What are red flags for shady weight loss clinics?

Warning signs of questionable weight loss providers include: promising specific weight loss amounts ('Lose 30 pounds in 30 days'), requiring large upfront cash payments or long-term contracts, selling proprietary supplements you 'must' purchase, not conducting medical evaluations before prescribing, prescribing without BMI documentation or comorbidity assessment, offering compounded medications without explaining differences from FDA-approved products, having no follow-up plan or monitoring, refusing to coordinate with your primary care physician, pressuring you to buy expensive meal replacements or programs, lacking proper medical licensing, operating out of non-medical locations (spas, gyms), not discussing side effects or risks, and guaranteeing insurance approval. Legitimate obesity medicine practices provide comprehensive care including medical evaluation, informed consent about risks, regular monitoring, and coordination with your healthcare team. Trust your instincts - if something feels wrong, seek a second opinion from a board-certified obesity medicine specialist or academic medical center.