Medical weight loss programs

A medical weight loss program is best judged by what it asks of you after the first weigh-in. The useful questions are about visits, habits and medication in the months that follow.

What a program can include

Baptist Health Jacksonville says its weight management program offers the full spectrum of weight management options, from medical weight management plans, such as lifestyle counseling or weight loss medications, to surgical weight loss options. Baptist Health Jacksonville adds that its bariatrician can help bariatric surgery patients optimize their weight loss before or after surgery.

That range is the reason to ask any program what its plan is for the months after the first result. For plain references, read the MedlinePlus entry on body mass index and the CDC's steps for losing weight. The NHS page on overweight and obesity in adults and NIDDK's guide to choosing a safe and successful weight-loss program also help.

Visits, habits and medication over the months

1. What types of medical weight loss programs exist?
2. BMI above 27 with conditions, do I qualify?
3. What happens at a medical weight loss consultation?
4. Shared medical appointments, how do they work?
5. Are weight loss medications part of every program?
6. Can a medical weight loss program improve diabetes?

The upkeep cost to plan for

Ask how long the program lasts and what the visits cost once the active phase ends. If medication is part of the plan, ask what it costs to continue and what the plan is if you stop. Add those answers to the enrollment fee before you compare programs.