Embarking on a weight loss journey can be a transformative experience. In Des Moines, individuals seeking support and guidance have access to a variety of weight loss clinics, each offering unique approaches and services. This article provides a detailed overview of some of the weight loss options available in Des Moines, incorporating patient reviews and descriptions of available treatments.
Understanding the Landscape of Weight Loss Clinics
Weight loss clinics in Des Moines offer a range of services, from medically supervised programs to lifestyle and surgical interventions. These programs aim to address the multifaceted nature of weight loss by providing medical expertise, nutritional guidance, and emotional support.
Key Players in Des Moines Weight Loss
Several clinics in Des Moines stand out for their comprehensive programs and patient-centered care.
Coachlight Clinic & Spa
Coachlight Clinic & Spa offers Weight Management Solutions that utilize peptides to regulate hunger and insulin response. These peptides mimic the body's natural hormones, helping individuals feel full longer and reduce cravings. This approach leads to a natural decrease in caloric intake and supports fat loss by slowing gastric emptying and stabilizing blood sugar.
Weight Management Solutions: Compared to traditional weight management programs, Coachlight’s Weight Management Solutions offer clinically backed outcomes with less reliance on willpower alone. Unlike over-the-counter diet pills or fad diets, these treatments are rooted in medical science and target the hormonal pathways that influence hunger and metabolism.
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Effectiveness: Dual peptide options have exhibited clinically a more pronounced effect on weight reduction when compared to singular options.
The Coachlight Experience: All guests interested in Weight Management Solutions must complete an initial complimentary consultation to determine if they’re a good candidate. During the consultation, you and your provider will review your health history and discuss the treatment, expectations, and side effects in full detail. During the first appointment & dose, you will be weighed, have your body measurements taken, review best lifestyle practices and expectations while taking these treatments, and your provider will administer your first dose. The program is offered in a series of eight once-a-week treatments, and the convenience offered is that after your first dose, the subsequent seven doses can be taken home with you and administered by you every week. Subsequent check-ins are designed to assess how well your body is responding and whether your current dose is maximizing fat loss without unwanted side effects. After completing the initial 8 weeks of weight management treatments, you and your provider will review your progress and long-term weight management goals. If you want to maintain your current weight, please expect a recommendation that you continue treatments at a maintenance dose with an overall goal of tapering down your dose level, and eventually entering a scenario where you no longer need/want to receive weekly treatments. If you want to lose additional weight, your provider will make a continued weekly dosage plan and recommendation. Coachlight also offers access to additional wellness services such as body contouring, hormone optimization, and VISIA skin analysis.
UnityPoint Clinic Weight Loss
UnityPoint Clinic Weight Loss is accredited by the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery as a MBSAQIP Comprehensive Center for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. This designation signifies the program's ability to provide high-quality bariatric surgery with a dedicated multidisciplinary team.
Comprehensive Approach: A team of board-certified surgeons, a registered dietitian, a mental health counselor, a nurse practitioner and an exercise physiologist surround our weight loss program patients. They work side-by-side to cover every aspect of our patient’s health starting months before the beginning of the program and continuing through the years after to ensure long-lasting success. Through our coordinated approach, patients are able to lose weight in the safest, most effective way possible. Pre-screening assessment, unique weight loss plans, nutritional counseling and post-op support are all important parts of our comprehensive program. UnityPoint Clinic employs certified professional and fellowship trained surgeons who are national leaders and have paved the way in weight loss surgery. Our team of specialists and care continue to be recognized.
Bariatric Surgery: Weight loss surgery (bariatric surgery) can be a very beneficial procedure, and is the beginning of a lifelong commitment to health. Bariatric surgery can be a life changing procedure with the potential goal of decreasing your excess body weight by at least 50% and resolving any diseases that are being caused or worsened by excess weight. It is important to note that bariatric surgery is not a way to lose weight fast and requires dedication to proper diet and exercise. There are a variety of bariatric surgeries that can be effective and are divided into groups by how they affect your digestive system.
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Recognition: Wellmark® Blue Cross® and Blue Shield® has recognized Iowa Methodist Medical Center as one of the first health care facilities in the nation, and one of the only three hospitals in Iowa to Blue Distinction Centers for Bariatric Surgery®. Blue Distinction® is a designation awarded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies to medical facilities that have demonstrated expertise in delivering quality healthcare. They are a designated Center of Excellence for Bariatric Surgery from the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). For this designation, the ASMBS requires the hospital or institution to perform at least 125 bariatric surgeries per year, have a dedicated multi-disciplinary bariatric team, report long-term outcomes and submit to an on-site inspection.
Healthy Lifestyles Weight Loss Program
The Healthy Lifestyles Weight Loss Program offers patient-centered weight management strategies. Through this program, patients receive individualized meal plans and physical activity recommendations along with coaching through behavior changes to help reach weight loss goals.
Personalized Strategies: Patients who enroll in our Health Lifestyles Program meet regularly with the nurse practitioner, registered dietitian and exercise physiologist to monitor weight loss progress and learn lifelong healthy lifestyle habits and ways to incorporate exercise into daily life to sustain weight loss. Whether you want to lose 30 pounds or 100 pounds, our weight loss program is here to help you learn the necessary lifestyle changes to be successful. Check on your progress and adjust the plan so it keeps working for you. We use current evidenced-based recommendations to help you reach your goals.
Program Components: Consultation - Once you contact us, we will schedule you for the first visit with a nurse practitioner. A complete evaluation by the nurse practitioner at your first visit is the foundation of your personalized weight loss program. Their weight loss program is different from other diet, drug or exercise-based plans. Weight Loss Tests - They offer baseline tests such as resting metabolic rate and exercise tolerance testing to evaluate your progress and some can be done right in our clinic. Measuring Success - With the Healthy Lifestyles Program, patients meet regularly with the nurse practitioner, registered dietitian and exercise physiologist to monitor progress. Objective and behavioral markers will be recorded at each visit to measure patient progress toward overall goals. Health specialists will work with you to set weight loss goals and make changes to achieve them. They understand that weight loss is challenging and difficult.
Iowa Weight Loss Specialists
Iowa Weight Loss Specialists opened in July 2014.
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Patient Success Stories:
- Steve Simonin, President & CEO of our hospital site, Iowa Specialty Hospitals & Clinics, was their very first patient.
- After 30 years of trying every diet that existed, Lisa decided it was time for a change. Today, she’s 80 pounds lighter, her health has improved, and she no longer needs medication.
- Julia, concerned about the effect her unhealthy lifestyle was having on her children, decided to make a change. "Since surgery, I feel fantastic…"
- After discovering Iowa Weight Loss Specialists, Jeanna knew she had made the right choice. She says she couldn't find a better group to walk this journey with her and that she now has the life she always dreamt of for herself.
- Husband and wife, Damon and Karin, would never have had the energy to open a second pizza joint if it wasn’t for their weight loss surgeries with Iowa Weight Loss Specialists. 206 combined lbs.
- After attending the free informational class, Jeremy felt that having a vertical sleeve gastrectomy was the right choice for him. Jeremy says: “My joint pain has disappeared and I no longer have acid reflux.
- Anita’s excess weight and high blood pressure were putting a strain on her career. After having the surgery, she no longer has to have a physical every three months for work - saving her time and money.
- Before surgery, stress injuries on Mark’s joints prevented him from exercising. Now he runs over three miles several days a week!
- Before surgery, Stormy was barely able to walk up stairs or exercise. Now she is running and exercising almost every day!
- Shelley knew that she was done being overweight when she no longer had the energy to play with her son. Now she can easily get up and down off the floor and run around in the back yard with him.
- As a funeral director, Pearce was horrified at the number of people he saw who died too young from health conditions related to obesity. At 330 lbs himself, he needed to make a change.
- Meet Jennifer Nizzi. After trying diets her entire life and always gaining the weight back, Jennifer chose weight loss surgery.
Surgical Options:
- Even though Gerald Hill had been thinking about gastric bypass, he finally decided to try the gastric sleeve with Iowa Weight Loss Specialists. Now he says he has a new lease on life.
- Angela was taking 3 different medications for her diabetes and it was still out of control. She finally made the decision have weight loss surgery because she wanted to live for her children and herself.
- Lindsy was depressed and hated the way she looked. Since having the surgery, she feels she's been given the opportunity to start over with life. "I can now do one of the most important things in life. I can smile!
- When asked why she chose weight loss surgery, Kourtney said she just wanted to be healthy, happy, and have more energy for her kids. After surgery she was even able to going ziplining.
- Cassie Fleharty woke up one day and decided enough was enough. Tessa had been researching weight loss surgery, but still thought she could battle her weight on her own, so she kept trying.
- After weight loss surgery, Ashley discovered she could do things she never imagined doing. 114 lbs. lost to date!* Individual results may vary. Weight loss surgery gave Ashley more confidence. Not only did it change her life, but it changed her son's life in such a good way. 115 lbs. lost to date! *Individual results may vary.
- Kristin has had so much success with her weight loss surgery that she recommended IWLS to her sister and her daughter. 87 lbs. lost to date!* *Individual results may vary.
- Nicholle had a lot of anxiety over being out in the public at her previous weight, but now she is an active part of society again. Nicole didn't realize how uncomfortable she was and how bad she felt. Now she's riding long distances on her bike, paddle boarding, and taking rowing classes. 106 lbs. lost to date* *Individual results may vary.
- Brooke Willey thought surgery was the easy way out for weight loss. She realized that wasn't the case, and though it's hard work, she says it is so worth it. 92 lbs. lost to date* *Individual results may vary.
- Karen's excess weight was causing her to live life on the slidelines. Now she's an active participant. 113 lbs. lost to date* *Individual results may vary.
- Amie didn't want to become a statistic due to her weight. She also wasn't living life to the fullest and needed to become a role model for her daughters. She says, "Having the vertical sleeve has changed my life.
- Adam began his weight loss journey when he decided to go to the surgical weight loss class with his wife and left with an initial consultation appointment set up and a willingness to try and get healthier!
- Jackie was struggling with back and knee pain as well as sleep apnea and depression. After having weight loss surgery, she says, "I am the happiest I’ve ever been.
- Robert wanted to make a change for his children and his own health. Now he's even playing with his grandchildren! 119 lbs. lost to date!* *Individual results may vary.
Koch & Carlisle Plastic Surgery & Spa
Koch & Carlisle Plastic Surgery & Spa offers cosmetic injectable medical weight loss treatments, GLP-1s, combined with lifestyle coaching to maximize results.
GLP-1s: GLP-1 weight loss medications are modified versions of peptides that occur naturally in our bodies. Injections of GLP-1 injections, help stimulate the body’s insulin production and lower glucagon production, resulting in lowered blood sugar and slower digestion. GLP-1s work by stimulating insulin production in the pancreas after you eat, which slows the process of emptying your stomach, signaling to your body that you are full. This reduces your appetite and controls blood sugar levels, helping you lose weight. When you feel less hungry, it is easier to control cravings and stick to a healthier diet.
Safety: Injections of GLP-1 medications are very safe for men and women of all ages. Dr. Katie is board-certified in Family Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine and will oversee your care.
Other Providers
Dr. Tod (Location: 22014 7th Ave S #105, Des Moines, WA 98198): Dr. Tod is known for his knowledge and ability to explain options clearly. Patients appreciate his encouragement and availability. One patient shared her experience of losing 35 pounds and 10 sizes in 5 months with Dr. Tod's help, combining medical weight loss treatment with exercise and healthy eating.
Dr. Hoelscher: Dr. Hoelscher is certified in both Internal Medicine and Bariatric Medicine. He received his medical degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and completed his Internal Medicine residency at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria. He uses his education and training to help his patients lose weight to improve their health and well-being. Patients have reported feeling that the treatment is life-changing with developing new habits and dietary conditions. The doctor was very attentive and listened to my concerns.
Charity Mugadza DNP, ACNP-BC: Charity Mugadza is a Board-certified Nurse Practitioner in multiple states across the United States. She obtained her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) at Chamberlain University in Chicago & is also a graduate of University of Texas at Arlington, Master of Nursing Science, Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. Charity has over 10 years working in multiple hospital settings. She brings a unique blend of medical & nursing knowledge to her patients & is able to provide comprehensive care that takes into account both the physical & emotional aspects of a patient’s health. Her compassionate & empathetic approach to patient care has earned her a reputation as a trusted and skilled healthcare provider.
The Role of Patient Reviews
Patient reviews provide valuable insights into the experiences of individuals who have undergone weight loss programs at these clinics. These reviews often highlight the effectiveness of the treatments, the quality of care, and the level of support provided by the clinic staff.
Positive Feedback: Many patients express satisfaction with the attentive and caring nature of the medical professionals. They appreciate the comprehensive approach that addresses both the physical and emotional aspects of weight loss.
Success Stories: Numerous individuals share their success stories, detailing significant weight loss and improvements in their overall health and well-being. These testimonials serve as inspiration for others considering similar programs.
Types of Weight Loss Treatments Available
Weight loss clinics in Des Moines offer a variety of treatments to suit individual needs and preferences. These may include:
- Medically Supervised Programs: These programs involve regular consultations with medical professionals who monitor progress and adjust treatment plans as needed.
- Nutritional Counseling: Registered dietitians provide guidance on healthy eating habits and create personalized meal plans to support weight loss goals.
- Exercise Programs: Exercise physiologists develop customized workout routines to improve fitness levels and promote weight loss.
- Bariatric Surgery: Surgical options such as gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy are available for individuals who meet specific criteria.
- Weight Management Solutions: Utilizing peptides to regulate hunger and insulin response.
- GLP-1 Injections: GLP-1 weight loss medications are modified versions of peptides that occur naturally in our bodies which help stimulate the body’s insulin production and lower glucagon production, resulting in lowered blood sugar and slower digestion.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Clinic
When selecting a weight loss clinic in Des Moines, it is essential to consider the following factors:
- Credentials and Experience: Look for clinics with qualified medical professionals who have experience in weight management.
- Program Options: Choose a clinic that offers a range of programs to suit your individual needs and preferences.
- Patient Reviews: Read reviews from other patients to get an idea of their experiences with the clinic.
- Cost and Insurance Coverage: Inquire about the cost of the program and whether it is covered by your insurance.
- Location and Convenience: Select a clinic that is conveniently located and offers flexible appointment times.