public assessment report, EMA, European Medicines Agency, 2015 (updated).
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.
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