The Dr. Francavilla Show

Dr. Francavilla
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Carolynn Francavilla, MD is Board Certified in Family Medicine and a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine. She owns and operates Green Mountain Partners for Health and Colorado Weight Care. Dr. Francavilla is a nationally recognized obesity expert, lecturing on the topic obesity as well as through her own platform HelpYourPatientsLoseWeight.com. She serves on the Obesity Medicine Association Board of Trustees. She is an Assistant Professor at Rocky Vista University and Volunteer Faculty at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She is passionate about helping people lose weight to treat and prevent medical problems. Dr. Francavilla has learned that losing weight and keeping it off is complex and not a matter of will power, but biology, and seeks to help others finds healthy longterm solutions to their weight.

  1. 2h ago

    Sugar and Artificial Sweetness- What's the limit?

    Claim your complimentary gift of my exclusive mini weight care guide today!) Link: Weight Care Guide — Dr. Francavilla Show (thedrfrancavillashow.com Let’s Talk About Sugar (The Real Kind and the Fake Kind) Sugar gets tossed around for everything: the white stuff in your pantry, the fruit in your bowl, even that pumpkin spice latte we swear is “basically just coffee.” In this episode, we break down what sugar actually is, starting with the four types humans eat (glucose, fructose, sucrose, and lactose). We also show you how to decode total, added, and free sugars on a nutrition label, and why “no added sugar” doesn’t always mean “no sugar.” From there, we dig into what the evidence really says. Cutting back on sugar leads to about two pounds of weight loss on average, but the more you’re eating to start, the bigger the payoff. Sugary foods can also crowd out the veggies, fruit, beans, and other whole foods your body loves. We’ll also cover artificial and non-nutritive sweeteners, including which ones have raised concerns and when a swap might actually make sense. Topics discussed: What Is Sugar, Really? A Quick BreakdownHow Much Added Sugar Should You Actually Eat?Sugar Isn’t Good or Bad, It’s All About Being IntentionalWhat the Evidence Says About Sugar (and Why Crowding It Out Works)Artificial vs. Non-Nutritive Sweeteners: What to Know Before You SipThe Sugar Wrap-Up: Moderation, Not FearThe big theme throughout is being intentional. Sugar isn’t evil, and it can absolutely have a place, whether that’s fuel for an ultra race or a seasonal treat. The goal is simply to know what you’re eating and why, so you can make choices that work for your life. Ready to find out what’s really hiding in your pantry, your coffee, and your yogurt? Tune in to the full episode for the complete breakdown, and don’t forget to follow, rate, and share it with a friend who’s always asking whether their latte counts as “healthy.” Connect with me: Instagram: doctorfrancavillaFacebook: Help Your Patients Lose Weight with Dr. FrancavillaWebsite: Dr. Francavilla ShowYoutube: The Doctor Francavilla ShowGLP Strong: glpstrong.com

  2. Oct 5

    Food and Sugar Addiction with Dr. Vera Tarman

    Claim your complimentary gift of my exclusive mini weight care guide today!) Link: Weight Care Guide — Dr. Francavilla Show (thedrfrancavillashow.com Could You Be Addicted to Sugar? Ever told yourself you'd have just a few cookies, and then somehow the whole row was gone? Or put the ice cream back in the freezer, only to keep thinking about it until you finally gave in? If so, you're not alone. Today's guest says sugar and ultra-processed food can pull on the brain harder than willpower can handle. This week, we're digging into food and sugar addiction: what it actually is, how it differs from an eating disorder, which foods are the real culprits, and what helps, from support groups to GLP-1s. Topics Discussed: What Actually Makes Something an Addiction?How to Tell If It's Food AddictionFood Addiction vs. Eating Disorders (and Why It's So Common Now)Which Foods Are Actually Addictive?What to Do About Sugar and Food AddictionFood Noise, Cravings, and Getting SupportGLP-1s: Helpful Tool, Not a Full SolutionThere's a Happy Ending HereJoining me is Dr. Vera Tarman, a Toronto-based physician specializing in addiction medicine, with a particular focus on food and sugar addiction. She's board certified by the American Board of Addiction Medicine and a fellow of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Dr. Tarman is the medical director at Renascent, one of Canada's leading addiction treatment centers, and she also works with the Salvation Army's Concurrent Disorder Treatment Program, supporting patients who are managing both addiction and mental health challenges. She's the author of Food Junkies: Recovery from Food Addiction and co-hosts the Food Junkies podcast, where she talks with leading researchers and clinicians about ultra-processed food, GLP-1 medications, sugar abstinence, and the neuroscience of cravings. She's also the founder of the free Facebook community Sugar-Free for Life Support Group: I'm Sweet Enough.  That's only a glimpse of what Dr. Tarman shares. The full conversation goes deeper into recognizing the signs, what a sugar-free reset actually involves, and how to build lasting support. Connect with me Dr. Vera: Book: Food Junkies: Recovery from Food AddictionSupport Group: Sugar-Free for Life Support Group: I'm Sweet EnoughConnect with me: Instagram: doctorfrancavillaFacebook: Help Your Patients Lose Weight with Dr. FrancavillaWebsite: Dr. Francavilla ShowYoutube: The Doctor Francavilla ShowGLP Strong: glpstrong.com

  3. Sep 28

    Wegovy, Zepbound and Obesity Care for Older Adults With Dr. Melanie Jay

    Claim your complimentary gift of my exclusive mini weight care guide today! Link: Weight Care Guide — Dr. Francavilla Show (thedrfrancavillashow.com Is it too late to lose weight at 65?  And if it isn't, how much do you actually need to lose, and which treatments are safe for an older body? Now that Medicare patients can access GLP-1 medications through the Bridge program, these questions are a lot more practical than theoretical, and there's like, a ton of confusion out there about what's right for older adults. To help sort it out, today's guest is Dr. Melanie Jay, a professor of medicine and population health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She's an internal medicine physician and board-certified obesity specialist who sees patients at the New York Harbor Veterans Health Administration in Manhattan, so she's caring for older adults in real life every week. She also directs the NYU Langone Comprehensive Program on Obesity Research, where her work focuses on improving obesity treatment and prevention in primary care settings and among vulnerable patient populations. Dr. Jay has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles, her commentary has appeared in outlets like the New York Times, CBS News, and the Today Show, and her TEDx talk on the future of obesity care was featured as an editor's pick. She's the perfect person to walk through what older adults should know about weight, medications, and surgery. Topics discussed: Is it too late to lose weight at 65? Dr. Melanie Jay says noSkipping meals in older ageGLP-1 medications in older adults: safe, effective, and no age cutoffHeart protection in older adults: what the SELECT trial showed for WegovyGLP-1s in older adults: muscle, side effects, hydration, and staying the coursePaying for obesity treatment after 65: Medicare, the VA, and why wraparound care mattersReady to hear how much weight older adults actually need to lose, what to watch for with side effects like dehydration and muscle loss, how Medicare and the VA cover treatment, and why a strong care team makes all the difference? Play the full episode to hear the whole conversation with Dr. Jay. Connect with me Dr. Melanie: LinkedIn: Melanie Jay, MD, MS, FTOSTEDx Episode:What is the future of obesity care?Connect with me: Instagram: doctorfrancavillaFacebook: Help Your Patients Lose Weight with Dr. FrancavillaWebsite: Dr. Francavilla ShowYoutube: The Doctor Francavilla ShowGLP Strong: glpstrong.com

  4. Sep 21

    GLP and Obesity Treatment Coverage with Dr. Doug Maready

    Claim your complimentary gift of my exclusive mini weight care guide today! Link: Weight Care Guide — Dr. Francavilla Show (thedrfrancavillashow.com Why "Too Expensive" Keeps Winning Against a Disease That's Costing Us Billions That's the tension running through this whole episode. Dr. Doug Maready has spent nearly two decades wrestling with that question, not from behind a desk, but in the exam room with actual patients. He's an internal medicine and obesity medicine physician practicing in Mesa, Arizona, and the founder of Maready Medical, now part of Forte Wellbeing. His guiding philosophy is straightforward: obesity is a disease, it responds to treatment, and skipping treatment is often the pricier path in the long run. That stance has earned him a seat at the table on obesity policy in Arizona, where he serves as president of the Arizona Obesity Organization, stays active with the Obesity Medicine Association, and regularly weighs in through Arizona media on coverage and access issues. In this episode: The $11 Billion Question: What Obesity Really Costs UsThe Real Math Behind GLP-1 CoverageMedicare Access vs. Medicaid's State-by-State ChallengeWhy Treating Obesity Shouldn't Need an ROIPrivate Insurance, HRAs, and the Fight for GLP-1 CoverageTax Benefits for Obesity Treatment and Weight LossMaking Obesity Coverage a RealityTakeaways and the Case for Broader Access to TreatmentTogether, we unpack what obesity actually drains from state budgets and the broader healthcare system, why securing GLP-1 coverage remains such an uphill climb across Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers, and why there's still such a disconnect between labeling obesity a disease and treating it like one. Dr. Maready brings a dual perspective, blending the policy landscape with what he's witnessing firsthand in patient care, which grounds the statistics in something more tangible. You'll come away with actionable takeaways, whether you're building a case for your employer's HR team or advocating for change at a broader policy level. Catch the full conversation to get the complete picture on what's really driving the cost of obesity care and where things can go from here. Connect with me: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dougmareadyInstagram: doctor.dougmdFacebook: facebook.com/doug.maready.3YouTube: doctor.dougmd TikTok: doctor.dougmd Arizona Obesity Organization: linkedin.com/company/arizona-obesity-organizationConnect with me: Instagram: doctorfrancavillaFacebook: Help Your Patients Lose Weight with Dr. FrancavillaWebsite: Dr. Francavilla ShowYoutube: The Doctor Francavilla ShowGLP Strong: glpstrong.com

  5. Sep 14

    Thyroid Essentials and What You Need to Know About the Thyroid and GLP1 with Dr. Chhaya Makhija

    Claim your complimentary gift of my exclusive mini weight care guide today! Link: Weight Care Guide — Dr. Francavilla Show (thedrfrancavillashow.com Could your thyroid be affecting more than you realize? From understanding your thyroid and making sense of TSH, free T4, and free T3 to navigating weight changes, thyroid nodules, and GLP-1 medications, there’s a lot to understand when it comes to thyroid health. In this week’s episode, we break it all down in simple, easy-to-understand terms — including what your thyroid does, how your lab results work, which symptoms may be connected to an underactive thyroid, and when your thyroid may not actually be the problem. Topics Discussed: Understanding the ThyroidHow TSH Controls Your ThyroidMaking Sense of Thyroid TestsWhen the Thyroid Isn’t the ProblemCommon Signs of HypothyroidismThe Thyroid and WeightUnderstanding Thyroid NodulesGLP-1s and Thyroid HealthA Small Gland, Big ImpactJoining the conversation is Dr. Chhaya Makhija, a triple board-certified endocrinologist with nearly 20 years of experience in hormone and metabolic health. She shares practical insights to help make thyroid health easier to understand and navigate. Think you might be missing something when it comes to your thyroid health? Tune in to the full episode for the complete conversation and a closer look at the bigger picture. Connect with Dr Chhaya: Website: unifiedendocrinecareInstagram:chhayamakhijamdFacebook: Unified Endocrine and Diabetes Care Youtube: Dr. Chhaya Makhija, MDConnect with me: Instagram: doctorfrancavillaFacebook: Help Your Patients Lose Weight with Dr. FrancavillaWebsite: Dr. Francavilla ShowYoutube: The Doctor Francavilla ShowGLP Strong: glpstrong.com

  6. Sep 7

    Meal Replacements for Weight Loss with NP Jennifer Barlow

    Claim your complimentary gift of my exclusive mini weight care guide today! Link: Weight Care Guide — Dr. Francavilla Show (thedrfrancavillashow.com Ever wonder why meal replacement shakes have such a bad reputation, even though some of the most successful weight loss stories involve exactly that? There’s a lingering idea that meal replacements are outdated or that GLP-1 medications have completely replaced them, but that’s not the full picture. In this episode, we sit down with Jennifer Barlow, a board-certified family nurse practitioner and founder of True North Medical in Rhode Island, a practice focused on evidence-based obesity medicine and midlife health. With more than 25 years of healthcare experience, Jennifer brings a unique perspective to the conversation, combining clinical expertise with her personal experience of losing more than 100 pounds and keeping it off. We dive into what medical-grade meal replacements are actually made of, why very low-calorie diets can work when properly supervised, how ketosis affects hunger, and how meal replacements can complement medications like GLP-1s. We also discuss exercise, medical supervision, who may not be a good candidate, and how patients can transition off a program. Topics discussed: Meal replacement programs and weight lossVery low-calorie diets and nutritional qualityProtein, fiber, hydration, and ketosisVariety in meal replacement optionsMeal replacements and GLP-1 medicationsExercise and muscle preservationConvenience and decision fatigueTransitioning back to regular foodMedical supervision and medication adjustmentsWho is and isn’t a good candidateThe role of meal replacements in obesity medicineWant to understand how meal replacements actually fit into modern weight-loss care?  Check out the full episode for the complete conversation with Jennifer Barlow. Connect with me: Instagram: doctorfrancavillaFacebook: Help Your Patients Lose Weight with Dr. FrancavillaWebsite: Dr. Francavilla ShowYoutube: The Doctor Francavilla ShowGLP Strong: glpstrong.com

  7. Aug 31

    Celebrating Your Way to Health Goals

    Claim your complimentary gift of my exclusive mini weight care guide today! Link: Weight Care Guide — Dr. Francavilla Show (thedrfrancavillashow.com When's the last time you gave yourself real credit — not for hitting some big goal, but for something small you did today? If nothing comes to mind right away, that's a pretty common spot to be in, and it's exactly the ground this episode covers. It also happens to mark a milestone of its own: episode 200. That's worth sitting with for a second, not just as a lead-in to today's topic, but because it represents two hundred conversations built around getting real, trustworthy medical information into a world where that's increasingly hard to find. Topics discussed: Be Your Own CheerleaderSkip the Finish Line: Why Celebrating Small Victories Builds Bigger HabitsCelebrate the Behavior, Not Just the OutcomeStop Comparing Yourself to YesterdayNon-Scale VictoriesRewards That Aren't FoodFind Something to Celebrate TodayBefore getting into all of that, a real thank-you is owed to everyone who's stuck around for this podcast so far — showing up week after week, passing an episode along to a friend, or leaving a five-star review that helps more people find their way to it. Two hundred episodes down, and five hundred is starting to feel less like a stretch goal and more like a real possibility. This episode is packed with practical, science-backed ways to build that habit of celebrating yourself, so grab this one from start to finish — every section builds on the last, and the payoff is worth the full ride. Connect with me: Instagram: doctorfrancavillaFacebook: Help Your Patients Lose Weight with Dr. FrancavillaWebsite: Dr. Francavilla ShowYoutube: The Doctor Francavilla ShowGLP Strong: glpstrong.com

  8. Aug 24

    Menopause and Weight Essentials with Dr. Raina Patel

    Claim your complimentary gift of my exclusive mini weight care guide today! Link: Weight Care Guide — Dr. Francavilla Show (thedrfrancavillashow.com Ever feel like your body just decided to rewrite the rules overnight — same workouts, same diet, but suddenly the scale (and your waistline) tell a totally different story?  If you're in perimenopause or menopause and feeling blindsided by these changes, you're definitely not alone, and there's actually a clear, physiological explanation behind it. To break it all down, we sat down with Dr. Raina Patel, a primary care physician at the University of Chicago whose practice sits right at the intersection of her two biggest passions in medicine: menopause care and weight management. She's also the host of her own podcast, Finally with Dr. Raina Patel. Topics discussed: Why Weight Gain Happens During MenopauseSmall Shifts That Actually Move the NeedleMuscle Mass and Menopause: Why It Deserves Your AttentionHormone Therapy and Weight: Setting Realistic ExpectationsOther Medical Interventions Worth Knowing AboutYou're Never Alone: Wrapping Up the Menopause ConversationAt the end of the day, menopause isn't something you have to navigate quietly or alone — and the more we talk about it, the easier it gets for every woman coming up behind us. If this conversation resonated with you, find the full episode with Dr. Raina Patel and dive deeper into the conversation. Connect with Dr. Patel: Instagram: drrainapatelConnect with me: Instagram: doctorfrancavillaFacebook: Help Your Patients Lose Weight with Dr. FrancavillaWebsite: Dr. Francavilla ShowYoutube: The Doctor Francavilla ShowGLP Strong: glpstrong.com

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About

Carolynn Francavilla, MD is Board Certified in Family Medicine and a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine. She owns and operates Green Mountain Partners for Health and Colorado Weight Care. Dr. Francavilla is a nationally recognized obesity expert, lecturing on the topic obesity as well as through her own platform HelpYourPatientsLoseWeight.com. She serves on the Obesity Medicine Association Board of Trustees. She is an Assistant Professor at Rocky Vista University and Volunteer Faculty at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She is passionate about helping people lose weight to treat and prevent medical problems. Dr. Francavilla has learned that losing weight and keeping it off is complex and not a matter of will power, but biology, and seeks to help others finds healthy longterm solutions to their weight.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Francavilla
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    206
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Dr. Francavilla Show
  • Show Website
    The Dr. Francavilla Show

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