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- Are there any physical benefits from losing weight besides just looking and feeling better?
- Is a full liquid diet like Optifast medically safe?
- While on the Optifast supplement will I feel weak or fatigued?
- Isn't rapid weight loss bad for you?
- Will dieting cause my metabolic rate to slow down and make it harder to maintain my weight?
- Are there negative side effects when using Optifast?
- Does using Optifast cause gallstones?
- If I am taking prescription weight management medications, do I still need to go to a weight management group?
- Once I lose my weight, what can I do to ensure I keep it off?
- Are there any physical benefits from losing weight besides just looking and feeling better?
There are many health benefits associated with weight loss. This question can be best answered by sharing the results of statistics obtained on the Northwest Nutritional Clinic Program participants.
Hypertension
A sampling of 400 hypertension participants showed that after weight loss, 45% were able to discontinue all medication and had normal blood pressure. 30% were able to decrease the dosage of blood pressure medication and had better blood pressure control. Another 30% experienced no change in their blood pressure, indicating that the cause of their hypertension was not weight related.
Diabetes
Out of 320 participants with diabetes, many of whom were on medication, 74% had normal blood sugar levels and were no longer diabetic after completing the weight program. Click here to read Dr. Kanter's article (in pdf form), "New Help With Weight Loss for Obese Diabetics and Pre-Diabetics".
High Blood Cholesterol
93% of those who had high blood cholesterol levels dropped an average from 285 down to 204, an 81 point reduction. The remaining 7% saw no decrease in their blood cholesterol levels, indicating that the cause of their high blood cholesterol is not diet-related.
- Is a full liquid diet, like Optifast, medically safe?
When medically supervised, the use of Optifast is safe and effective. Over 750,000 people have used Optifast as a weight management tool at major hospitals and universities since 1976. Many of these people were medically "high risk" patients who were middle-aged or older, hypertension and often had a history of cardiovascular disease and/or diabetes. Despite treating many "high risk" patients, no patient has died as a result of being on the Optifast program.
- While on the Optifast supplement will I feel weak or fatigued?
No. The Optifast liquid supplement is designed so that it provides complete nutrition and stimulates your body to derive most of your calories from your body's fat stores. The high protein content of the supplement prevents the excessive loss of lean body tissue, thereby maintaining strength and energy. Many participants comment that they actually have increased energy and stamina compared to prior to treatment.
- Isn't rapid weight loss bad for you?
Rapid weight loss using the Optifast supplement in combination with medical supervision is safe and healthy. On the other hand, weight loss produced by strict, un-supplemented fasting or inferior products can impair one's health.
Weight rapidly lost by using an incomplete supplement or total fasting is achieved by the body partly using lean muscle tissue as a source of protein. This not only jeopardizes one's health, but also may make weight maintenance more difficult. The Optifast product is formulated to protect lean muscle mass and to use fat stores as fuel, thereby eliminating these risks.
- Will dieting cause my metabolic rate to slow down and make it harder to maintain my weight?
There is a small decrease in metabolic rate that occurs in weight loss regardless of the diet plan used. It is temporary and the metabolic rate returns to normal as calories increase. This slight, temporary decrease is not the cause of weight regain and has nothing to do with your ability to maintain a weight loss.
- Are there any negative side effects when using Optifast?
Most people using Optifast experience no negative side effects. A small number of individuals experience minor and temporary hair loss during the weight loss phase. Like the temporary hair loss that often occurs during pregnancy, this is completely reversible. Some individuals will experience episodes of lightheadedness, which is due to mild dehydration from the very low salt content of the supplement. Small amount of bouillon easily correct this. In some cases, Optifast can lead to an increase in uric acid levels. Patients with a history of gout are monitored carefully so that appropriate treatment can be initiated if needed.
- Does using Optifast cause gallstones?
Gallstones occur when the amount of cholesterol present in the gallbladder is greater than the amount that can be dissolved in the bile. A high fat diet is the most common reason for passing such large amounts of cholesterol into the bile. A high fat diet is the primary cause of obesity, therefore, gallstones are almost always seen in people who are overweight.
Anyone losing weight does so by metabolizing their body fat. This results in increased cholesterol being passed into the bile, just like a high fat diet. This may either aggravate pre-existing gallstones or occasionally produce new ones.
The risk of gallstone attack during the weight loss phase remains surprisingly small. 1 in 700 participants have experienced a gallstone attack during the weight loss phase, and most of these had previously diagnosed gallstone conditions.
- If I'm taking prescription weight management medications, do I still need to go to a weight management group?
Research studies show that participating in a comprehensive weight management program along with the medication doubles the weight loss achieved with medications alone.
- Once I lose my weight, what can I do to ensure I keep it off?
We have found through research and experience that there are four steps crucial to successful weight maintenance. The stronger your commitment to each of these areas, the more likely you are to maintain your weight:
-Participate in our group sessions and follow through with recommendations made by program staff in order to address the reasons you overeat (e.g. reduce stress, experience joy and contentment, relieve negative feelings, avoid sexual threat).
-Stay active in the Maintenance Program even after completing the initial series of maintenance classes.
-Keep an awareness of when and where you eat. This can be done most successfully by planning meals and snacks ahead of time and by keeping food records of what and how much you eat.
-Maintain some form of regular exercise. Interestingly, although exercise burns calories, its main benefit may come from its stress-reducing effect, which decreases the need to use food to relax.
-Some participants who experience difficulties maintaining their weight loss are helped by adding prescription weight management medications to the other strategies mentioned above.
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For an appointment call:
Seattle:
206-362-0022
Eastside:
425-641-5580 |
