- Who are our patients?
- How can I succeed when I’ve already tried every diet out there?
- How do I know if this program is right for me?
- How much can I expect to lose?
- Does the program offer benefits other than weight loss?
- How long will I stay on the program?
- How will I stay motivated?
- What are the medications and how safe are they?
- Who qualifies for medications?
- Will losing weight entail a lifetime of suffering and deprivation?
- What happens if I lapse or relapse or, worst yet, collapse?
- Why weekly visits?
- Will diet alone effectively manage long-term weight reduction?
- Is it true that 95% of people who lose weight regain it all within 5 years?
- Should I consider/do you do surgery?
- What is a bariatrician?
- What is obesity?
- What are the health implications of obesity?
- What are the cost associated with obesity?
Who are our patients?
Our patients come to us looking to lose anywhere from 10-100 pounds and more. Many of our patients have struggled with weight their entire lives while many others come to us after certain changes in their lives (i.e. childbirth, menopause, career transitions) which have led to recent weight gain. Our patients range from motivated adolescents who are interested in lifelong wellness to adults wanting to correct their hypertension or diabetes. Anyone who would like to lose weight may benefit from our services.
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How can I succeed when I’ve already tried every diet out there?
Dieting seems to be one of our national pastimes. We aim to change that. Whatever your individual challenges, odds are we’ve seen them before. We can help you overcome your obstacles to success through tried and tested techniques garnered from science and our collective experience treating similar patients. While some retail programs can be effective (i.e. Weight Watchers), they also can have their limitations. There are also programs and over-the-counter remedies that are quite simply useless and/or ineffective for weight loss and long-term weight maintenance. Our program seeks to encompass every proven medical treatment and weight loss technique to provide you with a comprehensive solution from which you will see greater weight loss success than you’ve ever had before.
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How do I know if this program is right for me?
When we see you for the initial consultation, we will measure your weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, and waist circumference. Taking these and other factors into consideration, we will recommend a program aligned with your needs and goals. The majority of our patients are looking to lose 10 to 100 pounds to reach their ideal body weight. For these patients, a physician-supervised medical weight loss program may be the safest and wisest way to lose weight.
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How much can I expect to lose?
Jumpstart Medicine’s program encourages rapid weight loss, usually averaging 2-5 pounds per week. Most patients feel great, have no cravings, and stay highly motivated due to quick results which they can see and feel. Your results will depend on many factors, including your starting weight, other medical conditions, and individual program design. In general, we see an average weight loss over 12 weeks of 45 pounds or 2-5 pounds per week. That average does include both men and women. More specifically, women tend to lose 2-3 pounds per week while men lose 3-5 pounds per week.
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Does the program offer benefits other than weight loss?
While weight loss in itself is a valuable goal, there are multiple direct benefits of weight loss. Decreased rates of cardiovascular diseases, sleep apnea, diabetes, hypertension, depression, osteoarthritis, and various cancers are among the many potential health benefits. Weight loss can reduce or eliminate the need for daily and lifelong medications related to these conditions. Improved self-image and quality of life are common.
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How long will I stay on the program?
Individual needs vary, but most patients follow the acute weight-loss phase for 4-52 weeks. After they reach their goal weight, patients are transitioned to a maintenance phase during which they learn how to improve their eating habits while living a healthier lifestyle. Patients on maintenance typically come for an office visit once a month until they are comfortably maintaining their weight loss.
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How will I stay motivated?
Patients on our program generally comfortably achieve rapid results that they can appreciate in a short period of time. Their clothes fit more comfortably, energy increases, and friends and family notice. Short term, that makes for high motivation. Longer term, we are working to keep you focused and oriented on long-term weight reduction and healthy habits that generally take 1-2 years to make permanent. During this period, weight creep may be part of the process and we’re there for you to help introduce and instill successful habits and guide you along as you persist in making them permanent.
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What are the medications and how safe are they?
Jumpstart physicians have a wide range of tools to offer our patients, including special diet and nutrition products, individualized exercise programs, suggestions for lifestyle changes and prescription medications, if indicated. When used as part of a comprehensive program, prescription anti-obesity medications can be a useful adjunct. Medications alone will not lead to successful weight loss and weight loss maintenance.
All of the medications dispensed at Jumpstart Medicine have a long history of safe and successful use. They have all been FDA-approved for decades and have very strong safety profiles. We tailor dosages for each patient’s needs. These medications have been used safely far longer than the vast majority of prescription medications on the market. Taking medication is always your choice. Some of our patients do not take medication while many of our patients do opt for medication.
Just as there are some risks and side-effects with any medication, so may there be side effects and risks with anti-obesity medications. For most people, the side effects are minimal and of short duration. Some common side effects are dryness of the mouth, constipation, difficulty sleeping, and headache. A small minority of patients may experience these and they usually resolve within 2 days. Our physicians are trained to know how to prescribe the drugs properly and monitor patients taking these medications. We also see patients weekly to ensure safety and we offer more urgent contact availability if needed.
Obese patients, particularly those with co-morbid conditions, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, may be at greater risk from remaining obese than the risk they might incur by taking the medications.
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Who qualifies for medications?
While there are different ways to measure obesity risk (i.e. weight and height, percent fat, waist size, risk of different diseases), body mass index – or BMI – is one of the most common (see BMI calculator). In general, patients without contraindications for medications and a BMI > 27 with one co-morbid condition (i.e. hypertension, diabetes, elevated cholesterol, increased waist circumference) or patients with a BMI > 30 without co-morbid conditions qualify for FDA-approved weight reduction medication (NIH Guidelines for the Identification, Evaluation and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity and Adults). People not meeting those criteria will be assessed on a case by case basis and an individualized weight reduction regimen will be tailored to their needs.
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Will losing weight entail a lifetime of suffering and deprivation?
Absolutely not. According to the National Weight Control Registry (www.nwcr.ws), 85% of successful weight loss “losers” say that their weight loss improved their quality of life and self – esteem. 90% on maintenance said they no longer felt like they were dieting.
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What happens if I lapse or relapse or, worst yet, collapse?
For patients in the maintenance phase, we recommend a “weight buffering zone,” which aims to keep you within 6 pounds of your initial weight loss goal. If your weight creeps above that buffering zone to your “red flag weight,” we’re ready to nip small changes in the bud and assist you with individually tailored interventions.
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Why weekly visits?
Studies, as well as our own experience, have shown that weight loss success is greatest with weekly visits. Frequent contact for continuing education, ongoing support, and medication adjustments ensure that patients are following the program while their comfort and success are maximized. With a lower caloric intake and treatment with medication, it is in everyone’s interest to maintain close supervision while losing weight. That said, we do realize that business trips and vacations always arise and we are happy to make accommodations under our physicians’ direction.
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Will diet alone effectively manage long-term weight reduction?
Diet alone will generally fail to achieve successful long-term weight loss. Exercise and behavioral changes are also required. During the acute weight loss phase of our program, we encourage development of an enjoyable exercise routine as a critical bridge to using physical activity to help sustain your losses long term. We will help guide you along that journey using safe and incremental steps.
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Is it true that 95% of people who lose weight regain it all within 5 years?
In January, 1995, Time Magazine published an article with the following quote, “Each year an estimated 80 million Americans go on a diet, but no matter how much weight they lose, 95% gain it back within 5 years.” While we acknowledge that successful long term weight loss on your own is a challenge, patients who participate in a long-term weight maintenance program like Jumpstart’s are 10-15 times more successful at maintaining their weight loss (60-75% maintain weight after 2 years). At Jumpstart Medicine, we have risen to that challenge by creating a multi-faceted, evidence based program that can help you overcome myths of hopelessness and succeed in achieving your weight reduction goals.
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Should I consider/do you do surgery?
Most of our patients do not qualify for bariatric surgery for weight reduction (i.e. BMI > 35 with co-morbidities or BMI >40 without co-morbidities). For those who do, we will recommend a trial of medically managed weight loss through our program. For those unable to achieve success, surgery is always an option and we have established relationships with outstanding bariatric surgeons to whom we can make referrals.
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What is a bariatrician?
Overweight and obesity are complex, multifaceted diseases. Effective treatment poses unique and protean challenges. A bariatrician is a licensed physician (doctor of medicine [MD]) who, as a member of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP), has received special training in bariatric medicine, the medical treatment of overweight and obesity and its associated conditions. Bariatricians respond to the overweight or obese patient with a comprehensive program of diet and nutrition, exercise, lifestyle changes and, when indicated, the prescription of appetite suppressants and other appropriate medications. (The word bariatric stems from the Greek word barros, which translates as heavy or large.)
Through an extensive continuing medical education program, Jumpstart Medicine physicians have been exposed to specialized knowledge, tools and techniques that enable them to design medical weight loss programs tailored to the UNIQUE needs of individual patients. Programs can be modified, if indicated, as treatment progresses. ASBP members are uniquely equipped and committed to treating overweight and obesity and associated conditions.
For some individuals, a physician-supervised medical weight loss program will be the safest and wisest way to lose weight and maintain the loss. Overweight and obesity are frequently accompanied by other medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cancer and others. A bariatric physician is trained to detect and treat these conditions, which might go undetected and untreated in a non-medical weight loss program. (ASBP website, 2007). Bariatricians also have first hand experience with the down stream repercussions of overweight and obesity and can use this knowledge to help motivate others to attain a healthy long term lifestyle.
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What is obesity?
“Obesity used to be understood in fairly simple terms, excess body weight resulting from eating too much and exercising too little, due in large part to a lack of willpower or self-restraint. Fortunately for the millions of American adults who are overweight, obesity is now regarded as a chronic medical disease with serious health implications caused by a complex set of factors.
Recognized since 1985 as a chronic disease, obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death, exceeded only by cigarette smoking. Obesity has been established as a major risk factor for hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and some cancers in both men and women. Obesity affects 59 million people across the nation and its prevalence is increasing. Approximately one-third of adults are estimated to be obese. Another one-third are estimated to be overweight.
Obesity results from a complex interaction of genetic, behavioral and environmental factors causing an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. According to the National Institutes of Health, an increase in body weight of 20 percent or more above desirable weight is the point at which excess weight becomes an established health hazard. Lower levels of excess weight can also constitute a health risk, particularly in the presence of other disorders like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.”(QUOTED FROM THE ASBP website, 2007)
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What are the health implications of obesity?
Obesity has been established as a major risk factor for diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and some cancers in both men and women. Other co-morbid conditions include sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, infertility, lower extremity venous stasis disease, gastro-esophageal reflux and urinary stress incontinence.
Obesity-related medical conditions contribute to 300,000 deaths each year, second only to smoking as a cause of preventable death. (JAMA, 1996;276:1907-1915). That reference was from 1996. Today, obesity is thought to contribute to over 400,000 deaths annually (centers for disease control and prevention). The estimated number of annual deaths attributable to obesity among US adults is approximately 280,000 based on relative hazard ratio from all subjects and 325,000 based on hazard ratio from only non-smokers and never-smokers. (JAMA, 1999;282: 1530-1538) One-third of all cases of high blood pressure are associated with obesity, and obese individuals are 50% more likely to have elevated blood cholesterol levels. (American Family Physician 1997; 55(2): 551-558) Adult onset diabetes (type II, non-insulin dependent) accounts for nearly 90% of all cases of diabetes. Researchers estimate that 88 to 97% of type II diabetes cases diagnosed in overweight people are a direct result of obesity. (Shape Up America, December 1995)
Excess weight is an established risk factor for high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes (adult-onset), high blood cholesterol level, coronary heart disease and gallbladder disease. (JAMA, 1999;282:1523-1529) (passage taken from ASBP website, 2007)
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What are the cost associated with obesity?
The total cost attributable to obesity amounted to $99.2 billion in 1995. Approximately $51.65 billion of those dollars were direct medical costs. Compared with 1988 … data, in 1994 the number of restricted-activity days, bed-days, and work-lost days increased substantially.
The number of physician visits attributed to obesity increased 88 % from 1988 to 1984. (Obesity Research 1998; 6(2):97-106) The cost of obesity to US business in 1994 was estimated to total $12.7 billion. Today, obesity is estimated to cost US businesses $45 billion annually (the conference board and RTI international). The health-related economic cost of obesity to US business is substantial, representing approximately 5% of total medical care costs. (American Journal of Health Promotion 1998;13(2): 120-127)
Sustained modest weight loss among obese persons would yield substantial health and economic benefits. (American Journal of Public Health 1999;89(10): 1536-42)
We found that as BMI increases, so do the number of sick days, medical claims and health care costs and that the mean annual health care costs for the BMI “at risk” population was $2,274 versus $1,499 for the “not at risk” group. (Statistical Bulletin of the Metropolitan Insurance Co. 1999 Jul-Sep;80) (ASBP website, 2007).
