What are your goals for 2026? The New Year brings fresh motivation, renewed hope, and for many people, a quiet promise to themselves: this is the year things finally change. If losing weight and improving your health tops that list in 2026, you’re in a camp of many. And yet, if you’ve tried in years past with diet after diet, and program after program that promised miraculous results and didn’t deliver, you may also be carrying frustration, skepticism, or even exhaustion from the lack of success you experienced. Sound familiar?

At Refinery Skin Clinic, we believe weight loss deserves a smarter, more compassionate approach. One that looks beyond the scale, beyond trends, and beyond one-size-fits-all solutions (especially from unlicensed social media influencers). Our medically assisted weight loss program combines weight loss medications with functional lab testing, advanced body composition analysis, and truly personalized care, so we can address the root causes of your weight loss struggles, not just the symptoms.

If you’re ready to make this year different, and achieve significant and sustainable results, understanding how the information collected from Refinery Skin Clinic’s functional labs can elevate your weight loss journey is an important place to start. It will also help you appreciate how different our approach to medically-assisted weight loss is from the majority of other clinics in the Twin Cities area and beyond!

GLP-1 Weight Loss: A Powerful Tool, When Used the Right Way

GLP-1 receptor agonists, like Wegovy and Zepbound, have dramatically changed the landscape of medical weight loss over the past five years. These innovative medications are unique in that they address multiple facets that may make it difficult for someone to lose weight, including helping to regulate appetite, improving insulin sensitivity, and supporting blood sugar balance. Their mechanism of action allows many people to finally experience success after years, often decades, of struggle.

But here’s what we believe is important to say out loud: GLP-1 medications are not magic, and they are not meant to work in isolation.

Without proper medical oversight, personalized dosing, and a clear understanding of how your unique body functions, results can plateau, side effects can go unmanaged, and progress can be stalled and feel unpredictable. This is often where quick-fix telehealth programs you may see on TV fall short. A short intake form and standardized dosing may be convenient, but convenience rarely delivers optimal, long-term results, and can even be dangerous in the end.

At Refinery Skin Clinic, we do things differently. We pair GLP-1 therapy with real data we gain from your labs, education, and ongoing support, because real transformation requires more than a prescription. It requires a partnership!

Understanding GLP-1 Medications: One Term, Several Powerful Options

“GLP-1” has quickly become a household term, often used as shorthand for an entire category of medications. But in reality, GLP-1 is not a single drug, it’s a class of therapies that includes several distinct options, each with unique characteristics.

At Refinery Skin Clinic, we prescribe GLP-1 and GLP-1/GIP medications, allowing us to tailor treatment with greater precision. This includes FDA-approved options such as Wegovy® (semaglutide) and Zepbound™ (tirzepatide).

While these medications share similar goals, like reducing appetite, improving insulin sensitivity, and supporting weight loss, they work slightly differently within the body. For example:

  • Some target GLP-1 pathways alone
  • Others act on both GLP-1 and GIP receptors
  • Some may offer enhanced appetite suppression or metabolic benefits

Understanding these nuances matters. And it’s why our prescribing decisions are guided by phenotype testing, lab data, and ongoing clinical monitoring, not trends or assumptions.

Even more exciting? The landscape of medical weight loss continues to evolve. New options are on the horizon, including a convenient oral (pill) version of GLP-1 therapy, which may be an appealing alternative for clients who prefer not to use injectable medications.

At Refinery Skin Clinic, we stay ahead of these advancements so our clients always have access to the safest, most effective, and most appropriate treatment options available, now and in the future.

Why This Matters

Weight loss is not about choosing the most popular medication. It’s about choosing the right one for your body, your biology, your goals, and your lifestyle.

By offering a comprehensive range of medical weight loss therapies and pairing them with advanced testing and one-on-one nurse practitioner oversight, Refinery Skin Clinic delivers something rare in this space: true personalization.

And that’s what smarter weight loss looks like.

A Functional Medicine Approach to Weight Loss

At Refinery Skin Clinic, we approach weight loss through a functional medicine lens. That means we ask why weight has been difficult for each client to lose and use objective data to guide every step forward in your journey. We don’t guess. We test!

Hormones. Insulin resistance. Metabolic dysfunction. Reduced muscle mass. Inflammation. Lifestyle. Genetics…

All of these factors influence your weight and the ability to lose it. Ignoring them is often why people feel like they’re doing everything “right” without seeing results. Treating the symptoms without taking the root cause into consideration is like trying to rebuild a house with a blindfold on. When we identify the root causes of your weight loss resistance, it provides a clear outlook on how to personalize your program and allows us to lay out a firm and solid foundation over which to build your successful weight loss journey!

Instead of guessing, we rely on comprehensive functional labs and advanced diagnostics to understand how your body works at its core. This allows us to design a plan that supports fat loss while protecting lean muscle, metabolic health, and long-term sustainability. And, it may also allow you to see results faster!

Because real data leads to real results, and that philosophy is woven into everything we do at Refinery Skin Clinic.

What Truly Sets Our Medically-Assisted Weight Loss Program Apart From the Rest

Nurse Practitioner-Led, One-on-One Care

Every medically-assisted weight loss client at Refinery Skin Clinic is personally overseen by Rebecca Suess, MSN, RN, APRN, CNP, AGPCNP-BC, CPSN, CANS, ISPAN-F.

Rebecca is not only a highly credentialed nurse practitioner, she is also a weight loss success story herself, having lost over 100 pounds with the support of Wegovy. She understands the science and has experienced the journey herself!

What does that mean for you? It means a hand-on and highly personalized approach, no rotating providers, and no feeling like just another medical chart. You receive consistent, one-on-one guidance from someone who has walked this path herself, and who understands the physical, emotional, and practical realities of weight loss.

Our Comprehensive, Step-By-Step Weight Loss Process

Successful weight loss doesn’t happen by accident at Refinery Skin Clinic, it happens by design.

Step 1: In-Depth Weight Loss Consultation
Your journey begins with a comprehensive consultation where we review your medical history, lifestyle, previous weight loss attempts, and goals. We also perform an InBody advanced body composition scan, which measures muscle mass, fat mass, and hydration, giving us a far more meaningful baseline than the scale alone.

Step 2: Functional Labs & Phenotype Testing

Next, we gather the data that makes all the difference. Fasting blood work evaluates glucose and insulin levels, while MyPhenome phenotype testing (a simple cheek swab) reveals how your unique biology influences appetite, metabolism, and weight loss response. This test provides a “Eureka Moment” for many of our clients, as it reveals why you may have struggled with weight loss in your past and continue to.

Step 3: Personalized Plan Review
Once results are in, Rebecca reviews everything through a functional medicine lens and meets with you virtually or by phone to walk through your findings. From there, we build a personalized plan that may include medication, nutrition guidance, and targeted supplements.

Step 4: Injection Training
We provide in-person or virtual injection training so you feel confident and supported before starting treatment. No guesswork required!

Step 5: Monthly Check-Ins & Adjustments
Especially early on, regular check-ins allow us to monitor progress, manage side effects, fine-tune dosing, and keep you feeling encouraged and supported.

Step 6: Quarterly In-Person Assessments
Every three months, you’ll return for repeat InBody scans and updated labs to ensure your health is always prioritized as the weight comes off.

Step 7: Long-Term Maintenance
Reaching your goal weight is a milestone, but not the finish line. During maintenance, we continue to support you with semi-annual visits and annual labs so your results are sustainable and secure.

InBody Advanced Body Composition Testing: Because Losing Weight Shouldn’t Mean Losing Muscle

The scale tells you how much you weigh, but not what you’re losing. That distinction matters…a lot!

InBody Advanced Body Composition Testing allows us to see what your body is actually made of: fat mass, skeletal muscle mass, and hydration levels. Two people can weigh the same and have completely different body compositions, and therefore very different health needs.

InBody uses Direct Segmental Multi-Frequency Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (DSM-MFBIA) to deliver precise, real-time insights with a high correlation to gold-standard DEXA scans. Why is this so important during GLP-1 weight loss?

Because sustainable weight loss means losing fat—not muscle.

Weight loss medications reduce appetite, which is helpful, but without careful monitoring, rapid weight loss can sometimes include unwanted muscle loss. Losing muscle slows metabolism, reduces strength, impacts energy, and can make long-term maintenance more difficult.

By tracking your progress with InBody:

  • We ensure fat loss is prioritized while protecting lean muscle
  • We can identify early signs of muscle loss and intervene
  • We make smarter adjustments to nutrition, supplements, and dosing
  • We celebrate progress even when the scale doesn’t move

Many clients find this clarity incredibly motivating. Watching body fat decrease while muscle mass is preserved replaces frustration with confidence, and guesswork with certainty.

MyPhenome Genetic & Obesity Phenotyping: Understanding the “Why” Behind Your Weight

If you’ve struggled to lose weight despite doing “everything right,” you are not alone, and you are not broken.

MyPhenome Genetic and Obesity Phenotyping helps explain why your body responds the way it does. Using a simple cheek swab and questionnaire, this test analyzes genetic and metabolic factors that influence hunger signaling, metabolism, and weight regulation.

Your results identify your unique weight loss phenotype, allowing us to:

  • Match you to the most effective medications
  • Tailor nutrition strategies to your biology
  • Reduce trial-and-error frustration
  • Improve long-term outcomes

Research shows phenotype-guided programs can produce significantly better results than generic approaches. But beyond the data, many Refinery Skin Clinic clients experience something even more powerful: relief and hope.

Relief in understanding their struggles weren’t a lack of willpower and all their fault. Hope in finally having a plan that makes sense for their body.

Beyond GLP-1s: A Smarter, More Personalized Medication Strategy

One of the biggest misconceptions in medical weight loss today is that GLP-1 medications are the only option, or the best option, for everyone. While GLP-1 and GLP-1/GIP therapies can be incredibly effective, they are not universally ideal. Biology, lifestyle, appetite signaling, metabolism, and even emotional eating patterns all play a role in determining which medication will deliver the best outcome for each individual.

This is where Refinery Skin Clinic truly stands apart!

We go beyond GLP-1-only programs by offering a comprehensive range of FDA-approved medical weight loss options, including medications such as phentermine, Contrave®, and Qsymia®, in addition to GLP-1 and GLP-1/GIP therapies. Very few clinics, and even fewer telehealth platforms, offer this full spectrum of treatment options and the clinical expertise to determine which is most appropriate.

Thanks to our use of functional labs and MyPhenome phenotype testing, we are not guessing or defaulting to the most popular medication. Instead, we use real biological data to understand how your body regulates hunger, responds to stimulants, processes carbohydrates, and maintains weight over time. From there, we can recommend the medication, or even combination of strategies, that aligns best with your biology and your lifestyle.

For some clients, that means a GLP-1 or GLP-1/GIP medication. For others, a different option may be more effective, better tolerated, or more sustainable long term.

This personalized, phenotype-guided approach is a key reason our clients feel heard, supported, and confident in their plan, and why our results extend far beyond what one-size-fits-all programs can offer.

Why the New Year Is the Perfect Time to Start. Especially If You’ve Tried Before

If you’re reading this feeling tired, frustrated, and sick of starting over year after year with your weight loss resolution, we see you. The New Year can bring hope, but it can also bring pressure, especially if past attempts didn’t work. At Refinery Skin Clinic, we understand how heavy that can feel, both emotionally and physically.

Many of our providers, including Rebecca, have walked this path themselves. We know what it’s like to feel as if your body is working against you, and to wonder if lasting change is possible. That’s exactly why we decided to offer a compassionate and effective medically-assisted weight loss program at Refinery Skin Clinic. We want our clients to live the healthy and happy lives they deserve, and we believe our unique approach to weight loss helps them do just that!

This New Year isn’t about perfection. It’s about support. It’s about finally having a team that listens, uses real data, meets you where you are, with empathy, expertise, encouragement, and RESULTS. (Plus a lot of laughs, hugs and high fives!)

If you’ve been waiting for the right approach to weight loss, the right support, or the right time—this is it. And Refinery Skin Clinic would be honored to walk this journey with you.

Schedule a complimentary consultation to discuss  medically-assisted weight loss with Rebecca by calling (952) 479-0915, texting (952) 479-0603, or booking online. We can’t wait to help you reach and exceed your 2026 health and wellness goals and take on a new year with the confidence you deserve!