Medically Supervised
Weight-Loss & Weight-Management Programs  
                                      
  TAKE SHAPE FOR LIFE PROGRAM

Click Here for More Information
 http://www.drdesarbo.tsfl.com

 

Selecting A Successful
Weight Loss Approach

    Dr. DeSarbo and the NY Eating Disorder Medical Group are dedicated to helping individuals maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle. For many of our overweight and obese clients, weight-loss and weight-management is crucial for overall health issues and quality of life. 

   Clients who wish to lose weight can consult with Dr. DeSarbo for a review of their medical and weight history, goals to be set for optimal health and selection of an eating and lifestyle plan to achieve their goals. Not all diets are the same or even appropriate for many people. Dr. DeSarbo can review the medical evidence for selecting the proper nutritional pathway which will lead to healthy weight-loss, improved eating patterns and an ability to maintain adherence to a new way of life.

   Selection of weight-loss programs range from medically supervised VLCDs (Very Low Calorie Diets) for clients requiring significant weight loss (>50lbs.), to modified nutritional programs for clients who need moderate weight-loss for a healthier lifestyle.

    One very successful program is the Take Shape for Life Program using a medically supervised, protein-supplemented program (Medifast) studied by physicians at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Working with the support of physicians who are specialists in disordered eating patterns, medical nutritional management, and mental health will give our clients a distinct advantage. Of coarse, not everyone is best suited for such a program and an evaluation will help determine a proper weight-loss program.

When diet alone is not enough!

   Dietary guidance and support alone does not always guarantee a successful weight-loss result. Most people can lose weight on any reasonable diet plan, however, most people fail to maintain weight-loss and a healthy way of eating. Why is this? The Pyramid of Weight Loss has diet and exercise with support forming the base of the pyramid. At the top of the pyramid is mental health. Stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, boredom, fatigue, conflicts at work and in relationships are but a few of the types of issues that can significantly effect mental health. At the NY Eating Disorder Medical Group, Dr. DeSarbo and colleagues are trained to address mental health issues and keep clients at their peak mental performance and maintain healthy lifestyle habits.

   When necessary, Dr. DeSarbo can provide therapy and pharmacological management to overcome serious obstacles. When mood issues and stress are present, people usually find it very difficult to begin and sustain new lifestyle patterns that require some degree of motivation and compliance. Having a medical professional to consult with and intervene can make the difference in a program's success.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the long-term impact of Medifast meal-replacement supplements (MMRS) combined with appetite suppressant medication (ASM) among participants who received 52 weeks of treatment. METHODS: We conducted a systematic program evaluation of weight loss data from a medically-supervised weight control program combining the use of MMRS and ASM. Data were obtained and analyzed from 1,351 patient (BMI> or =25) medical charts who had participated for at least 12 weeks of treatment. Outcomes included weight loss (kg) and percent weight loss from baseline and at 12, 24, and 52 weeks. Both completers and intention-to-treat analyses were conducted. Completers' (i.e., those with complete data for 52 weeks) outcomes were evaluated after stratification for reported adherence to the MMRS and ASM. RESULTS: Participants who completed 52 weeks of treatment experienced substantial weight losses at 12 (-9.4+/-5.7 kg), 24 (-12.0+/-8.1 kg), and 52 weeks (-12.4+/-9.2 kg) and all measures were significantly different from baseline weight (p<0.001 for all contrasts) for both true completers (n=324) and for ITT analysis (n=1,351). Fifty percent of patients remained in the program at 24 weeks and nearly 25% were still participating at one year. CONCLUSIONS: This weight loss program using a combination of MMRS and ASM produced significant and sustained weight losses at 52 weeks. Results were better than those typically reported for obesity pharmacotherapy in both short- and long-term studies and also better than those reported for partial meal replacement programs. Program retention at one year was similar to that reported in many controlled drug trials and better than most commercial programs reported in the literature.PMID: 18612258 [PubMed - in process]

Weight management using a meal replacement strategy: meta and pooling analysis from six studies.

Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003 May;27(5):537-49.Heymsfield SB, van Mierlo CA, van der Knaap HC, Heo M, Frier HI. Obesity Research Center, St Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA. SBH2@Columbia.edu

OBJECTIVE: Although used by millions of overweight and obese consumers, there has not been a systematic assessment on the safety and effectiveness of a meal replacement strategy for weight management. The aim of this study was to review, by use of a meta- and pooling analysis, the existing literature on the safety and effectiveness of a partial meal replacement (PMR) plan using one or two vitamin/mineral fortified meal replacements as well as regular foods for long-term weight management. DESIGN: A PMR plan was defined as a program that prescribes a low calorie (>800<or=1600 kcal/day) diet whereby one or two meals are replaced by commercially available, energy-reduced product(s) that are vitamin and mineral fortified, and includes at least one meal of regular foods. Randomized, controlled PMR interventions of at least 3 months duration, with subjects 18 y of age or older and a BMI>or=25 kg/m(2), were evaluated. Studies with self-reported weight and height were excluded. Searches in Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Clinical Trials Register from 1960 to January 2001 and from reference lists identified 30 potential studies for analysis. Of these, six met all of the inclusion criteria and used liquid meal replacement products with the associated plan. Overweight and obese subjects were randomized to the PMR plan or a conventional reduced calorie diet (RCD) plan. The prescribed calorie intake was the same for both groups. Authors of the six publications were contacted and asked to supply primary data for analysis. Primary data from the six studies were used for both meta- and pooling analyses. RESULTS: Subjects prescribed either the PMR or RCD treatment plans lost significant amounts of weight at both the 3-month and 1-year evaluation time points. All methods of analysis indicated a significantly greater weight loss in subjects receiving the PMR plan compared to the RCD group. Depending on the analysis and follow-up duration, the PMR group lost approximately 7-8% body weight and the RCD group lost approximately 3-7% body weight. A random effects meta-analysis estimate indicated a 2.54 kg (P<0.01) and 2.43 kg (P=0.14) greater weight loss in the PMR group for the 3-month and 1-y periods, respectively. A pooling analysis of completers showed a greater weight loss in the PMR group of 2.54 kg (P<0.01) and 2.63 kg (P<0.01) during the same time period. Risk factors of disease associated with excess weight improved with weight loss in both groups at the two time points. The degree of improvement was also dependent on baseline risk factor levels. The dropout rate for PMR and RCD groups was equivalent at 3 months and significantly less in the PMR group at 1 y. No reported adverse events were attributable to either weight loss regimen. CONCLUSION: This first systematic evaluation of randomized controlled trials utilizing PMR plans for weight management suggests that these types of interventions can safely and effectively produce significant sustainable weight loss and improve weight-related risk factors of disease.                PMID: 12704397 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]