Frequently Asked Questions.

General Information for ALL Weight Loss Programs

Homeopathic Weight Loss Program

hCG Weight Loss Program

Vegetarian Diet Plan

Low Calorie Diet Plans

General Information for ALL Weight Loss Programs

1. What sets our premier medical weight loss services apart from other offices?

• Our physicians have personally struggled with being overweight for years.

That’s right our physicians, like yourself, have struggled with their weight for many years. Each of our physicians has lost 60 pounds or more using our methods. We know how hard it is to lose weight and how discouraging it can be when you try and fail. We love helping others and we are committed to helping you achieve your weight loss goals.

• At each visit you are evaluated by a board certified, fully licensed physician.

We offer safe and effective weight management services. Initially, your physician will conduct a detailed physical examination, including lab tests, in order determine your current health status. This information is then used to determine if you are suitable for a weight loss program and, if so which of our programs would best suit your needs. You will meet regularly with your doctor to monitor your progress.

• Our physicians are on-site and available by appointment.

We do not hire medical assistants to administer our effective weight loss programs; you will meet face to face with your doctor regularly. Your progress is tracked at each visit and your personal physician will address any questions you have about your weight loss.

• We are not a one-size-fits-all weight loss clinic.

We are not a “pill farm”. We do not give you medication or supplements to speed up your metabolism or to magically make fat “disappear”. We listen to your history and perform a physical examination and laboratory evaluation to determine how to best help you achieve both your health and weight loss goals. What works for one patient, may not work for another patient. We work with you and your body to find the right program that is going to help you achieve your health and weight loss goals. Our programs have a proven, scientific reason for how they work.

• We educate you about proper nutrition, exercise and lifestyle to help you optimize your health.

Many of our patients suffer from heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and other medical problems from years of being overweight. Many of these diseases are diet related and will be helped by achieving your optimal weight. We also have safe, natural methods that we are able to use to reduce the aches and pains that can happen when starting an exercise program.

2. What type of weight loss programs do you offer?

We offer a variety of weight loss programs, including:

• hCG
• Low calorie diets
• Homeopathic / Low calorie diets
• Vegetarian / Low calorie diets

The doctor will discuss the merits of each of these programs and together you will determine which of the plans is best suited to your needs.

3. What is the cost of the diet programs?

The cost of our diet programs vary according to the:

• Program you choose
• hCG patients are seen weekly during the diet phase
• Low calorie diet patients are seen weekly during the adjustment phase of their diets. When the diet plan has been adjusted for maximum weight loss, patients are seen on a monthly basis.

Payment option that you select.

• Credit card
• Check
• Cash
• CareCredit

4. Why do I have to have a physical examination?

• Obesity can have many medical causes.
• The most common cause is over-eating.
• Prior to any medical treatment, other known causes of obesity such as hypothryroidism or diabetes must be ruled out. If identified these medical conditions must be addressed for the health and safety of the patient.
• Patients identified with potential endocrine diseases will be referred to the endocrinologist of their choice for re-evaluation.

5. Do you guarantee that I will lose weight?

• Patients who stick to their diet plans should lose weight. But nothing is 100%.
• Regarding the hCG diet plan, since we do not hospitalize you as Dr. Simeon did we cannot regulate your intake and cannot guarantee that you are doing everything as you have been instructed. However, according to Dr. Simeon’s article and our experience, most individuals do lose weight.

6. Do you prescribe diet pills, thyroid supplements, or growth hormone for weight loss?

NO!

• Traditional diet pills are frequently addicting and are known to have other complications. They also do not train you to change your eating habits in a successful manner.
• Thyroid medication is not appropriate in dieters UNLESS they have documented laboratory values that indicate clinical or subclinical hypothyroidism. Use of thyroid medication in patients with normally functioning thyroids can have long term consequences.
• We do not use growth hormone in our practice.

7. Will the diet plans help my triglycerides and cholesterol levels?

• Weight loss is known to improve triglyceride and cholesterol levels.
• Triglycerides and cholesterol levels are evaluated by doing blood work.
• Your blood work is evaluated prior to your dieting plan and after the end of your plan.
• Patients may also need additional labs during the dieting period, based on their response to weight loss.

8. What is included in the diet plans?

The following are included in the diet plan:

• All plans except hCG.
• Diet information.
• Initial evaluation.
• Follow-up visits are not included.
• hCG Weight Loss Plan:
• Diet information.
• hCG injections.
• Examinations: all during Phase 1, 1 examination during Phase 2, and if needed, 1 examination during Phase 3.
• Laboratory studies will be the financial responsibility of the patient since they will be considered part of the diet program. Note: Promotional plans may have laboratories included.
• Bonus items – these vary.

9. What is not included in the diet plans?

• Additional medical care including but not limited to care for pain, somatic dysfunction, and medical conditions such as sinusitis, upper respiratory tract infections, endocrine problems, and urinary tract infections.
• Non-promotional items – these vary.
• Follow-up visits on non-hCG diet plans.

10. Does my insurance cover the cost of my weight loss program?

• Most insurance companies do not cover the cost of weight loss programs.
• We do offer payment plans and finance options, which we will be happy to discuss with you when you begin your weight loss program or you may visit our website.

11. Can I use my flexible health-care spending account dollars for weight loss?

• Possibly. You will need to check with your flexible health-care spending account administrator to confirm your eligibility.
• In most cases, if your BMI is in the overweight or obese range you will qualify for reimbursement. Our office will be happy to provide you with a letter confirming your diagnosis and the need for weight loss to improve or protect your health or you may obtain this letter from your primary care provider.

12. Will I gain the weight back?

Diets are only a way of loosing weight. To keep the weight that you have lost off you must change your life style and your eating habits.

The life style changes that are needed are:

• Daily cardio exercise.
• A diet
• High in vegetable fiber,
• Moderate in complex carbohydrates such as fruits and whole grains,
• Moderate in low fat animal proteins such as meats, eggs, and dairy products,
• Low in fats, especially saturated fats,
• Low in refined carbohydrates, such as bread and most cereals, and
• Low in sugar, including corn syrup.

Homeopathic Weight Loss Program

13. What is the homeopathic medicine?

The homeopathic weight loss program is based on a therapeutic system which was developed over 200 years ago by Dr. Christian Hahnemann. The principles of homeopathy are based use of ultra-molecular dilutions of substances derived from minerals, plants, and animals which have been shown to stimulate the self-healing processes of the body.

14. What is the homeopathic weight loss program?

The homeopathic weight loss program uses several different medications to stimulate the body to lose weight when coupled with a low or decreased calorie diet (vegetarian or non-vegetarian). The big difference is that these medications ARE NOT ADDICTING. We use only high grade FDA approved products for our weight loss programs.

hCG Weight Loss Program

15. What is the cost of the hCG diet?

• We offer the hCG diet at competitive rates.
• The full cost depends on the diet plan and payment option that you choose.
• Payment options will be discussed at the time of your first weight loss visit.
• Laboratory fees are included in promotional plans only.
• Laboratory fees for non-promotional plans are priced competitively.
• Laboratory evaluation is required at the end of the diet and is not included in the total cost of the diet.

16. What type of hCG do you use?

• We use only FDA approved products for injection which are purchased from reputable pharmaceutical companies with strict quality control regulations. The cost of these products can range from two to four times the cost of compounded products. Many internet products are compounded and the origin of the hCG for these products is questionable; many come from China or India. Product reliability and safety is therefore a concern.
• We do not offer oral hCG.

17. Is hCG approved for use in dieting?

• Use of hCG for dieting is considered to be an off label use of this medication. The decision to use medications in an off label manner is restricted to licensed physicians.

18. What is involved in the hCG diet?

• The hCG diet involves a daily injection of hCG, a pregnancy hormone to stabilize the blood sugar, making the low calorie diet tolerable and with as few side effects as possible.
• Food quantities and food types are limited during this diet and are not flexible. Patients unable or unwilling to eat the allowed diet foods should not participate in this program.

19. How long does the hCG diet take to complete?

• The hCG diet is a three part or phase diet.
• The total time required is approximately 10 weeks.
• Phase 1 – 30-40 days
• Phase 2 – 3 weeks
• Phase 3 – 3 weeks

20. Do I have to complete all of the phases?

• Yes! Patients who are unable or unwilling to complete all three phases of the diet should not start the hCG diet.
• Failure to complete all three phases has been indentified by Dr. Simeon as a cause of post diet weight gain.

21. How much weight should I expect to lose on the hCG diet?

• The amount of weight that is typically lost during the hCG diet varies greatly.
• The average loss is ¼ to 1+ pounds per day – making a weight loss average of 10-30 pounds possible (avg 25-27 pounds).
• Women typically lose less weight than men.

22. Is the hCG diet ‘safe’?

• At the present time there are no long term studies that confirm or deny the safety of using hCG as an adjunct to a very low calorie diet.
• Very low calorie diets cannot be tolerated by all patients and physician monitoring is essential for patient safety.
• The amount of hCG used for weight loss is small but it is a hormone that can and does affect the body. You, the patient, must determine if the risks of being overweight outweigh the risk of dieting with hCG.

23. Do you guarantee that I will lose weight?

• Patients who stick to their diet plans should lose weight. But nothing is 100%.
• Regarding the hCG diet plan, since we do not hospitalize you as Dr. Simeon did we cannot regulate your intake and cannot guarantee that you are doing everything as you have been instructed. However, according to Dr. Simeon’s article and our experience, most individuals do lose weight.

24. How much weight should I expect to lose on diets other than the hCG diet?

• Weight loss on the other diet plans vary from 10 to 20+ pounds per month.

25. What happens if I cheat on the hCG diet?

• DON’T!
• If you cheat on the hCG diet you will GAIN weight. The gain can be as much as 4 pounds in one day!

26. Do I have to exercise to lose weight on the hCG diet?

• NO! Light to moderate exercise may help to increase your weight losing during the dieting period but increase your hunger
• I you wish to exercise, we recommend brisk walking (outside or on a treadmill) or non-callisthenic exercise such as Yoga or Tai Chi.

27. Will I have to do a second round?

The number of rounds of the hCG diet that are needed depends on:

• The amount of weight you need to lose, and
• Your success on the diet.

28. Do additional rounds cost the same amount?

• No, we offer a discount for these services.

Vegetarian Diet Plan

29. Is your vegetarian diet plan totally vegetarian?

Yes, our plan does not include the following (See note below):

• Meats
• Poultry
• Fish
• Dairy
• Eggs

30. Can the vegetarian diet plan me modified to include some non-vegetarian items?

• Yes, our plan can be modified to include some non-vegetarian food items. However, your weight loss will be slower. The best weight loss program is the one that is comfortable to you and the one that teaches you new eating habits that will last a life time.

Low Calorie Diet Plans

31. What is your low calorie diet?

We have two low calorie diet programs:

• Vegetarian diet plan
• Well rounded non-vegetarian substitution diet plan
• These plans can be used with or without homeopathic medications.
• Patients desiring traditional appetite suppressants will need to contact their Primary Care Provider.