Prior to your first appointment, you’ll complete and return a comprehensive questionnaire to help us plan your program.

First Appointment (four to five hours)

• You arrive after an overnight fast.             
• You undergo a simple breath test to determine daily caloric needs.
• Physician performs a comprehensive evaluation, focusing on dietary, behavioral and physical activity history. Patient is screened for obesity-related health risks.
• Physician conducts lab tests to determine any weight-related diseases or complications. 
• You meet with a dietitian for an initial assessment.

Goals are kept simple and clear. Your physician will introduce you to your customized weight loss plan and the “lifestyle change” work-plan. A dietitian will follow-up with the physician-recommended dietary plan and walk you through the dietary guidelines for the first two weeks of your program.

You’ll be given plenty of material to help you thoroughly understand your program and you’ll also learn how to keep a food diary. This is a vital component to your plan since our research has shown those who write down what they eat lose significantly more weight than those who don’t.

In addition, since psychological issues often can have a major impact on the success of weight loss efforts, you and your physician will decide if an evaluation from a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist is appropriate at this time. 

Second Appointment

• You meet with a dietitian again to establish reasonable dietary goals and focus on your specific challenges. Your food diary will also be reviewed.
• You meet with a physical therapist to evaluate exercise ability and design a cariovascular conditioning program. (This evaluation will involve either hall or treadmill walking, so please bring appropriate shoes/attire.)

Structured exercise and increased daily activity are key in preventing loss of muscle mass during weight reduction. And it’s critical to long-term maintenance. You’ll learn how to keep an exercise log. If needed, follow-up physical therapy will be scheduled before your next visit.

Third Appointment (and all remaining visits)

You’ll typically meet with your weight loss team (doctor, nutritionist and/or physical therapist) every two weeks.  Close monitoring, feedback, and support is critical to the success of your program. Any hurdles you experience or questions and concerns you might have will be addressed sooner rather than later to help you stay on track.