My Weight Doctor - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The idea of attending a private medical clinic to help with losing weight may not be familiar to you. To help you decide whether you might benefit from our services, here are some of the questions we are most frequently asked by prospective patients.
This is not a comprehensive list of questions, because we believe in building personal relationships with our patients. The best way to answer your questions is during your private consultation.
What is Medical Weight Loss?
Also known as Bariatric Medicine, Medical Weight Loss is the field of medicine that offers treatment for the person who is overweight with comprehensive programs including diet and nutrition, exercise, behavior modification, lifestyle changes and, when indicated, the prescription of appetite suppressants and other appropriate medications. Bariatrics also includes research into obesity, its causes, prevention, and treatment.
The word Bariatrics was derived in the 20th century from the Greek words “Baros”, meaning weight, and “Iatrike” meaning treatment. Hence, Bariatrics means treatment of weight. Bariatric medicine deals with weight, treatment of obesity, and related medical conditions (such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol).
What makes My Weight Doctor® different?
It’s simple: we know that a program which requires you to change your life will not work. The My Weight Doctor® program is flexible, so it adapts to fit your lifestyle.
My Weight Doctor® offers medically supervised weight loss on a very personal level. Our programs are custom tailored to your blood and metabolism and all your office visits are with licensed physicians. Along with individualized nutritional and exercise counseling, another of the real benefits of our program is the opportunity to talk to our doctor about the option of using FDA-approved prescription appetite suppressant to decrease your appetite and eliminate cravings for salts and sugars - giving you the jump start you've been looking for.
Will I Actually See a Doctor?
Yes. When you come into one of our clinics for an appointment you will see a physician, that is, an M.D., with years of experience treating people with weight management issues. All of your subsequent visits will also be administered by licensed physicians and healthcare providers.
It is highly encouraged that you inform your family doctor or primary care physician of any treatment options you plan to pursue. Though your family doctor may not have the knowledge of medical weight loss as our physicians, his or her insight could be useful in your treatment and overall medical welfare.
How Much does your Weight Loss Program Cost?
Each weight loss program is individualized. Once we have designed the treatment plan that is right for you, we can determine what clinical testing may be done and what costs will be involved.
In general, our fees start at less than $7 per day and are based on the amount of time you spend with the doctor. Many patients find that our fees are surprisingly affordable. Please call the clinic for detailed information on fees.
Does Insurance Cover your Services?
It is up to your insurance company as to whether or not they will cover our services. Recently, more and more insurance companies have begun covering the costs of services like ours. Talk to your insurance company, some of them will cover our services under “health and wellness”. If your carrier does cover our services we can provide you with all the necessary documentation so that you may be reimbursed. We do provide billing codes that insurance companies need to make a determination on reimbursement.
Is your Weight Loss Program Tax Deductible?
Yes. You may be able to deduct the cost of treatment according to a recent IRS ruling. Treatment specifically for obesity can now be claimed as a medical deduction. Obesity is excessive body fat usually measured as 30 pounds or more over ideal body weight or a Body Mass Index of 30 or more.
How Much Weight Can I Expect to Lose?
Our goal is for steady, progressive weight loss that can be sustained, rather than for crash dieting. My Weight Doctor patients lose an average of 2 to 5 pounds of body fat every 7 to 10 days. You lose only fatty tissue, never essential lean tissues or body fluids. Our safe, medically supervised weight loss program brings about sustained weight loss with long term maintenance.
Will I Have to Buy Expensive Special Food?
No. We'll create a custom program just for you based on your unique metabolism. Your personalized meal plans with grocery lists will be based on regular foods that you can buy at the supermarket. Your plan will be low in fat, high in protein and nutritionally balanced for healthy, productive weight loss.
What am I Allowed to Eat?
With My Weight Doctor’s individualized nutritional meal plans, you'll eat regular foods, shop at regular grocery stores, eat out at restaurants, and even cook gourmet meals for you and your family. There are no packaged foods or false promises. You'll receive personalized support and education regarding what and when to eat.
Do I Have to Exercise?
Increased activity is highly advised and is an important component of our program. Our moderate Exercise Therapy it is based on increasing the percentage of your muscle which increases your metabolic rate and helps you burn fat faster. We will also encourage you, through the Simple Exercise Guide, to engage in some form of light aerobic exercise.
However, if you have physical restrictions which inhibit exercise, we will work with you to determine the right exercise program for your physical condition and lifestyle.
How Often do I Have to Come In and See a Doctor?
As a new patient, we ask that you come back within one week. During your return visit you may choose how often you wish to come in. We offer several programs, including an “At-Home” planyou’re your convenience. If you wish to learn more about how this aspect of our program works please give us a call and one of our staff members will give you more information.
How Long Does Your Program Take?
Your first visit will require around one hour, because you will need to complete a comprehensive clinical assessment including an extensive blood work up, metabolic rate testing, and a physical exam. You will also have a thorough discussion with the doctor about your weight loss objectives, your lifestyle and your eating plan. Subsequent sessions will usually be shorter, around ten minutes, unless you have specific points that you would like to discuss in more detail with the doctor.
The overall program usually takes between six and twelve months, depending on how well you are able to keep to your eating plan and how much weight you need to lose. Once you reach your goal weight, it is essential that you participate in the maintenance phase for long term results.
How Can you Help Motivate Me to Really Lose Weight?
Our exclusive one-on-one physician counseling has helped thousands of people do what they thought they would never do: lose weight and keep it off. Each one of your visits with us is administered by our highly trained bariatric doctors. We'll teach you new ways of thinking and behaving while helping you to develop healthy weight loss attitudes and skills. We strive to make sure that you'll never again have to join a weight loss program.
Why Do So Many Weight Loss Programs Fail?
The most important consideration when starting a weight loss program is to recognize that obesity can have a number of different causes. To succeed, it is important that a thorough medical evaluation is performed first. Most overweight individuals do not undergo such an evaluation, even when they go to a physician or a weight loss clinic. We will diagnose the causes of your weight problems and address them accordingly.
How successful is your program?
The fact that more than 60% of our new patients are recommended to us by former patients suggests that we are doing something right! Besides, we guarantee that you will lose weight; a claim that most medical weight loss centers are not willing to make.
Click on any of the following links for more Frequently Asked Questions:
- MedicationTherapies (FAQs)
- Injectable Therapies (FAQs)
- Targeted Fat Removal (FAQs)
- Age Management (FAQs)
Click a link below to learn more: