Our Programs and Our Approach

Everyone is different.  While everyone who walks into this practice may have obesity or be overweight, we often will have different paths of getting there.  Some just LOVE food.  Some just HATE exercise.  Some LOVE food and HATE exercise.  Some have some deep-seated issues and have developed self-destructive behaviors which make them eat more than they should.  Some people don’t know WHAT they should eat or HOW they should exercise.  Some have “tried everything” and have just given up.

We believe in finding a way to success for everyone who walks through our doors.  Our team is comprised of caring and concerned professionals who have dealt with weight issues personally and professionally.  Our physicians, dieticians, psychologists, and partners in the exercise specialty are all totally committed to helping you achieve your goals.  You may not need all of them, but they are all here to help when you need it.

The first pillar is our medical specialists.  The medical oversight will always be performed by our licensed medical doctors (MDs) or doctors of Osteopathic medicine (DOs).  They may be assisted by nurse practitioners or physician assistants.  However, a doctor will oversee all of your needs.  Physicians have a mostly untapped resource of weapons to fight the battles against obesity.  It is our goal to use ALL of the available medications where indicated (and desired by the patient) to combat weight gain and cause weight loss.  The great majority of medications used in our program are specifically indicated for the purpose of weight loss by the US Food and Drug Administration.  However, if there is strong evidence that a medication can cause weight loss, it may be used as well even though it is not formally recognized by the USFDA to do so.  We will try to ensure that all of our medication choices are safe and effective.  Medications are not meant to be used chronically as a means of weight loss, but they can be helpful in getting our patients “over the hump” to cause real weight loss.

The dietary specialist (our second pillar) will always be a Registered Dietician (RD).  They have the tools and the training to help you get on the right path to eating properly and then train you to do it for yourself.  This is an important part of the program and one that should make its way into your everyday living for the rest of your life.

Our third pillar is seeking to understand and control one’s behavior.  Our clinical psychologists are well-trained in cognitive and behavioral modification.  Their job is to help you understand why you eat the way you do and why you continue to make unhealthy choices in your life.  Understanding can then lead to change.

The fourth pillar is physical exercise.  The term conjures up athletes at the Olympics or fitness celebrities.  This is NOT REAL and is not the case.  Depending on the patient, it might mean running or jogging 30 minutes per day or just walking to the mailbox and back.  We all have different levels of conditioning.  If you are greatly obese and haven’t exercised since high school gym or beyond, we are NOT going to ask you to move mountains.  We will seek to find you a reasonable fitness program that will help you and not harm you.