How It Works

Medical weight loss patients typically lose between 1 to 4 pounds per week.

Every patient receives a customized program, but patients will almost always lose more weight when they choose to use supplemental meal replacements. The doctor might also choose to prescribe medications that can suppress your appetite and improve metabolism, allowing for easier and long-lasting weight loss.  Dr. Sabowitz is a leader in innovation and frequently participates in clinical trials and other programs that allow access to advanced drug therapies and program enhancements.

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How It Works

Step 1: Initial Evaluation
All new Medical Weight Loss Program patients undergo a comprehensive medical screening that identifies any potential habits in need of change (such as stress eating or eating triggers) and uses blood tests to screen for medical problems that may affect your weight loss program. The doctor may request tests such as an EKG (electrocardiogram) to test the electrical activity of your heart, a DXA (Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) scan to identify your specific body composition, and a resting energy expenditure study to determine your specific metabolic rate.

Step 2: Your Treatment Plan Identified
After your evaluation, Dr. Sabowitz develops a treatment plan to safely maximize your success. Your plan may include prescription medication, meal replacements, insulin sensitizers or appetite suppressants. It will very likely include an exercise prescription. Our menu of optional services includes personal training and consultations with a behavioral therapist and registered dietitian.

Step 3: You See Results
This is an exciting time! Typically, our patients lose between 1 to 4 pounds per week, with greater weight lost in the beginning of the journey. Our specially formulated diet promotes weight loss without hunger, ensuring you lose weight safely and comfortably. The total program length varies for each patient, and you can expect that your program will change as your body changes.

A note about rapid weight loss:  Dr. Sabowitz does not encourage “faster” over “steady” weight loss.  Why?  There are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat.  In other words to lose one pound of fat you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you consume.  There are only about 2,000 calories in a pound of muscle.  So in order to lose one pound of muscle you need to burn 2,000 calories more than you eat.  If you burn 500 calories more each day than you consume it will take seven days to lose one pound of fat, or four days to lose one pound of muscle.  Therefore, the faster you lose weight, the more likely it is that you are losing muscle instead of fat.  Since muscle is what burns calories for you losing muscle can have a significant impact on long-term success.  That’s why we focus on steady progress instead of rapid loss. 

Step 4: You Keep the Weight Off
Our support doesn’t end when you’ve reached your goal weight. In fact, we believe that this is when we are needed the most.  We understand that maintaining your significant weight loss requires additional adjustments to your diet and lifestyle. Our staff helps you develop a reliable maintenance strategy and is always available if you experience a setback.