Welcome to a doctor-supervised weight management program for adults that's customized to your health needs and lifestyle.  What makes this program different from other weight management programs is that you will be assigned a board-certified doctor who will recommend and oversee a course of action based on your particular health needs. The Comprehensive Weight Management Program assumes that obesity and weight management are best managed through a partnership between yourself, your family and your healthcare team. So New York Methodist is teaming up with Metrofit to provide you with a health care team made up of board certified internists, bariatric surgeons, endocrinologists, registered nurses, behavioral health counselors, psychologists, registered dietitians and fitness trainers. Weight management program for kids? We have one. Learn more. How the Adult Weight Management Program Works During your first visit you will receive a full health exam.  A board-certified doctor will take a complete medical history and perform a physical examination in order to assess any health problems related to obesity. Some tests, such as a stress test, pulmonary function test, sleep study or radiology examinations may be ordered as necessary. After your exam, your doctor will discuss program components which include: Proper Nutrition: A registered dietitian reviews your medical, family, social and diet history. She or he then devises an individualized diet plan, working with your food preferences, habits, and lifestyle, to create a balanced and healthy eating plan that will promote weight loss. You are encouraged to follow up with the dietitian on a regular basis. Exercise and Fitness: Fitness is encouraged as part of a healthy lifestyle. Building muscle enhances the caloric expenditure, thus increasing the rate at which calories are burned, and weight is lost. You are required to join one of the fitness plans. Our certified fitness trainer will customize a plan to be carried out under supervised conditions. Private and group sessions are available. Mental Health Check Up: A licensed counselor conducts a psychological evaluation. The counselor discusses various factors that may or may not influence eating disorders and your participation in the program. Specific behavioral modifications may then be suggested. Exams by Other Health Professionals Appropriate referrals to other medical specialists such as a cardiologist, pulmonologist, endocrinologist, or orthopedist may be made, as indicated. The program’s medical or surgical director will coordinate your care with the specialist(s) to best manage the medical problems and optimize medical treatment during the weight loss program. Before your first appointment, complete this Lifestyle Survey and bring it with you to the appointment.  The information you provide will provide us with details surrounding your behaviors and lifestyle. Critical information for us to know before designing your program!! Weighing Surgical Versus Non-Surgical Treatment Options Your doctor will talk to you about non-surgical and surgical options. Basically, non-surgical weight loss means losing weight through conventional methods like diet and exercise. If you and your doctor decide on non-surgical weight loss, you can expect: Follow up visits with the physician, who may prescribe weight loss medications Continued consultations with the dietician. A fitness plan that is coordinated with the program Continued consultations with the behavioral counselor Monthly support group meetings to keep you motivated . Assistance from any member of the team at any time for questions, education and/or support If you and your doctor choose a surgical form of treatment, you'll be in the best of care at New York Methodist because we have been accredited as a Center of Excellence for Bariatric Surgery. Weight loss surgery is generally reserved for those who have not been able to lose weight under a conventional weight loss program (ie diet and exercise) and who have A BMI of 35 - 40 and suffer from complications of obesity or A BMI of over 40 (are approximately 100 pounds or more overweight). New York Methodist Hospital offers both gastric bypass surgery and gastric banding surgery, the two most common bariatric (weight reduction) procedures. These operations are actually components of an integrated program that includes diet, physical activity and behavioral and social support, prior to and following the surgery. People who desire the surgery and who, on medical assessment, are determined to be appropriate candidates for it, receive extensive pre-operative education regarding this permanent re-arrangement of their digestive system. In order to obtain a safe, permanent weight loss, it is critically important that potential surgical patients be fully informed about the benefits, as well as the side effects and potential complications of the surgery.  Learn more about the surgeries.  Maintaining a Healthy Weight If you choose the non-surgical option, you will continue to follow up with our medical team monthly and then later change to visits every three months. During the follow up visits, the team will closely monitor the weight loss and supervise your diet and exercises. The doctor will monitor any underlying medical conditions and adjust medication as needed. If you choose the surgical option, you may lose as much as 30 to 80 percent of your excess body weight. Individuals who do need close follow up with the surgeon to monitor their weight and nutrition status and to correct any potential nutritional deficiencies that may occur. After surgery, most people reduce or discontinue some of the medication they are taking for hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia. Your MYM-MetroFit Health Care Team Alfred Leong, MD, FACP, CNSP, Program Director, Medical Weight Reduction Parag Mehta, MD, FACP, CNSP, Associate Director, Medical Weight Reduction Piotr Gorecki, MD., FACS, Program Director, Surgical Weight Reduction Patricia Harvey, RD, CDN, Director of Clinical Nutrition Daniele Spira, MS, RD, CDN, Nutritionist Paul Carroll, Ph D., Psychologist/Behavior Counselor Joanna Castro, Fitness and Wellness Program Coordinator For more information or to schedule and appointment please call: 718 246-8580 or email jsheinberg@metrosportsmed.com