A Couple of Patient’s Stories

 
At age 42, Melissa is finding it very difficult to lose weight.  Melissa never had any weight problems until after her pregnancies.  Her last baby was born 5 years ago and since then, weight gain has been a gradual and ever increasing annoyance.  Regardless of how hard she tries, she cannot seem to lose weight in her mid-region (belly, hips and thighs).  The only medication Melissa takes is an anti-depressant her doctor prescribed to help manage her fibromyalgia symptoms.
 
Mark is 46 years old and taking medications for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar.  He is about 60 pounds overweight which he keeps mostly in his abdominal region.  Mark never took any medications until his weight got "out of control".  His doctor told him that if he lost 50 pounds he may not need some of these medications he is taking.  He has tried several weight loss programs that have helped him lose weight in the past, but he just seems to easily regain the weight afterwards.

Overfed and Under Active

The U.S. has become a population of the most overfed, under active, overweight people in the world.  As a result, it is ranked the most unhealthy developed nation. 
 
 

Overweight Causes Metabolic Syndrome

Excessive weight gain, especially in the mid-abdominal region is the leading cause of Metabolic Syndrome (formally called Syndrome X). 
 
Metabolic Syndrome is a collection of 3 or more of the following symptoms:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Insulin resistance (i.e. high blood sugar)
• Increased aches and pains (i.e. arthritis)
• Mood swings (depression and/or anxiety)

 
I am consistently astonished at how quickly Metabolic Syndrome resolves as people begin to lose weight...medications to manage blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, pain, and even anti-depressants become unnecessary.
 
For some people, losing weight is a simple matter of compliance, given the right weight loss program.  For others, however, it is a difficult journey of dealing not only with losing the weight, but with all of the emotional challenges that follow. 
 
Many of us "live to eat". We use food as a mode for stress management and a way to help deal with the doldrums.  For a great majority of people, there are few things as gratifying as munching on a bag of potato chips, a box of crackers, a package of cookies or a big bowl of cereal...even though most of us know these foods are the cause of our weight problems.  Unfortunately, food can be an addiction, not too unlike alcoholism.
 
For those people who do feel they eat well, yet still have weight problems, there are other issues to deal with that go beyond the type of food they are consuming.  In these cases, they might not be consuming enough food (especially protein and fat) or there may be hormonal imbalances preventing them from losing weight.
 

Our Weight Loss Treatment

The goal to healthy and long lasting weight loss is to improve body composition -- that is, to lose fat and gain muscle.  Many people like to get a jump on their weight problem with a rapid weight loss using the hCG Weight Loss Program.  Others prefer a slower, less demanding program like the Balance Program (i.e. Paleolithic Diet with weekly vitamin B shots).
 
Our Common Approaches to Reduce Weight:

• HCG Weight Loss Program: a 26 or 43 day program.  Involves daily hCG shots and weekly vitamin B shots to lose 1/2 to 2 pounds per day.

• Balance Program: a Paleolithic Diet tailored to your BMR (base metabolic rate).  We recommend weekly vitamin B shots and natural or pharmaceutical appetite suppressants initially to lose 1 to 3 pounds per week.

• Hormonal Weight Loss: an in depth assessment of your hormones to determine their impact on your body composition.

 
Whichever program best fits your lifestyle, it is our primary goal to provide you with all the tools and personal support to help you succeed in not only losing weight, but making the permanent changes that will impact your long-term health.