For Your Physician

What are the benefits of a medically supervised weight loss program?

A stunning 73 percent of Americans are considered overweight or obese. Being overweight is a medical issue that can increase your chance of suffering from:

With the rising rate of obesity and the medical issues that result from being overweight, we are seeing an increase in the number of physicians playing a role in treating this disease. Physicians have been successful in helping patients with lifestyle changes, such as smoking cessation and blood pressure control, and this success is mirrored by physicians helping their patients with weight loss and weight maintenance. There are several reasons why people who need to lose weight should seek medical and professional assistance.

Comprehensive Evaluation

Anyone interested in losing weight should understand his/her current health. A physician can do a thorough evaluation that includes a comprehensive blood panel, EKG, weight and body fat analysis, waist circumference, and a detailed review of your medical and health history. This evaluation is a key component of any weight loss program as it will not only provide details on your current health, but provide a point from which you can measure your success.

Medical Monitoring

Chances are if you are overweight, you are suffering from one or more of the health concerns mentioned earlier, and you may be on one or several medications. When on a weight loss program, you may experience changes in your blood pressure as well as heart and respiratory rates. Weekly monitoring by a physician can help track these changes and monitor you for appropriate adjustments in your medication.

Individual Support

Studies have shown that the doctor-patient relationship provides several opportunities to encourage behavior change and reinforce positive changes, including improved dietary practices, increased activity, and weight loss maintenance. Programs that encourage weekly visits with a physician also will provide accountability and continual support to assist you in losing weight as well as education and programs to help you maintain your weight loss and wellness for a lifetime.

Why join Medi-Weightloss®?

Medi-Weightloss^® physicians, health care providers, and health coaches have the necessary tools to assist you in your weight loss journey. Medi-Weightloss^®’s mission is to combat the obesity epidemic and associated health conditions and to improve the lives of its patients. Medi-Weightloss^®’s team of health coaches provides patients with the tools they need to achieve significant weight reduction and prevent future weight gain by coaching them on the five key components for success: medical, motivational, physical, nutritional, and educational. These components ensure that patients who complete the program having achieved a healthier lifestyle that can be sustained. The program incorporates exercise, nutrition counseling, prescription appetite suppressants, oral vitamin and mineral supplements, intramuscular vitamin injections, and meal replacement products. It is physician-supervised, providing the benefit of medical expertise for each individual patient.

What are some patient-related clinical outcomes?

Industry-sponsored research of the weight loss efficacy of the Medi-Weightloss^® Program supports the claim that Medi-Weightloss^® is, indeed, The One that Works! ^®. Patients at Medi-Weightloss^® have been shown to enter the program with abnormal health indicators. A retrospective screening of total cholesterol, blood pressure, and insulin sensitivity revealed that many of the patients who come in for treatment have undiagnosed high total cholesterol, hypertension, prediabetes, and diabetes. After 25-35 pounds of weight loss, the number of patients classified as having abnormal health parameters improved in nearly every category assessed. As patients lost weight, many showed improvement in total cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, and measures of insulin-sensitivity, hemoglobin A1c and fasting plasma glucose. In addition, internal studies on body composition have also revealed that the majority of weight lost by patients can be attributed to fat loss and not muscle wasting.

References

National Institutes of Health, NHLBI Obesity Education Initiative (1998). Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults.
Retrieved from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/ob_gdlns.pdf.

Green L.W. (1986). Prevention and health education. Public Health and Preventive Medicine. East Norwalk,
Conn.: Appleton-Century-Crofts.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2012). New report finds adult obesity rates could exceed 60 percent in 13 states by 2030: Related health care costs could climb by more than 20 percent in nine states.
Retrieved from http://www.rwjf.org/en/about-rwjf/newsroom/newsroom-content/2012/09/new-report-finds-adult-obesity-rates-could-exceed-60-percent-in-13-states-by-2030.html