Our medical weight loss program is designed for those patients that prefer a nonsurgical option for weight control. Our program is not a quick weight loss plan but instead focuses on making smart choices, recognizing individual eating habits,

and making changes to maintain a healthy weight. Your healthy weight loss is supervised within a safe, effective, physician directed plan. We work together with you to achieve your best results. Weight management is a partnership between the patient, their family and your healthcare team. This partnership is one that is developed on an individual

basis with each patient.

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Although many factors influence weight, the principal concept of the energy balance equation: “energy in, versus energy out,” is the core of the program. To lose weight, you must consume fewer calories than you burn. This is, of course, easier said than done. No matter what weight-loss methods you may employ (diet, exercise, medication, or surgery), the principle of energy balance is unavoidable.

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Caloric expenditure is a key component to the energy balance. In general, calorie estimation equations are not as accurate for patients who are obese or those who have lost and gained weight with dieting for many years. Understanding eating behaviors is key to making significant long-term change. While no one likes to keep food logs that require writing down all food eaten, this exercise has been shown to be important for long-term success. With all the variation in serving sizes, most individuals do not have a good understanding of how many calories are actually consumed in one day. Therefore, it is recommended that, for at least the first six to eight weeks, individuals keep a complete food log. This will also assist your health care team to determine what areas to focus on at follow-up visits.

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Our approach to weight-loss is focused on teaching and reinforcing the importance of behavior and lifestyle changes. Many people can follow a diet and lose weight. The challenge comes in maintaining the weight-loss. Our belief is that teaching behavior change facilitates lifelong success with weight-loss. Any changes in eating and exercising behaviors must become habitual, which takes time.

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First Office Visit.

Your first office visit will include measurements of height, weight, body mass index and body fat %.  A comprehensive assessment of your overall health will be completed. During your evaluation, we will ask you about: current medications, what your home and work environment is like, personal triggers that lead you to overeat, your previous blood work results, potential medical causes for weight gain/obesity, how you feel about food and eating, sleep patterns, your stress level.

 

A physical exam will be performed and lab work will be drawn if needed. Basic principles of proper eating and exercise will be covered to assist you in moving forward with healthy living and achieving your overall goals.

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Prescription anti-obesity weight loss medications may be useful and are tailored to your particular situation. Prescription medications include but are not limited to: Contrave, Belviq, Lipo B(MIC) Injections, Lomaira, Qsymia, Topamax, Wellbutrin, and Vyvanse.

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Follow-up Visits

Most medical weight loss patients require regular follow up progress visits for medication management, support & plan adjustments. 

 

During follow up visits improvements/challenges are documented and addressed to implement workable solutions to stumbling blocks for success. Dr. Liberoni recommends that after your initial visit you will follow up weekly

for the first and second months. For the third month we recommend for you to follow up every 2 weeks and then monthly thereafter.

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During follow up visits you will be instructed on behavior modification strategies to help change habits. Behavioral modification strategies encompass things such as record keeping; eating behavior and associated activities; eating slowly and portion control; vitamins, minerals, fiber and water; enhancing exercise; attitudes, self-esteem and quality of life; holiday eating; and stress eating.

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During a follow-up appointment patients are given the opportunity to revisit a topic or obtain more information on an area of interest. The frequency of and interval between follow-up visits is determined on a patient-by-patient basis. We encourage monthly visits until initial weight-loss goals (5 to 20 percent) are achieved. At that point, we encourage every three, six or 12-month follow-up visits as needed for individual patients.

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Many studies have shown that accountability is one of the major factors influencing the ability of individuals to maintain long-term weight-loss. For this reason, patients are offered and encouraged to follow-up in our clinic indefinitely. Obesity is not a disease that’s conquered in a day, month or year. It is a disease that must be fought everyday for the rest of one’s life. This combination of specialized healthcare professionals and individualized treatment plans ensures that each patient’s health is improving with steady weight reduction and weight maintenance.

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Weekly weigh-ins are a useful tool to hold individuals accountable. We respectfully request but not require you to come in to our office weekly to weigh in with our medical assistant (no charge). If it’s not possible to come into our office, we recommend that weekly weigh-ins occur at home. We believe that getting weighed on a weekly basis, roughly at the same time and day of the week, wearing the same or similar clothing, and using the same scale helps to keep dieters on track.

Just knowing there will be a weekly weigh-in decreases caloric consumption. Daily weigh-ins are not recommended since small, incremental changes often cause frustration and result in failure. Being weighed in the presence of another person increases accountability and has been shown to decrease caloric intake per week by nearly 20 percent.

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Behavior Modifications with diet and moderate/brisk exercise are front line defense mechanisms to achieve

and maintain goal weight.

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Behavioral Modification Techniques.

Think of your healthy changes as a lifestyle change instead of a temporary fix such as a diet. Set weekly goals by incorporating healthy concepts. For example start by walking 15 minutes twice a day. Keep daily food records to increase your awareness and to hold yourself accountable to your lifestyle change. Search for patterns within your food log. Look at the times that you ate and the time your food cravings began. Review the amount of food you consume. Do you consume a specific amount without thinking about how much you need or want? Pay close attention to the types of food you eat. Can you think of substitutes for the higher carbohydrate containing food you eat? Places; are there certain places where you eat? Do you eat in front of the TV or at the refrigerator? Designate a single location (kitchen table) to eat.

 

What are you eating triggers? Stress/emotional eating? Consider the thought or the smell of food? Does that trigger or increase your desire to eat especially when you're not hungry. Recognize these triggers and distract yourself to avoid eating.

 

Use positive self talk and congratulate yourself on your accomplishments! Avoid negative self talk such as, what good is a 10 pound weight loss when I still have 20 to go?

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Listen to your body and stop eating when you feel like you have had enough to eat quick before you feel stuffed from eating. Wait at least 10 to 30 minutes to set your hunger level before consuming additional food.

 

Use smaller plates. Measure the amount of food you serve yourself.

Limit your frequency of eating at fast food restaurants or restaurants in general. Recognize that you may consume excess calories and possibly over eat if you are served larger portions than you would typically serve yourself at home. Restaurant meals are typically higher in carbohydrates as well is much higher in sodium.  Avoid high carbohydrate high calorie containing beverages.

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