Medical Weight Loss
A critical component to any age management program is body to fat ratio. Following a complete medical history, body composition analysis, comprehensive blood test and discussion of your personal goals, we will work with you to develop a nutrition plan tailored to your specific needs. As you progress through our age management program your nutritional needs may change and will continue to work with you to refine and manage your personalized nutritional plan.
If you are 100 pounds or more overweight or your body mass index measures 40 or higher, you are classified as morbidly obese. Morbid obesity increases your risk of health complications and death. If you have immediate health concerns, extreme calorie restriction may be necessary for the short term. The HCG diet is an 800 calorie a day diet paired with injections of the hormone, Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG). HCG is the hormone women produce when they are pregnant. The HCG diet should be supervised by a trained physician.
An injection of HCG is the only proven and acceptable method of taking HCG and is only available through a prescription from a doctor and under medical supervision. Patients receiving HCG report reduced feelings of hunger allowing them to follow a restricted calorie plan comfortably. HCG helps stimulate the body to make more hormones which is beneficial for weight loss since hormone deficiency is frequently the reason for weight gain.
Patients on the HCG diet can expect to lose approximately 1 pound a day. Normally with this much weight loss a person loses a significant amount of muscle but HCG injections help you avoid muscle loss. By increasing hormone levels, the body enters into an anabolic or muscle building state counter acting the catabolic state that is normally attained during extreme calorie restricted intake.
The HCG diet is not a long-term nutrition plan and is typically followed for no more than 12 weeks depending your medical circumstances and adherence to the meal plan. For maximum benefit, it will be important to incorporate other lifestyle changes into your routine including enlisting help from friends and family, keeping a daily meal log and activity log or seeking help from community support groups.
Under supervised care, side effects from the HCG diet are rare and usually mild, but could include; bloating, stomach pain, nausea, edema in the feet and hands, acne, flushing of the skin, enlargement of the penis or testes, and pelvic pain.
The length of your program will be determined by you and your physician based on your immediate health needs, the amount of weight you want to lose and how quickly you want to lose it. Your actual weight loss will be determined by your health, adherence to the plan and use of nutritional supplements. As you progress, you and your health care provider will make adjustments to your plan.
