Adele‘s doctor has opened up about the star’s weight loss,

revealing that shedding the pounds isn’t just about exercise and diet alone.

Speaking to US Weekly magazine, Dr. Dominique Fradin-Read,

who has worked with the hit-maker, explained: “I start by telling my patients that when it comes to weight loss, diet and exercise alone will not be enough in most cases.”

The physician continued: “That is why many patients that come to us have tried to lose weight, they did lose somewhat but put everything back on and often even more. For a successful and sustainable weight loss, we need to look at the whole person and not just address the weight upfront.”

Dr Fradin-Read also opened up about the importance of a patient’s metabolic function, thyroid and cortisol levels when it comes to losing weight. She continued: “We look at the metabolic function — is the patient starting to develop insulin resistance? We look at hormones — such an important part of weight gain at menopause. We look at thyroid levels and cortisol levels.”

Habits, too, play an important part, with the physician telling the magazine: “We look at habits — why is it that most of us will be good all day and crash at night? We evaluate stress and sleep. We talk about mood and mental health. When all these elements are addressed, then we can start a personalized diet … and recommend exercise as needed and it will work.”

The Someone Like You singer dropped jaws earlier in May when she took to Instagram to thank her fans for their birthday wishes, sharing a photo of herself standing outside her LA home wearing a fitted black dress with puffball sleeves, and black high heels. The star appeared to have lost a staggering amount of weight, and many fans were quick to comment on her transformation.