Losing weight, even only a few pounds, is not easy. If you have only a small amount of weight to lose, you can attempt it on your own. However, if you are significantly overweight and have medical conditions, you may need a physician supervised program. This is a safe way to lose a lot of weight without compromising your health.
A physician supervised weight loss program will teach you to eat healthier and evaluate your lifestyle and personal situation. This will help you and your physician identify triggers that lead to overeating. You will also go through a full physical exam to look for underlying medical problems that may be contributing to your weight gain and to ensure it will be safe for you to participate in the program. This is important because regular exercise will be a part of your program.
Features
Once your initial assessment is over, you will meet with a registered dietitian to begin making a meal plan. This will introduce you to a variety of foods, including some of your favorites. You will learn to how to still enjoy the foods you like, but in moderation. Your dietitian will help you overcome obstacles such as not having time to cook, special dietary needs, eating out and preparing meals for family members. In addition; your team will include a psychologist and exercise physiologist to help you make behavioral changes and incorporate exercise.
Benefits
Working with a medical team when trying to lose weight will ensure that the program is not only safe, but effective and realistic. You will not follow crash diets or fad exercise programs. Your medical team will formulate a personalized program designed to help you both lose the weight and learn how to keep it off for life. According to the Obesity Action Coalition, another benefit is that needed medications can be used in those who have a body mass index greater than 30 or those who have serious medical complications. This may help to get you started and make your program more successful.
Types
The National Institutes of Health suggest that if you need to lose weight rapidly, you may be a candidate for a very low-calorie diet, which must be supervised by a physician. For weeks or months, you will use nutritionally balanced prepared shakes and bars to shed extra weight. If needed you may be allowed to include low fat healthy foods to make sure you are meeting your nutritional needs. You may be restricted to only 800 calories a day or less. It is designed for those who are moderately to extremely obese and can help you shed up to five pounds per week. You will still need to meet with your dietitian, psychologist and other medical professionals to ensure you transition out of the program correctly and do not regain the weight.
Considerations
Physician supervised weight loss programs can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Insurance companies will usually cover your initial medical tests but not the actual weight loss program. Many companies will allow you to enter a payment plan to spread out the cost. The programs tend to last a few months and require you to weigh in weekly so your team can monitor your progress. The goal of these programs is to help you avoid weight loss surgery.
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