San Diego is a beach town. We live in our swimsuits here from May through October, and if you’ve been quietly wishing you felt more confident in yours, we’ve got you covered.
A lot of our patients have been thinking about GLP-1 weight loss injections for a while—researching online, maybe asking their regular doctor, maybe not getting very far. If that’s you, here’s what you actually need to know to start now and be ready by this summer.
What Are GLP-1 Weight Loss Injections, and Do They Actually Work?
GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1—a natural hormone your body already produces that regulates appetite and signals fullness. GLP-1 medications mimic that hormone, which is why most patients describe a dramatic quieting of food noise. You’re not white-knuckling it through hunger. You just… stop thinking about food constantly.
At Restore SD, our patients are consistently losing up to 20% of their body weight with the program—and the ones who do best are the ones who pair the medication with real lifestyle changes. You can eat through almost anything if you’re determined to! But most people find that when they’re not battling constant cravings, making better choices becomes a lot easier.
Beyond the scale, studies have shown that GLP-1 medications can also improve blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and cardiovascular health. So yes—they work, and they do a lot more than just help you lose weight.
Why Starting in March Gets You to Summer
GLP-1 medications build gradually. Your first injection is a low dose to let your body adjust. From there, your dose is increased slowly based on how you’re responding—typically 1 to 2 pounds of loss per week is the goal. Dr. Gallus is firm on this: losing weight too fast isn’t doing your skin any favors, and crash-speed weight loss is harder to maintain.
Your Summer 2026 Weight Loss Timeline
Starting now gives you roughly 12 to 16 weeks before peak beach season. Here’s what that can realistically look like:
- Weeks 1–2: Your first injection is done in our office. You go home with three weeks of medication, and our RN Danielle walks you through self-injection. Most patients find the needle is much smaller than they expected. Some mild nausea is possible early on, but it usually fades quickly—Dr. Gallus herself needed just one Zofran during her first two weeks on the medication.
- Weeks 3–6: Appetite suppression kicks in more noticeably. Food noise quiets. You’re eating less without feeling deprived. The scale starts moving consistently.
- Weeks 6–10: This is typically when patients start to see and feel a real difference. Clothes are fitting differently, and energy is up. You’re building momentum.
- Weeks 10–16: Depending on how many pounds you’re aiming to lose, you may be approaching or at your goal weight by summer. If you’ve lost a significant amount and have concerns about loose skin or body contour, this is also when we can start talking about what’s next.
To have a full 16 weeks of results by July 4th, you’ll want to be seen and started by mid-March.
Why a Plastic Surgery Practice—Not an App or Online Pharmacy
You can get GLP-1 medications from online subscription services, and some of them are fine. But there’s a real difference between a vial shipped to your door with some instructions, and a medically supervised program where someone actually knows you.
At Restore SD, here’s what your program includes:
- Call the office and speak with Ava, our patient coordinator, who will get the ball rolling.
- Screening call with our RN, Danielle—a 15-minute call to review your goals and determine whether you’re a good candidate. She’ll also tell you exactly what labs you need to get done before your appointment.
- Get your labs done—this happens on your own time before you come in, so nothing slows you down at your appointment.
- In-person appointment with Dr. Gallus—because your screening and labs are already complete, you can start your medication that same day. Your first injection is done right here in the office, and we’ll walk you through everything.
- Go home with three weeks of medication and instructions for self-injection. The needle is much smaller than most people expect—our anesthesiologist is the only one who’s ever asked to keep coming in for his injections rather than self-administering, and he’s been duly roasted for it.
- Weekly check-ins and monthly in-person weigh-ins with dose adjustments as needed. You can always call the team between visits if questions come up.
Dr. Gallus has been candid about why the supervised model matters, as she has seen it firsthand: one of her own patients switched to an online service that mailed the patient a vial and some instructions — and spent weeks accidentally injecting air instead of medication. The room for error when you’re self-managing without guidance is real.
We’re also a boutique program, meaning we only work with local La Jolla and San Diego patients, rather than shipping prescriptions across the state. This program works best when there’s an actual relationship between patient and provider.
If you’re not sure whether you qualify, a call with Danielle is the place to start. She’ll let you know before you even come in.
Danielle is a Registered Nurse with a BSN from the University of Alabama and a background that spans emergency medicine, travel nursing, outpatient surgery, cosmetic treatments, and IV hydration therapy.
Danielle handles every step of your weight loss program between your initial screening call and your monthly check-ins with Dr. Gallus. She’s thorough, she’s easy to talk to, and she’ll keep you on track.
Who Does Best on This Program?
The patients who tend to see the best results by summer are the ones who go in with realistic expectations and are genuinely ready to make some changes alongside the medication. More protein, more water, more movement. Less wine—though honestly, the medication tends to take care of that one on its own. (Dr. Gallus and our scrub tech Bri both noticed their interest in wine dropped significantly after starting, without really trying.)
You don’t have to be starting from a high weight to benefit, either. Dr. Gallus and Bri both started the program themselves—not to lose 50 pounds, but to lose that stubborn 10 to 15 that wouldn’t budge no matter what. Both lost right around 13 to 15 pounds. If that sounds familiar, this program may be exactly what you’ve been looking for.
You Hit Your Goal Weight… Now What?
One of the real advantages of doing this at a plastic surgery practice is what happens after you hit your goal weight. For some patients, that’s the finish line — they feel great, their clothes fit, and they’re done. For others, significant weight loss reveals loose skin on the abdomen, arms, or thighs that diet and exercise (and medication) simply can’t address.
That’s where most medical weight loss programs stop—and where ours is different. Dr. Katerina Gallus is a board-certified plastic surgeon with over 20 years of experience and a Castle Connolly Top Doctor designation. She’s one of the most qualified surgeons in San Diego to assess what your body needs after significant weight loss and actually do something about it. Whether that’s a tummy tuck, an arm lift, a thigh lift, or skin tightening with Renuvion®, you have a surgeon who already knows your body, your history, and your goals—and who has been thinking about your end result from day one.
If summer 2026 is your target, now is the time. Call us at 858-224-2281 or fill out our contact form and ask to be connected with Danielle for a screening call. We see patients from across the San Diego area.
