The scale stopped moving and you're doing everything the same. Dr. Raina Patel, explains the biology behind the weight loss plateau: why hunger hormones shift and stay shifted, what metabolic adaptation really is, why a plateau on Wegovy or Zepbound is expected rather than failure, the medical causes nobody checks, and how to tell a real plateau from a look-alike.

Educational only, not medical advice.

Follow Dr. Raina Patel:

• Instagram: @drrainapatel
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• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3mVmg2ILXrnYDMklGnv6T0?si=59b15e4179b64f27
• Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finally-with-dr-raina-patel/id1896908922

Heart disease is the number one killer of women, and fewer than half of women know it. In this episode, Dr. Raina Patel explains why the years around menopause are a turning point for the heart: what estrogen does for blood vessels, why cholesterol, blood pressure, and belly fat can shift within a few years even when habits stay the same, and which parts of a woman's history (pregnancy complications, early menopause, years of hot flashes) raise risk further. She looks at who carries the heaviest risk, gives a short, clear answer on hormone therapy and the heart, and closes with the exact tests to ask for at the next visit and how a heart attack can look different in women.

Dr. Raina Patel is a physician board certified in Family Medicine and Obesity Medicine. New episodes every Monday (women's health) and Wednesday (obesity medicine). Follow along on Instagram @drrainapatel.

A "normal" cholesterol result can still hide real heart risk. Dr. Raina Patel explains ApoB, Lp(a), the new 2026 guidelines, how GLP-1s and weight loss change your lipids, the latest medications, and the truth about statin myths. The numbers your panel isn't showing you - and what to do about them.

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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3mVmg2ILXrnYDMklGnv6T0?si=59b15e4179b64f27

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finally-with-dr-raina-patel/id1896908922

Dr. Raina Patel sits down with Dr. Kimberly Bekemeier, a board-certified family physician and founder of Hormone Harmony OC, a membership-based women's primary care practice in Huntington Beach focused on perimenopause, menopause, and hormone therapy. Together they walk through menopause in plain language: what's actually happening in the body, the symptoms that get missed or dismissed, and what real treatment options look like today. Whether you're in the thick of it or just starting to wonder, this is the menopause primer every woman deserves.

Find Dr. Bekemeier at hormoneharmonyoc.com and on Instagram @hormoneharmonyoc.

Sources: Hormone Harmony OC

Follow Dr. Raina Patel:

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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3mVmg2ILXrnYDMklGnv6T0?si=59b15e4179b64f27

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finally-with-dr-raina-patel/id1896908922

In this episode, Dr. Raina Patel breaks down how to actually read a nutrition label, in the order that matters. She walks through why serving size changes every other number on the panel, why protein deserves attention before calories, and the real difference between total sugar and added sugar. The episode also covers fiber, sodium, common marketing terms like "reduced sugar" and "multigrain," and specific ingredients worth recognizing by name, including hydrogenated oils, sodium nitrite, and non-nutritive sweeteners.

Follow Dr. Raina Patel:Instagram: @drrainapatelYouTube: @drrainapatelSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3mVmg2ILXrnYDMklGnv6T0Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finally-with-dr-raina-patel/id1896908922

Women's Health Mondays · Episode · Guest appearance

This episode originally aired on The Dr. Francavilla Show. She invited me on, and I'm grateful she did. If you're not already following her show, start here: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qEaWFEYAm7RPE9oXv1Hq5?si=4e0a8baa13894663

Weight gain in midlife is one of the most common things women bring to me, and it is almost always framed as a personal failure. It isn't. Dr. Francavilla and I sat down for a conversation about what actually changes in the body during perimenopause and menopause, why the same habits stop producing the same results, and what the evidence supports for treatment.

We start with the biology: what falling estrogen does to fat distribution, muscle mass, insulin sensitivity, and sleep, and why those shifts show up on the scale even when nothing about your routine has changed. Then we get into what helps, including hormone therapy, nutrition and protein, resistance training, and where anti-obesity medications fit for women in this stage of life.

Dr. Raina Patel breaks down the wellness peptide trend taking over Instagram and TikTok, BPC-157, CJC-1295, Ipamorelin, Tesamorelin, and NAD, separating what’s backed by human evidence from what’s marketing. She covers why this category exploded, the FDA’s ongoing review of whether to widen access to several of these compounds, the regulatory gray zone around “research use only” products, real safety concerns, and how to critically evaluate a peptide claim before trying it.

PMOS, formerly known as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), is one of the most common hormonal conditions affecting women, yet it's also one of the most misunderstood. In this episode, Dr. Raina Patel sits down with Dr. Shehzein Khan, a board-certified family physician and founder of Solace Primary Care in Newport Beach, to break down what a PMOS diagnosis actually means, why insulin resistance plays such a central role, and what the current testing and treatment options really look like beyond birth control. They cover the metabolic risks that often go unaddressed, where supplements fit into the picture, what PMOS means for periods and fertility, and some of the most persistent misconceptions patients hear about the condition. Dr. Khan is passionate about helping patients understand what's actually happening in their bodies and what to do next, and as a mom to a toddler herself, she brings a personal understanding of how much health can shift through different life stages. Whether newly diagnosed or years into managing PMOS, listeners will walk away with a clearer, more complete picture of their condition and their options.

Follow Dr. Khan: @dr.shehzeinkhan (Instagram & TikTok) | solaceprimarycare.com

Follow Dr. Raina Patel:

Instagram: @drrainapatel

YouTube: @drrainapatel

Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/3mVmg2ILXrnYDMklGnv6T0⁠⁠⁠

Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finally-with-dr-raina-patel/id1896908922⁠⁠⁠

Email: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Everyone is wearing a device that tracks their health, but what do the numbers actually mean? Dr. Raina Patel breaks down fitness trackers, continuous glucose monitors, smart rings, and sleep trackers: what each one measures accurately, where the marketing outruns the evidence, and how to use the data for your metabolic health without letting it run your life.

Follow Dr. Raina Patel:

Instagram: @drrainapatel

YouTube: @drrainapatel

Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/3mVmg2ILXrnYDMklGnv6T0⁠⁠⁠

Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finally-with-dr-raina-patel/id1896908922⁠⁠⁠

Email: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Most women are told to come back when their periods stop. Dr. Raina Patel explains why that advice costs them years.

In this episode she breaks down what perimenopause actually is, why it starts in the mid-forties and can run close to a decade, and why the biology is not a slow estrogen decline but a period of wide hormonal swings. She covers the two cycle changes that tell you which stage you're in, the symptoms beyond hot flashes that rarely get connected to hormones, and why a normal FSH result cannot rule any of it out.

She also walks through treatment: hormone therapy in perimenopause and how it differs from postmenopausal care, contraception, and nonhormonal options. Plus the bleeding patterns that need evaluation, and what should be monitored for bone and heart health during this window.

This episode is for general education and is not medical advice.

Follow Dr. Raina Patel:

Instagram: @drrainapatel

YouTube: @drrainapatel

Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/3mVmg2ILXrnYDMklGnv6T0⁠⁠⁠

Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finally-with-dr-raina-patel/id1896908922⁠⁠⁠

Email: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠