When contemplating losing weight, many of us are overwhelmed by the entire process. There are all kinds of diets and medications out there, but how do we know which ones actually work, and which ones are right for our bodies?
Simple Weight Solutions in Franklin takes the onus off of people who want to look and feel their best. “We customize for each person,” says Trent Patton, who founded the business in November of 2023 with his neighbor and friend, Joel Baker. “We really want to learn about you. So what have you tried in the past? Why do you want to lose weight? To feel better? To live longer and see your grandkids? Those things are important for us to know.”
His clients have told him time and again that when they went to other weight-loss centers they just felt like a number. “I'm a big believer in the experience the customer has and the results they have. We help them get to where they want to be, to learn how to make better choices, and we give them the tools to have healthier, happier lives. That's the goal for us.”
Trent can relate to many of their clients because he has personally struggled with his weight in the past. Tirzepatide injections, along with a healthy lifestyle, helped him lose the extra pounds, but he was frustrated by the cost and lack of availability of these types of weight-loss medications. He wants to help others gain easier access to them in a cost-effective way.
“Joel is a PA [physician’s assistant], his wife's a PA, and my wife's a nurse practitioner,” he says. “I was always hearing these stories about how they help people, and I was a little bit envious, because I thought that it was really cool how they were affecting people's lives. Now I get to do it too.”
One of their clients came in to lose about 80 pounds and had tried many different things before that hadn't worked for her. She thought it was all her fault. At Simple Weight Solutions, she started with injections, and the first month lost a little bit of weight. The
second and third month, she started losing significant amounts of weight.
“We have a 3D body scanner that we start everybody with,” says Trent. “It shows clients their exact measurements and fat versus muscle. Four months later, after she had lost around 60 pounds, and we put her back on the 3D scanner. She couldn’t believe how successful she had been. She was crying and so happy, and it's those stories that really keep us motivated to find more people to help.”
For Joel, being a PA for more than 16 years has exposed him to the many of the illnesses that being overweight can cause or exacerbate, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. “Finally, we have these weight-loss drugs that can reverse disease processes, and to me, that’s really exciting,” he says. “Even though I’ve helped people in my career, I've never really felt like I’ve cured anybody. Having a business that can literally reverse diseases and where I get to see people become healthier has been really refreshing.”
Simple Weight Solutions offers a number of ways in which people can meet their goals, and not just with injections. “You have to have a certain BMI in order to be approved for semaglutide or tirzepatide,” says Trent. “If someone doesn’t meet that criteria, but needs to lose weight, we have options.”
Some of these include Weight Loss Counseling & Support, Individualized Diet & Nutrition, and Red Light Therapy, along with Lipotropic and B12 Injections, and other vitamin shots. There are also packages for women suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) that help make life more comfortable by lessening its symptoms.
Everyone on the team is hand-picked by Trent and Joel. “We're making sure they are trained properly and they're following protocols,” says Joel. “Every patient is seen and followed up by a medical physician. All medication is obtained from a 403B compounding pharmacy under FDA regulation, so it's actually more stringent than your neighborhood compounding pharmacy.”
With the holiday season upon us, having access to weight management solutions is more important than ever. Many people tend to eat and drink much more in November and December than in other months. “It's important not to indulge on every occasion and to make healthier choices by staying away from simple sugars and carbs,” says Joel. “Those really are the things that make people
gain a lot of weight during this time, not to mention the inflammatory effects that it causes.”
Also Joel explains, weight-loss medications are really great at staving off hunger and decreasing cravings, especially for sugar. If someone is not a candidate for the medication, there are oral supplements they can give to help deal with these issues as well.
“At Thanksgiving, you can splurge a little,” says Trent. “You're going to want to eat your aunt's favorite dish and there's nothing wrong with that. But just keep it to that one day and then get back to your plan and your healthy eating.”
The two friends and business partners live in Spring Hill with their families, but they’re happy to have their company in Franklin. “We love it,” says Trent. “We found a good location and we're really excited to be here.” SimpleWeightSolutions.com