Every January, weight loss usually tops the list of New Year’s resolutions for Australians, with travelling and calling friends more often also ranking high. For weight loss, motivation is high, routines are reset and goals are clearly defined. Yet for many, progress stalls within weeks.
Gyms fill up with an influx of eager new members, meal plans are downloaded and sugary snacks are banished from the pantry. But as work pressures return and daily routines settle back in, old habits can quickly re-emerge. For some, the frustration isn’t just about slipping up – it’s about feeling as though they’re fighting their own body.
According to Apex Health Co-Founder Kyle Stewart, the issue often isn’t commitment.
“I think the main issue now is we’re realising that weight gain is not a thing of willpower, it’s like a biochemical issue,” Stewart said.
“That’s why treating it with medication actually makes sense.”
In other words, even the most determined resolution can be undermined by biology. “You can have a New Year’s resolution set out… [but] you always fall to bad habits because you may just be wired to be like that.”
With increasing media attention on medications such as GLP-1 treatments, some Australians may assume weight loss is simply a matter of getting a prescription. Stewart says Apex’s program is designed to be broader than that.
“Our program pulls together exercise physiology, and even psychology if the person needs it, physiotherapy if they need it, and then also the medication to support them,” Stewart explained.
Further resources include access to a dietitian, and even regular healthy eating webinars.
Exercise physiology equals structured, evidence-based exercise support. Even when medication is part of a treatment plan, movement remains important.
“There’s a lot of benefit to patients getting in the gym, moving, building up their muscle mass,” Stewart said.
Dietary guidance is also key. Patients may receive advice on “modifying their diet so that they’re more protein” or making other adjustments that complement treatment.
Apex notes that patients can choose how much of the program they participate in. However, “especially for our veterans, if they want the most benefits, they take the entire program as we prescribe it,” Stewart said.
Weight management can become more complex with age. Apex says around “50% of our patient base right now on the weight program are over 60”.
“I think for older people they do struggle to stick to a program,” Stewart said.
“But our program has been built to support people over 60 on their weight loss journey in a safe environment where they’ve got support from us to achieve those goals.”
That support can include additional onboarding checks and gathering pathology information where needed. Further checks may be conducted at the beginning of the onboarding process to ensure that the program is the right fit for the patient.
While some providers may avoid prescribing for older Australians, Apex says it takes the time to understand comorbidities and tailor treatment accordingly.
Beyond one-on-one consultations, Apex runs “a webinar every month with a dietitian” that patients can join.
These webinars were originally designed to help rural and remote Australians who couldn’t access in-person dietitians but are now available to all patients.
Further support is flexible and can be scaled up to suit individual needs, but this is entirely at the disposal of the patient, who can decide what is right for them.
If patients require more time with an exercise physiologist or a referral to psychology, “we can refer to that as well”.
One of the most consistent pieces of feedback Apex reports is the sense of renewed agency patients feel.
“It’s interesting, we do get a lot of feedback that for the first time in their life people feel like they’ve got control over their diet and their eating habits,” Stewart said.
“They feel they’re actually getting somewhere for the first time in their association with food.”
For many Australians who have cycled through diets and resolutions for years, that perception of progress may be just as important as the number on the scales.
Weight loss remains deeply personal and medically complex. While lifestyle changes alone may work for some, others may benefit from a medically supervised, multi-disciplinary model.
Apex Health positions its program as a telehealth-based, structured option that combines medication (where appropriate), exercise physiology, dietetic input and psychological support.
As always, Australians considering weight loss treatment should consult qualified healthcare professionals to determine what approach is right for them.