Get Answers to These 7 Questions Before Choosing a Weight Loss Clinic

Choosing a weight loss program is an important decision. After all, you’re making a potentially life-altering decision, and you will probably be investing some of your hard-earned money. Before choosing a weight loss center – particularly a medical weight loss clinic, make sure you get answers to these 7 important questions.

What Are the Staff Qualifications?

When you come in for appointments, who will you be seeing? Is your program overseen and approved by a physician? If there is a preliminary medical evaluation, what are the qualifications of the person doing blood work, administering an EKG, or determining your body composition? If your weight loss program may include prescription weight loss drugs, how do the medical professionals determine which one is best for you as an individual? Are there qualified nutrition counselors on the staff? Who Sets Weight Loss Goals: You or the Program?

Generally, you and those who work at your weight loss center should be able to agree upon weight loss goals. Be wary if the program’s ideas about how much weight you need to lose are significantly different from yours. Ask how they came up with that figure and what they’re basing their recommendations on. As long as you and the weight loss program are in general agreement about how much weight you should lose, you’ll have a better chance of meeting that goal rather than giving up in frustration.

Are Food Choices Realistic for Everyday Life?

Prepackaged meals and snacks can be great time savers, particularly for those who work full time, but when prepackaged meals and snacks make up the entirety of the program, you’ll have a harder time enjoying meals with family and friends. For most people, prepackaged diet meals are not practical indefinitely, and the best weight loss clinics teach you how to revise your shopping lists and meal preparation techniques so that they work with your real life.

What Is the Program’s Drop-Out Rate?

This may be a difficult question to get answers to, but you should ask. A high drop-out rate may indicate that clinic goals do not align well with patient goals, or that clients didn’t feel like they were getting the help they needed to meet and maintain their weight loss goals.

What Is the Average Percent of Body Weight Lost after One Year?

Average pounds lost can be a misleading statistic. For example, if Patient A lost 10 lbs. and Patient B lost 110 lbs., the average weight lost is 60 lbs., and this doesn’t really give you the full story. Find out how much weight people are losing as a percentage of body weight to get a more accurate idea of how much you can expect to lose during the course of your weight loss.

What Side Effects Do Prescription Drugs Have (if Applicable)?

Prescription weight loss drugs are not for everyone. But if you are evaluated and told that you are a good candidate for one of these drugs, learn as much as you can about it. Ask questions about how effective the drug has been found to be in clinical trials. Learn about potential side effects and which side effects need to be reported right away. Two new drugs (Qsymia and Belviq) have come on the drug in recent months, and there are a few older weight loss drugs that are still used. When it comes to prescription drugs, you should always be an informed consumer.

How Does the Program Help You Maintain a Healthy Weight?

Does the weight loss clinic you’re considering include follow-up appointments once you reach your target weight range? A good weight loss clinic does not abandon you as soon as you meet your goal, but helps you learn what you can do every day to maintain your healthier weight. For most people, keeping weight off is a bigger challenge than losing it in the first place, and the program you choose should include weight maintenance in its list of services.