Weight Loss Nutrition

Glycemic Response — Blood Sugar Response

Maintain Healthy Eating Habits

The most important element of achieving and maintaining successful weight loss is the development and persistence of good nutritional habits. Dr. Aron is keenly aware of the multitudes of diet programs out there that over-promise and under-deliver. The protocols and procedures she follows are based on true medical science, clinically proven methods, accompanied with her medical expertise in diagnosing and treating obesity related health disorders.

Nutritional Weight Loss Supplements

We provide guidance on your nutritional needs during the program. Some patients have undiagnosed nutrional deficiencies or other poor dietary habits we strive to remedy.

Weight loss medications that we prescribe are FDA approved and fully endorsed by the American Society of Bariatric Physicians and the American Board of Bariatric Medicine.

Our programs incorporate top of the line products, vitamins, and supplements. The use of certain vitamins as catalysts involved with fat metabolism is an important part of our program.

Lipotropic Injections are often used as means to encourage fat burning and metabolism. They consist of a combination of vitamins, minerals and amino acids, most commonly methionine, inositol, and choline, or MIC, and vitamin B12.

We offer Lipotropic and Vitamin B12 injections as an optional procedure many patients find essential to boosting their energy and fat metabolism naturally. We also offer lipotropic tablets, and other non-prescription supplements to assist in keeping your weight off and maintaining your weight loss results.

Lipotropic and Vitamin B-12 shots

Additional support for weight loss, as an option adjunct to our medical weight loss program, is the use of fat burning and energy boosting compounds. You can add these onto your weight loss program as you wish.

Lipotropic Injections are often used as means to encourage fat burning and metabolism. They consist of combination of vitamins, minerals and amino acids, most commonly methionine, inositol, and choline, or MIC.

Cobalamin compounds are sources of vitamin B12 — one of the vital nutrients our bodies need in order to work properly. B12 is necessary to perform many very important tasks, including the making of DNA during cell division and the healthy formation of red blood cells.

Vitamin B12 is known as the "energy vitamin" because it gives a real energy boost. It is used to remedy fatigue and it speeds up the metabolism. Red blood cells are also responsible for producing hemoglobin, the part of the blood that takes oxygen from the lungs and transports it to all the different parts of the body.

Weight Loss Injections

Lipotropic and B12 shots are administered directly into the muscle, allowing for better absorption. Vitamin B12 causes the metabolism to speed up, which in turn increases weight loss.

Vitamin B12 shots give a tremendous boost of energy. This generally helps people to maintain their diets, and motivates them to exercise and increase physical activity.

Vitamin B12 also helps to fight stress and depression, symptoms which are sometimes associated with weight gain.

B Vitamins

These are important vitamins in terms of weight loss, and they are often known as the stress vitamins. Vitamins B3 and B6 are especially important because they help to supply fuel to cells, which are then able to burn energy. Vitamin B6 together with zinc is necessary for the production of pancreatic enzymes which help you to digest food. If your digestion is good, you will be much more likely to use your food efficiently, instead of storing it as fat.

Vitamins B2, B3 and B6 are necessary for normal thyroid hormone function production, so any deficiencies in these can affect thyroid function and consequently affect metabolism. B3 is also a component of the glucose tolerance factor which is released every time your blood sugar rises. Vitamin B5 is involved in energy production and helps to control fat metabolism.

As you can see, the B vitamins as a group are important and the best way to get them is in a good B-complex supplement.

Healthy Weight Loss Dieting

Dieting FAQ

Does your weight loss program create a unique diet program for everyone?

You receive a structured diet program based on your medical assessment and weight-loss goals. The program we develop for you is specific to your body’s nutritional requirements.

Do you provide low carb diets? Are they safe?

All of our diet programs are safe and follow approved medical weight loss guidelines. Your progress and results are monitored and reviewed each visit by Dr. Aron, who will be prescribing a structured diet program suitable for your weight loss goals.

Will I feel tired because of the low calorie diet?

The diet will provide all the nutrients that your body needs. Your energy will come from your body fat stores. There is no shortage of energy there. You will also be taking medication and vitamins that will improve your energy level. The 3 meals a day provide you with a steady source of energy without the blood sugar swings.

If you exercise you should keep your level of exertion sub maximal for the first week to give your body a chance to adjust to the change in macronutrients (Those nutrients normally required in the greatest amount; e.g., carbohydrates, protein, fats.) and the change occurring within the body from a principally sugar metabolism to fat metabolism for fuel.

I really want to lose weight and have tried various diets and programs in the past. Will the diet on your program be any different?

You have probably tried one or more of the so called crash diets that specialize in rapid weight loss at the sacrifice of balanced nutrition. Such diets, as previously mentioned, can be dangerous to your health. Their results, though sometimes spectacular in the beginning, are often short lived.

The diet you will be advised to follow by Dr. Aron, your bariatric physician, will supply all the particular nutrients your individual body requires. You must remember, however, you will be changing your way of life as far as your eating habits are concerned. You will be exchanging bad habits for better ones and this will take a certain amount of will power. In order to help you achieve this Dr. Aron may prescribe appetite suppressants.

You will have a choice of many different foods but in smaller quantities than you are probably used to eating. You may actually start to enjoy food more than you have in the past. As time goes by, you will feel so much better that you will want to continue. You will eventually reach the point where your appetite will be satisfied with less food. When your weight has reached its optimum level, you will be able to keep it there with little effort.

Is there really any miracle method for rapidly and permanently removing excess body weight? How do I achieve a permanent weight loss?

It would seem that there are as many diets, schemes and approaches to solving the problems of being overweight as there are overweight people. It is almost impossible to pick up a magazine or newspaper without seeing at least one new diet, exercise or product that promises miracle results in losing weight fast. We have seen a lot of patients in our practice who have been on countless fad diets. Some of these methods do seem to work, at least temporarily, but sometimes at varying degrees of risk to the user’s health. You can initially lose 5 to 10 percent of your weight on any number of diets, but then the weight comes back, plus more. Crash diets do not lead to sustained weight loss or health benefits for the majority of people." Evidence suggests that repeatedly losing and gaining weight is linked to cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes and altered immune function.

Our medical weight loss center was established for those overweight individuals who are wary of the "off again - on again" syndrome of such methods. The center is for those who are now determined to take off weight and keep it off — sensibly, safely, and under the supervision of a medical specialist.

Our bariatric weight loss program is a highly successful and realistic approach to achieving and maintaining optimum body weight.

Can I drink coffee?

Yes you can. Coffee contains caffeine, which is a stimulant. Some appetite suppressants are also stimulants. Together there may be more risk of nervousness and insomnia. If you quit taking caffeine products too quickly you may develop withdrawal headaches. I do not recommend stopping your caffeine too suddenly. Most people have no problem using their regular amount of caffeine and adding an appetite suppressant.

Do I have to buy food there? Do I have to buy pre-packaged food?

No. Our meal guide is based on fresh nutritious foods available at your local grocery store.

Although food supplements plays important role in the weight loss process you are not required to buy them in the office. We will work with you on developing new habits that you can use for the rest of your life.

Meal guides are easy to follow and help individuals adhere to prescribed calorie levels. The meal guides also teach portion control and meal planning principles.

For convenience to our patients we do have food supplements available in the office. They can be recommended as meal replacements for patients who choose to achieve quick results in short period of time. They also can be used in addition to regular grocery foods meals as snacks in between meals. These nutritional food supplements, taken at the designated times during the day serve to minimize hunger and increase compliance.

Are there any special food supplements to buy?

Maintaining proper nutrition during reduced calorie diets is essential for your health and well-being as well as dietary success. We offer a variety of healthy items for you to supplement your meals as you wish.

You do not have to be a patient to purchase these or any of our nutritional supplements or meal replacement products. Please note these nutritional products are not a substitute for our medical weight loss program but are offered as supplemental aids to maintaining proper health and vitality.

Food Supplements ensure that individuals receive optimal nutrition during weight loss. These products contain 12-15 grams of high quality protein per serving to maximize preservation of lean body mass during weight loss, with protein sources from the highest performance proteins available. The doctor has carefully evaluated and selected a variety of delicious, medical quality protein supplements that are only available through a health care provider’s office. The cost is comparable to other weight loss food supplements available through physicians.

When doing a VLCD, these products should only be used under the supervision of a physician.

Protein supplements are very effective tools in the weight loss process. They simplify a weight loss program by limiting choices via a process often referred to as stimulus narrowing. High protein content helps to not only control your appetite but protect lean body mass while burning fat (see: body composition analysis). The overall objective is to avoid a negative protein balance and associated loss of lean body mass which commonly occurs with weight loss and minimize the anticipated slowdown in your metabolism usually seen after losing a considerable amount of weight.

Protein stimulates your metabolism. After ingesting large amounts of protein, your body works at a higher efficiency level which increases the rate of weight loss by approximately 30%. This means a more consistent weight loss with fewer plateaus. Proper nutrients provide countless health benefits as well.