Obesity is a chronic medical disease that requires a comprehensive and individualized approach to treatment. Egea Medical Weight Loss Center in Hamburg, NY, and surrounding areas offers a medically supervised program tailored to each patient's unique needs. This article delves into the details of the Egea Medical Weight Loss Program, highlighting its key features, benefits, and the science-backed methods employed to achieve lasting results.
The Egea Medical Difference: Physicians Trained in Obesity Medicine
The cornerstone of Egea Medical's approach is the expertise of physicians trained in obesity medicine. Recognizing that weight struggles are often rooted in biology and hormonal influences, their team provides medical oversight throughout the program. During each visit, patients are examined and monitored by these highly trained physicians, ensuring that all decisions regarding care and progress are made with expert medical knowledge. This sets Egea Medical apart from other weight loss programs.
Individualized Treatment Plans
Egea Medical understands that there is no one-size-fits-all dietary approach. Each patient receives a specifically tailored plan that considers their individual needs and circumstances. The cost of the program reflects the individualized care provided during each visit.
Understanding Obesity Medicine
Obesity medicine, also known as bariatric medicine, is the medical treatment of obesity and its associated conditions. The term "bariatric" comes from the Greek word "bari," meaning weight. Bariatric medicine encompasses the art and science of medical weight loss management.
Body Composition Analysis
A key component of the Egea Medical Weight Loss Program is body composition analysis. This clinical assessment evaluates tissue and fluid compartments in the human body, providing specific measurements such as:
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- Body fat percentage
- Fat-free mass
- Total body water
- Resting metabolic rate
Egea Medical uses electrical bioimpedance, a non-invasive and accurate test, to obtain this information. This analysis helps tailor the program to the patient's specific body composition.
Long-Term Weight Loss Tools
Egea Medical offers the tools necessary for long-term weight loss, recognizing that many patients have already tried several failed diets in the past. Complete success requires consistent behavior, dietary, and lifestyle changes. While some patients may benefit from calorie-controlled, food-based plans, others may require additional support.
Insurance and Payment Options
Egea Medical Weight Loss Center does not participate with insurance plans, as most insurance programs do not cover weight management. However, Egea's staff will provide patients with all the appropriate medical and diagnostic documentation to submit to their insurer for reimbursement. It is important to understand that most insurance companies do not consider obesity a medical diagnosis and therefore may not always reimburse for these services. Employees with Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) set up through their employer can use their FSA cards for payment.
Realistic Expectations and Compassionate Support
Egea Medical Weight Loss clinic does not promise quick solutions to obesity. Patients should not expect to simply start dropping pounds overnight with minimal effort. The program emphasizes a compassionate approach to helping patients learn and improve themselves, recognizing that admitting the need for professional help is not an easy decision. This is not a boot camp-style weight loss program.
Maintaining Weight Loss
Many people can follow a diet and lose weight, but the challenge lies in maintaining that weight loss. Changes in eating and exercising behaviors must become habitual, which takes time. Many people experience the frustration of achieving a weight loss goal, only to be followed by weight regain. This occurs not only because lifestyle behaviors have not been fully implemented but also because of strong hormonal influences. Egea Medical offers long-term support for protecting weight loss achieved from one of their other programs. Patients are educated about setting an action plan in motion so that a potential lapse does not turn into a relapse.
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Pre-Bariatric Surgical Weight Management
Severe obesity, defined as being 100 pounds or more overweight or having significant complicating medical conditions, is a life-threatening condition. For those not eligible for weight loss surgery, Trinity Bariatric Surgery, partnered with Egea Medical Weight Loss Center, offers a Weight Management Program that can medically treat obesity to help you lose weight and reach your desired weight.
Weight Loss Surgery: An Option for Some
For individuals with a Body Mass Index (BMI) above 40, or above 35 with at least two obesity-related conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, and who have failed traditional weight loss methods, weight loss surgery may be an option. Trinity Bariatric Surgery offers several surgical options, including Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band, and Laparoscopic Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy.
Considerations for Weight Loss Surgery
- Eligibility: A thorough screening process is essential to determine if a patient is an appropriate surgical candidate.
- Recovery Time: Most patients recover from weight loss surgery without complications, with a hospital stay of 1-3 days and a return to work in 1-3 weeks, depending on the procedure.
- Risks: Every surgical procedure involves risks, and the decision to have weight loss surgery should be evaluated against the patient's overall risk. Generally, the risks of remaining morbidly obese greatly outweigh the risks of weight loss surgery.
- Expected Weight Loss: Weight loss after surgery varies depending on several factors, including age, weight before surgery, physical activity level, diet changes, and the type of surgery. Studies show excess weight loss at twelve months after surgery for the gastric bypass averages between 51 and 76%, and between 31 and 54% for the adjustable gastric band.
- Success: Weight loss surgery is considered successful when a person loses more than 40% of their excess weight. Success depends on the patient's ability to commit to lifestyle changes with exercise and dietary adjustments.
- Weight Regain: While most people successfully lose significant amounts of weight and maintain much of this weight loss for many years after surgery, it is possible to regain some or all of the lost weight. A commitment to permanent dietary and lifestyle changes minimizes the chance of weight regain.
Trinity Bariatric Surgery: A Center of Excellence
Trinity Bariatric Surgery's multidisciplinary team has extensive experience and prides itself on staying at the forefront of surgical and medical treatments for obesity. Dr. Pham is board-certified by the American College of Surgeons and is a member of the American Society of Metabolic and weight loss surgery. They are accredited as a weight loss surgery Center of Excellence by the ASMBS.
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