Total Weight Loss Care

The Total Weight Solutions visit is a 90-minute clinical deep-dive — not a brief consultation followed by a prescription. Dr. McDonald conducts a comprehensive diagnostic assessment covering your metabolic health, hormonal status, and mental health history. That can include lab analysis, cardiovascular risk stratification, and a complete history of hormones and psychiatric conditions. You leave with a structured, provider-led treatment plan that is specific to your clinical picture — with medication, behavioral support, and lifestyle guidance integrated from the start

Because the evaluation that actually matters cannot be done in 15 minutes. Weight, hormones, and mental health are connected systems — understanding how they interact in your specific situation requires time. The 90-minute format is not extended for its own sake. It is the minimum needed to do the evaluation properly and produce a treatment plan that addresses root causes rather than symptoms.

You will leave with a treatment plan. Whether that plan includes a GLP-1 prescription, hormone therapy, mental health medication, or a combination of interventions depends entirely on what the evaluation reveals. Dr. McDonald does not prescribe before evaluating — and the evaluation is designed to ensure that whatever is prescribed is the right fit for your clinical picture.

Recent lab work is helpful if you have it, but not required — Dr. McDonald will order what is needed as part of your care plan. It is worth thinking through your weight history, your hormonal history (menstrual cycle patterns, any experience with perimenopause, history with hormonal contraception or hormone therapy), and your mental health history before your visit. The more complete a picture you can bring, the more specific the plan that comes out of it.

Mind and Body Medicine operates as a self-pay practice for the initial evaluation. The $595 fee covers the full 90-minute visit and your treatment plan. Some patients are able to submit claims to their insurance for partial reimbursement depending on their plan — Dr. McDonald's office can provide documentation to support that process. For ongoing follow-up visits, separate fees apply.

Lab work, any prescribed medications, and follow-up appointments are billed separately. If your care plan includes working with one of the partner providers — Tracy Bento, RD at Balanced Bites Nutrition or Dr. Ann Trotter, Psy.D. at New Leaf Psychology — those services are scheduled and billed directly through their respective practices. Tracy Bento's practice accepts most major insurance plans, and many patients pay $0 out of pocket for nutritional counseling.

Tracy Bento, RD and Dr. Ann Trotter, Psy.D. are independent providers who collaborate closely with Mind and Body Medicine to extend your care into nutrition and behavioral health. If your treatment plan includes a referral to either provider, Dr. McDonald coordinates that connection — but scheduling and billing run directly through their practices. You are not required to work with either partner. They are available as part of a more comprehensive care model for patients who want that level of support.

GLP-1 medications reduce appetite significantly — which means what you eat when you do eat becomes more important, not less. Patients who work with a registered dietitian alongside their GLP-1 care are better positioned to maintain muscle mass, meet nutritional needs on reduced intake, and sustain results if and when medication is discontinued. Tracy Bento holds the same Menopause Society Certified Practitioner credential as Dr. McDonald, and specializes specifically in GLP-1 nutritional support, obesity medicine, and the menopause transition — making her an ideal, highly-trained partner for this patient population.

GLP-1 medication addresses the physiological drivers of weight. It does not address the behavioral patterns, emotional relationships with food, or psychological history that often run alongside them. Dr. Ann Trotter, Psy.D. at New Leaf Psychology offers specialized therapy focused on the behavioral roots of habit change and emotional wellbeing — the work that helps results last after the clinical picture has been addressed. 

Dr. Trotter has designed a four class series specifically for this patient population, called GLP‑1 Hacking: Understand Your Brain, Align Your Biology, and Win the Willpower Wars.

Referral is available upon request during your visit.

Follow-up appointments are structured around your treatment plan and how your response evolves over time. For patients on GLP-1 medication, Dr. McDonald monitors efficacy, side effects, hormonal status, and any adjustments needed as your clinical picture changes. For patients on hormone therapy or mental health medication, follow-up cadence depends on where you are in your treatment. The goal is ongoing care — not a one-time prescription followed by silence.

Discontinuing GLP-1 medication without regaining weight requires a plan — and that plan is part of how Dr. McDonald manages care from the beginning. Your hormonal environment, appetite regulation, nutritional support, and the behavioral patterns that medication alone doesn't address all factor into a transition plan designed to maintain your results long-term. This is not an afterthought. It is built into the treatment model.

Both. The Total Weight Solutions initial visit is available via secure telehealth for women throughout Idaho — no travel required. In-person appointments are available for women in the Boise area. Follow-up visits, medication management, and ongoing care are all available via telehealth statewide.

Yes — telehealth makes Dr. McDonald's care available to women throughout Idaho regardless of location. Mind and Body Medicine serves patients in Twin Falls, Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Nampa, Coeur d'Alene, and across the state. If you are looking for information specific to your area, location pages are available for each of these cities.