Medical Weight Loss in Des Plaines and the Chicago Suburbs: Semaglutide, Tirzepatide, and a Physician Who Actually Sees You — Programs, Pricing, Your First Four Months, and Why Northwest-Suburb Patients Choose Dr. Naaz Aziz at Zorah Express Medical Care
By Dr. Naaz Aziz, MD, Board-Certified Family Medicine Physician · Zorah Express Medical Care, Des Plaines, IL · Updated September 2026
Zorah Express Medical Care — physician-supervised medical weight loss, primary care, and med spa — 1645 S River Road, Suite 14, Des Plaines, IL 60018, in the River Plaza Professional Building. Open Monday through Saturday, 9 to 5. Call (708) 412-4040 or schedule your weight loss consultation online — no referral needed.
Quick answer: Zorah Express Medical Care in Des Plaines offers physician-supervised medical weight loss for the Chicago suburbs using GLP-1 medications — semaglutide and tirzepatide — with baseline lab work, metabolic evaluation, B12 and lipotropic support injections, and in-person follow-up with Dr. Naaz Aziz, a board-certified family medicine physician with more than 17 years in practice. Weekly semaglutide injections are $110; three-month programs are $949 and $1,250 and include the consultation and labs. The clinic is 10 to 20 minutes from Park Ridge, Niles, Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Rosemont, Schaumburg, and Chicago’s Northwest Side, open six days a week, rated 4.9 stars across 69 Google reviews, and accepts new patients without a referral.
The Weight Loss Search in the Northwest Suburbs Usually Ends in One of Three Places
Type “weight loss near me” from Park Ridge or Mount Prospect and you get three kinds of result. Telehealth companies that ship a pen after a questionnaire and never take your blood pressure. Med spas and franchise “weight loss centers” where the injection is given by whoever is on shift and the nearest physician is a signature on a form. And a small number of actual medical practices where the doctor prescribing the medication is the doctor examining you.
The difference is not marketing. These medications change how your gut, pancreas, and appetite signaling work. They interact with thyroid history, gallbladder disease, kidney function, diabetes medications, and pregnancy plans. They deserve a baseline lab panel, a physical exam, a dose that is adjusted by a clinician who has seen your labs, and a place to call when the nausea in week three is worse than the brochure promised. That is what medical weight loss means, and it is what we built at Zorah.
What Medical Weight Loss Is, in One Paragraph
Medical weight loss is a physician-directed program that treats excess weight the way medicine treats any chronic condition — which is what the American Medical Association formally recognized obesity as in 2013. It starts with a clinical evaluation and lab work to find what is driving the weight (insulin resistance, thyroid function, hormone shifts, medication side effects, sleep), uses prescription medication where it is indicated, supports the metabolic side with targeted injections and nutrition guidance, and monitors the whole thing with scheduled follow-up so the dose, the side effects, and the results are managed rather than guessed at. It is not a diet, not a challenge, and not a subscription box.
The Medications We Use, and What the Evidence Actually Shows
Semaglutide. A GLP-1 receptor agonist: it mimics a gut hormone that slows stomach emptying, steadies blood sugar, and tells the brain you are full. In the pivotal STEP 1 trial, adults on weekly semaglutide lost about 15 percent of their body weight on average over 68 weeks, against roughly 2.4 percent on placebo. In the SELECT trial, semaglutide reduced major cardiovascular events — heart attack, stroke, cardiovascular death — by 20 percent in adults with obesity and existing heart disease. It is our first-line medication for most patients and the one in both of our packaged programs.
Tirzepatide. A dual agonist that activates both GLP-1 and GIP receptors. In the SURMOUNT-1 trial, adults on the highest weekly dose lost up to 22.5 percent of body weight over 72 weeks — the largest reduction any medication has produced in a trial of this kind. It is approved for chronic weight management as Zepbound. We use it for patients who need more than semaglutide delivers, who did not tolerate semaglutide, or whose metabolic picture points to it, and we discuss it at the consultation rather than on the phone.
The support injections. Vitamin B12 as cyanocobalamin or methylcobalamin, for energy and for the appetite drop that can thin out a diet; Lipo Plus, a methionine-inositol-choline blend that supports fat metabolism; and an Amino Blend to help preserve lean muscle while the scale moves. These are adjuncts, not the engine, and they are included in the packaged programs on a monthly schedule.
Patients interested in the broader peptide side of metabolic medicine can read our peptide therapy and GLP-1 page; this article stays with the weight loss program itself.
The Workup Before the First Injection
Every program begins with an in-person visit and a baseline lab panel. We look at fasting glucose and A1c, insulin, a lipid panel, thyroid function, liver and kidney function, and vitamin D and B12, plus a cardiovascular and medication history. The results decide three things: whether you are a candidate, which medication and starting dose fit you, and what else the weight is connected to. It is common for a weight loss consultation to uncover prediabetes, an underactive thyroid, or blood pressure that needs treating — and because Zorah is a full family medicine practice, those are handled here, in the same chart, under our diabetes care, cardiovascular health, and chronic disease management services rather than referred somewhere else.
Programs and Pricing at Zorah
We publish our prices because the first question every patient asks is what it costs, and a clinic that will not answer it on the page is planning to answer it in a sales conversation.
Weekly injection, pay as you go: $110 per weekly semaglutide injection, administered in the clinic.
Three-month semaglutide program: $949, regularly $1,499. Includes the initial consultation with lab work, twelve weekly semaglutide injections, and a monthly cyanocobalamin B12 injection.
Enhanced three-month program: $1,250, regularly $1,699. Includes the consultation with lab work, three months of weekly semaglutide, a monthly methylcobalamin B12 injection, two monthly Lipo Plus injections, and two monthly Amino Blend injections.
Tirzepatide is priced at the consultation based on dose. The packaged programs are self-pay and are built to cost less than three months of pay-as-you-go visits; current details are on our medical weight loss service page. Patients who use our med spa can also look at the med spa memberships for the aesthetic side of a transformation — skin, Botox, fillers — once the weight is coming off.
Who Qualifies
The clinical criteria for GLP-1 weight management are a body mass index of 30 or higher, or 27 or higher with at least one weight-related condition: type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, PCOS, fatty liver, or joint disease made worse by weight. Many patients in that second group have no idea they qualify. If you are unsure, the consultation answers it — and if you do not qualify, we say so and talk about what else will help.
Your First Four Months on the Program
Week one. Consultation, exam, labs drawn. Results and the plan are reviewed at a follow-up visit, and the first injection is given at a low starting dose. Most patients feel nothing dramatic the first few days.
Weeks two to four. Appetite drops noticeably; portions shrink without effort; the “food noise” quiets. Mild nausea, fullness, or constipation are the common early side effects, and they are managed with dose pacing, hydration, and how you eat. The first pounds come off.
Months two and three. Dose is stepped up on schedule. Weight loss becomes steady and visible — clothes first, then the scale, then the comments. Labs may be rechecked. This is where the B12 and lipotropic injections earn their place, keeping energy up while intake is down.
Month four and beyond. Continued loss toward a goal, then a conversation about maintenance: continuing at a lower dose, tapering, or transitioning off with the habits the medication helped build. There is no single right answer; it depends on your history, your labs, and how your body responds, and that is a decision made with your physician, not a subscription that auto-renews.
Safety, Side Effects, and Who Should Not Take These Medications
GLP-1 medications have more than a decade of data behind them, first in diabetes and now in weight management, and their most common side effects are gastrointestinal and dose-related. They are not for everyone. A personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 rules them out. A history of pancreatitis, significant gallbladder disease, severe gastrointestinal disease, or a current or planned pregnancy needs careful discussion. Patients on insulin or sulfonylureas need dose adjustments to avoid low blood sugar. This is exactly why a website questionnaire cannot stand in for a physician, and why every Zorah patient has an exam and labs before the first dose and a doctor to call after it.
Insurance and Payment
Zorah accepts Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Humana, United Healthcare, Medicaid, and other plans for medical visits, and the initial evaluation and lab work are often covered as part of your care. Coverage for weight loss medication itself varies widely by plan and by medication, which is why our packaged programs exist: they are priced as self-pay so a patient whose plan excludes the medication still has an affordable, physician-supervised path. Bring your card to the first visit and we will tell you what applies. Our annual physical and preventive care visits are a natural place to start the conversation if you are due for one.
Where Our Weight Loss Patients Come From
The clinic sits on River Road just south of Oakton Street, minutes from the I-90 and I-294 interchanges, which is why we draw from across the Northwest suburbs and Chicago’s Northwest Side. Each of these communities has its own page with directions and details:
Des Plaines · Park Ridge (about 10 minutes via Devon and River Road) · Niles (about 10 minutes via Dempster) · Rosemont (under 10 minutes down River Road) · Mount Prospect (about 15 minutes via Rand Road) · Arlington Heights (about 15 minutes via I-90) · Elk Grove Village · Prospect Heights · Wheeling · Buffalo Grove · Glenview · Morton Grove · Skokie · Schaumburg (about 20 minutes via I-90) · Hoffman Estates · Chicago’s Northwest Side (15 to 20 minutes via I-90 or I-294), including Norwood Park, Edison Park, and Jefferson Park, plus the nearby villages of Harwood Heights and Elmwood Park.
Why Suburban Patients Choose Zorah Over the Alternatives
The prescriber is the physician who examines you. Dr. Naaz Aziz is board-certified by the American Board of Family Medicine, trained at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and has practiced for more than 17 years; you can read her background on our meet the doctor page. She sees weight loss patients herself.
It is a real medical practice. The same clinic that runs your weight loss program handles your blood pressure, your prediabetes, your physical, your flu shot, and your urgent care visit on a Saturday. One chart, one doctor, no referrals bouncing between offices. Our full range is on the services and care page.
The results are public. 4.9 stars across 69 Google reviews as of this update, and more on our patient reviews page.
The prices are on the page. $110 a week, $949 or $1,250 for three months with labs included. No membership required, no auto-renewing subscription, no surprise at the front desk.
You can be seen this week. Six days a week, new patients welcome, no referral, online scheduling that shows you real open slots.
Medical Weight Loss in the Chicago Suburbs: Questions Patients Ask Before Their First Visit
How much does medical weight loss cost at Zorah in Des Plaines?
Weekly semaglutide injections are $110 each. The three-month semaglutide program is $949 and the enhanced three-month program is $1,250; both include the initial consultation and lab work. Tirzepatide is priced by dose at the consultation.
How fast will I see results?
Appetite usually drops within the first one to two weeks. Visible weight loss typically shows within the first month, and steady loss continues through months two and three as the dose is stepped up.
How much weight can I expect to lose?
In clinical trials, semaglutide averaged about 15 percent of body weight over 68 weeks and tirzepatide up to 22.5 percent over 72 weeks. Individual results depend on dose, adherence, diet, and metabolism, which is what supervision is for.
Semaglutide or tirzepatide — which is right for me?
Most patients start with semaglutide. Tirzepatide is considered when more weight loss is needed, semaglutide is not tolerated, or your metabolic picture favors it. Dr. Aziz decides that with you after the exam and labs.
Do I have to stay on the medication forever?
Not necessarily. Many patients use it for a defined period to reach a goal and build habits, then move to a lower dose, a taper, or maintenance without it. Weight regain after stopping is real, so the plan for that phase is made with your physician, not left to chance.
Are GLP-1 medications safe long term?
They have over a decade of study, strong cardiovascular data, and a well-characterized side effect profile that is mostly gastrointestinal and dose-related. Long-term safety depends on ongoing supervision, screening for the conditions that rule them out, and dose management.
Does insurance cover it?
Medical visits and labs are usually covered by the plans we accept; coverage for the medication itself varies by plan. Our self-pay packages exist for patients whose plans exclude it.
Do I need a referral or a BMI over 30?
No referral. BMI 30 or higher qualifies, as does 27 or higher with a weight-related condition such as prediabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, or PCOS.
Is a telehealth weight loss service just as good?
It is more convenient and less safe. No exam, often no labs, and no clinician who knows you when a side effect or an interaction shows up. For a medication that changes how your digestive and endocrine systems work, we insist on seeing you in person.
Where are you, and when can I come in?
1645 S River Road, Suite 14, Des Plaines, IL 60018, in the River Plaza Professional Building, Monday through Saturday, 9 to 5. Most new weight loss consultations are scheduled within the week.
Start With a Doctor, Not a Questionnaire
If you are in Des Plaines or anywhere in the Northwest suburbs and have decided that this is the year, the first step is a consultation with a physician who will examine you, run your labs, and build a plan around what they show. Schedule your medical weight loss consultation online or call (708) 412-4040 — new patients are welcome, no referral is required, and Saturday appointments are available.
Educational content only; nothing here substitutes for your own evaluation by a physician. Medication eligibility, dosing, and expected results are determined by a physician after examination and lab work. Trial figures cited (STEP 1, SURMOUNT-1, SELECT) describe study populations and are not a guarantee of individual outcome. Pricing reflects September 2026 and can change.
