Weight- Loss Clinics: Do They Work? In the competitive world of diet centers, one fast- growing chain claims an advantage: Medi- Weightloss clinics prescribe drugs and counseling to curb the appetite. Allure investigates. Drawing on personal experience, Natalie El- Haddad could practically write a history of the modern diet.
If a weight- loss plan has been featured on TV or mentioned at the gym, El- Haddad has likely tried it—and just as surely abandoned it. I'd always drop out because I'd get so hungry. But one program was different. Three years ago, she enrolled at Medi- Weightloss, a national chain of diet clinics supervised by doctors, and lost 7.
Patrice Gibson, a 3. Tampa, also had luck meeting and maintaining her goal with Medi- Weightloss. In three months, Gibson, who is five foot seven, dropped from 1. They've been around since the days of the . Doctors put patients on liquid diets in the 1.
But these trends were short- lived. Reports of dangerous side effects, often involving the heart, landed each one on the heap of medical failures. Yet the desire for safe, medically supervised dieting remains, and Medi- Weightloss's claims are impressive: Under the supervision of a doctor, patients can drop five to ten pounds in the first week and up to 2. The clinic's business is growing, according to its founder and CEO, Edward Kaloust.
Curious about the experience, I decided to pay a visit to an outpost of the company, which boasts that its patients have lost 2. The Medi- Weightloss clinic near my house in Connecticut sits in a cluster of medical buildings; the standard- issue waiting room has brochures featuring women posing in . A lab technician called my name, and I was ushered in for some tests: a urine sample, a blood draw, a blood- pressure reading, even an electrocardiogram. The technician weighed me and explained that, since I was five foot six and 1. A few minutes later, Jill, a perky brunette nurse practitioner who looked like she was ready to whip off her white coat and start kickboxing, breezed through the door.
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After a quick physical, she recommended a 5. She explained that I wouldn't feel hungry, because the plan would put me into the metabolic state known as ketosis, which suppresses the appetite.
After initially recommending a prescription appetite suppressant called phendimetrazine, Jill changed her mind: That drug would clash with the Zoloft I take for postpartum depression, and after all, I wasn't technically overweight. After two shots in my rear—the Medi- Bolic Booster, with vitamin B1. B6/B1 combination to rev up my metabolism, Jill said—I headed home. The cost of my visit was $2. The Medi- Weightloss diet proceeds in three phases: the acute phase, which some patients stay on until they reach their goal weight and includes weekly clinic visits; the short- term maintenance phase, when they're weaned off prescription drugs; and the . During phase one, patients eat mostly protein. After the first week, they add a few servings of vegetables and fruit.
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Ketosis has the welcome side effect of squelching hunger as your body conserves energy in preparation for siege by starvation. If a patient's altered metabolism alone doesn't reduce her cravings, she can also take a prescription diet pill, such as phentermine or Qsymia, says Zbella; about two thirds of the dieters do. Medi- Weightloss clinics follow guidelines from the American Society of Bariatric Physicians that advise weight- loss medications only for women with a BMI of 3. Christina, a 3. 3- year- old sales representative, had been trying for years to lose 5. Driving to work the following morning, Christina heard a woman on a radio talk show recounting her experience at Medi- Weightloss. Her 7. 00- to- 8. Medi- Weightloss was manageable, she says, even though she chose to skip the prescription medications.
I had a few bites of steak, and I was full. But some weight- loss specialists don't recommend it. While many physicians used to believe ketosis could permanently reset your metabolism, that theory has been debunked, says Robert Kushner, the clinical director of the Comprehensive Center on Obesity at Northwestern University and chair of the American Board of Obesity Medicine. It's an unhealthy situation to be in.
During ketosis, your body forms substances called ketones, which, if they build up, can cause bone damage and may affect brain and kidney function. Another possible consequence of losing too much too quickly is that . The clinics also promote injections with various forms of vitamin B and compounds such as choline, methionine, and inositol. Craig Primack, a member of the board of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, says these ingredients lack scientific backing when used for weight loss, although they are not actually harmful. Medi- Weightloss maintains they boost a patient's energy level.
The clinic's spokesman points out that doctors supervise each patient, can detect unintended side effects, and change a treatment plan as needed. It's worth noting that the majority of those doctors are not trained in nutrition. In fact, only a dozen Medi- Weightloss clinic owners are certified in bariatric medicine, with specialized education in the treatment of obesity. The rest—obstetricians or family physicians—attend a four- day seminar and receive ongoing training. The company vets potential franchise owners and conducts unannounced audits to make sure the doctors are prescribing medications appropriately, Zbella says. According to the company's own figures, about a quarter of new patients drop out in the first four weeks, 3. Those who stay lose an average of 1.
El- Haddad, the Miami actress, credits keeping a food journal and the Medi- Weightloss counselors for helping her to kick- start her weight loss, which she has maintained with eating habits she learned from the clinic. Still, a few ex- patients describe the experience, like most extreme diets, as a form of near- torture. I didn't want to put my body through such a strict regimen. The supplements are sitting in my kitchen, but the scale I bought sees regular action; I use it to weigh my dinner each night. Still, it's pretty clear Medi- Weightloss has found a sweet spot in the world of dieting. It now has 8. 3 franchises in 2. Dubai later this year.