Doctors who specialize in weight loss and obesity medicine are called bariatricians. They are licensed physicians with special training in medical weight loss.   Most people will understand the need to see a specialist to deal with certain types of health issues, like heart disease or gastrointestinal problems, the common expectation is that being overweight or obese is a problem that they can address other own. According to the American Medical Association, obesity contributes to the worsening of over 60 medical conditions, which means that it causes complications in almost every medical specialty. It is because of this that obesity medicine or bariatrics is evolving.   A weight loss doctor has the ability to address the specific needs of someone trying to lose weight. All doctors have training in nutrition and weight loss. An obesity medicine specialist has specific training that gives them the expertise to work more effectively with people who are overweight. The doctor can personalize programs for effective weight loss that are tailored to you. Bariatricians differ from bariatric surgeons who perform weight loss surgery. Bariatricians create medically supervised weight loss programs.