It is with great enthusiasm that I offer you the Group Weight Loss Program starting in January. After working on effective weight loss over the past 8 years with individual patients (and my own weight issues), I am now ready to offer a group approach that really makes weight come off and stay off. I firmly believe that this format will facilitate the support and attention that you need to be successful not only in losing weight but also in easily keeping it off long-term.
Linda Lucia, Gordon Medical's lab coordinator, is experienced in leading effective weight loss groups. She will join me in a team approach to meet your needs. The group setting is a way for you to get support and encouragement, review the details of the program and get answers to your questions. You will learn from the experience of others, and explore life style practices that will help you be successful in maintaining the "new you"!
To qualify for the program, you need to be able to lose at least 12 pounds without putting your weight outside the healthy category in the weight charts. I will determine this with you when we meet to discuss the details of the program.
We start by encouraging you to have your hormones - sex, adrenal, thyroid, and insulin - addressed and balanced. Many of you have been working on that in preparation for this weight management program. Know that this will give the best long-term outcome.
So let's get to the program and the details.
First, you need to call Linda at the office to sign up for the program and make your deposit. She will then schedule you for the following appointments.
Initially, you will meet with Linda or Lizzie, my medical assistant, to get a baseline BIA. This test tells us the muscle mass and fat mass percentages of your weight, information about your detox status, and how much weight you can safely lose and still be healthy. You will continue to get a BIA EVERY WEEK during the program to check your status, and discuss the results weekly with Jane or Linda.
After the initial BIA, you will meet with Jane for an OFFICE CONSULTATION to go over the results, set your healthy weight goal, and discuss the weight loss protocol in detail.
We know you can do the program, and we want to set you up to be successful. You must follow certain restrictions, but this effort pays off in producing the weight loss you desire. You can eat only a limited number of calories, yet you will not feel hungry after the first few days (and some people never feel hungry) because the body is essentially burning fat stores of hundreds of calories per day in this program.
It's a very different diet and weight loss program than what you have done before, and the results are different! The average weight loss per day that most people experience is between 1/2 to 1 1/2 pounds per day. Check out "Pounds and Inches" - the original program using hCG that is the basis for our protocol. Click here for our recent newsletter on hCG. Be aware though that you need to go into this program with a commitment not to cheat even once or you may be wasting your time.
The program includes a WEEKLY GROUP MEETING on Monday evenings beginning January 10 from 6-7:30 pm at GMA where specific instructions and discussions will support you throughout the program. Linda will be the group facilitator presenting many interesting topics and exercises, with Jane providing protocol discussions and medical information and Lizzie leading some group exercises focused on our emotions around weight changes.
We'll start the program with a 1-week DETOX beginning January 11, and then one week later move into the hCG PROTOCOL for 21 days. Remember that you will be attending a WEEKLY GROUP MEETING and doing a WEEKLY BIA with a review CONSULTATION. You will be checking your urine at home every day for specific indicators that the process is working for you. The program will also include up to a twice a week consult by e-mail or phone for any urgent issues related to the program that may come up for you.
Near the end of your 21 day hCG PROTOCOL period, Jane will have an OFFICE CONSULTATION with you to evaluate your progress and determine if you can go ahead for another 21 days of hCG or if stopping is best.
Whichever you do, at the end of your hCG phase you will go into a MAINTENANCE PHASE of 3 weeks during which you will eat a wider variety of foods but still be on a limited diet. You may choose to continue to attend the WEEKLY GROUP meeting while in your maintenance phase or not if you feel complete.
At the end of the maintenance period, you will do a final BIA and Jane will have an OFFICE CONSULTATION to discuss your long-term strategy to be most successful in keeping the weight off. This strategy will come together for you from the information shared in the WEEKLY GROUP MEETINGS. In other words, we want to support your success for the long-term!
Think of all the benefits you can enjoy when you support a more healthy weight - less risk of many diseases, better mobility, a more positive sense of yourself, and a sense of being in control of your health. This investment in your health will return many rewards for years to come.
The services we provide for this medically supervised weight management protocol are extensive, and we are committed to helping you to achieve the results you deserve. We are initially offering the program for the 21 day hCG (and the detox) for an introductory rate of $799. If you continue for 42 days, there will an additional fee of $350. To give individualized care we are limiting the program to the first 10-12 people to sign up.
This fee includes the hCG, the supplements and urine testing supplies, all 6 or 9 BIAs with their accompanying office visits, initial and ending extended visits with Jane, and 7 or 10 weekly group meetings. It does not include optional items such as MIC B 12 injections, Whey Protein Powder, and vitamins beyond the initial supplies (many are sufficient for the 42 days protocol). Of course, your food and body products also are not covered.
We hope you will join us for this positive step toward better health in the New Year and for the long term! You can do it and we are here to help you!
Best wishes for a joyous holiday season for you and your family! 
Jane Kennedy
Nurse Practitioner
Gordon Medical Associates
The FDA requires medical providers to include the following statement any time they say anything about hCG and weight to the public:
"HCG has not been demonstrated to be effective adjunctive therapy in the treatment of obesity. There is no substantial evidence that it increases weight loss beyond that resulting from caloric restriction, that it causes a more attractive or 'normal' distribution of fat, or that it decreases the hunger and discomfort associated with calorie-restricted diets."
I do not make any claims about hCG, but only share what patients and I personally have experienced and how we think it may work. I would certainly welcome more studies on hCG and the protocol to learn more about this important weight loss approach.
Please send your comments or questions to me at:
jane@gordonmedical.com
