For those people who are overweight or obese and have tried all diets under the sun without finding the one that works for them, a medical weight loss center may be the answer to your prayers. These medically supervised programs have given patients hope where none existed before. These slimming centers offer rapid weight loss through personalized programs tailored to your particular makeup. Some things a prospective patient at one of these centers should consider before investing in one of these programs are:

Types of dietary regimens used at the center

Diet centers typically offer a variety of diets that can meet the goals of different patients. Some people may be found to respond well to the very low calorie diet (VLCD), while others may be on a carbohydrate-restricted or low-fat diet. You may be a candidate for bariatric surgery or gastric bypass surgery. Most centers focus on very aggressive approaches to weight loss that get quick results.

What to expect

Your initial consultation will be with a physician who will discuss your particular weight problems, as well as your eating and exercise habits. Expect this initial consultation to take about an hour and a half in most cases. This amount of time is required to fully discover the relevant details that will allow clinicians to plan the appropriate treatment protocol. Once this is complete, you will be given instructions and a strict regimen to follow based on your body chemistry. This is the first phase.

What happens after the weight loss goal is reached?

As you get closer to your ideal weight, you will move on to a maintenance program that will give you guidelines to follow to maintain a healthy weight for the rest of your life.

Don’t expect this to be easy.

Before embarking on a program like this, you need to know the discipline that will be required. As with everything, there is no simple way to defeat this disease. But, if you’re willing to stick with the program, you can expect great results and shed that extra weight for the rest of your life.