|
Frequently Asked Questions About Our Medical Weight Loss Program in Tampa and Brandon Florida
Am I required to sign any contracts ?
Absolutely not. At Affinity Body Solutions we understand that you need flexibility around your work and personal schedule. As an added convenience to you, we offer appointments through lunch hours as well as Saturday.
What is your success rate?
The success rate for weight loss depends upon many factors, which include a person’s commitment, motivation, activity level, exercise level and any pre-existing or undiagnosed medical problems that may exist.
Because our weight loss program is a true medical weight loss program we see patients with co-existing medical problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and other diseases. These problems can complicate the weight loss process, but being that our patients are seen by medical professionals every other week, we are able to assist everyone in achieving not only a successful weight loss, but also teach everyone how to maintain their desired weight and achieve a health way of eating.
How is your clinic different than other weight loss clinics?
We are not a weight loss clinic that solely relies on restricting calories just to obtain weight loss. First and foremost there is no "one size fits all" approach to weight loss. Every person is evaluated individually as to the approach to use for their weight loss. One of our primary goals is to get you to a healthy way of eating to avoid the diseases that are related to being overweight or obese. Our patients are seen every other week by a physician or nurse practitioner. We help you every step of the way to achieve your healthy goal.
What is the cost of the program and what is included?
Our initial office visit consists of obtaining a medical history, height, weight, comprehensive body fat analysis which will show your fat and muscle mass as well as body fat percentage, EKG if applicable, lab work for cholesterol, triglycerides, thyroid, comprehensive metabolic profile for body chemistry, and complete blood count. It also includes an examination by a physician who will place you on a weight loss program. Please call our office for current pricing.
Included in our program is a monthly body fat analysis, or sooner if warranted, to assure that you are properly losing fat mass and not muscle mass. If not adequately monitored it is easy for a person to lose muscle mass. Muscle weighs more than fat so a person can be easily fooled into thinking they are losing a lot of weight, when in fact they may be losing muscle.
Our program also includes a weekly injection that includes ingredients to assist in fat metabolism and increase your energy. You will be seen every other week by a physician or nurse practitioner who will constantly be monitoring your progress.
Would I be able to come bi-weekly?
Being we are a medical facility, our physician will consult with you every other week one-on-one. This means your individual program will be tailored according to your specific needs. We do not make people sign contracts that obligate you to a specific plan. Everyone is an individual and treated as such. When first starting out we have found that coming to a weekly appointment does keep you on track. However, we fully understand the current economy. If the physician, and you, both feel you would be capable of continuing to lose your weight and have learned enough how to eat healthy, then spacing out your appointments is a viable option to decrease your expenses. If you get off track you can always come in sooner.
What about prior medical conditions, will this eliminate me from being able to come to your clinic? The physicians at Affinity Body Solutions are familiar with diseases and conditions that affect weight loss and weight gain. Being a true medical weight loss clinic our physicians are able to assist anyone with weight loss. We see patients with diabetes, high blood pressure, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and others. A lot of our patients have come to us due to their medical conditions in order to lose weight and get rid of the multitude of medications they are taking. If the weight is the sole cause of the reason for the condition and taking medication, by losing the weight you should be able to return to a healthy state and eliminate the need for that medication.
Can I take an appetite suppressant?
Appetite suppressants are just a part of our program. The initial evaluation by the physician will determine the usage of an appetite suppressant. We utilize various types of medications to suppress the appetite. The decision and type to use for you will depend upon your medical history, examination and any existing medical condition(s).
Does your office give the injections?
Part of our program consists of a weekly injection that contains amino acids and vitamins to enhance the fat burning and increase your energy. This is part of the program, but if you happen to be adverse to injections this part can be eliminated.
What does the diet consist of?
First of all we make all attempts to persuade you not to use the word “diet”. The word “diet” implies you are doing this for a certain period of time only to then resume your usual way of eating. The desire of Affinity Body Solutions is to help our patients understand that there is a difference in being on a “diet” vs. changing to a healthy lifestyle of eating. Our goal is to educate you on the proper way to not only eat healthy but to lose weight and stay healthy after you have achieved your goal. We want to make you healthy from the inside out.
What supplements do I need?
We utilize three basic supplements. The first is a good vitamin. Most vitamins on the market do not dissolve well and you therefore are not obtaining the full potential of the vitamin supplement. We have a full liquid vitamin called Daily Complete, which is fully absorbed within a few minutes of taking. It has 211 vitamins, minerals and nutrients and is 100% natural in ingredients. It is listed in the Physicians Desk Reference. We also have a liquid vitamin in a soft gel. The other two supplements are CLA and Pyruvate. Pyruvate has been called a fat burning supplement due to some studies showing that the group of people that took it lost more weight than the group that did not. CLA or Conjugated Linoleic Acid is a good antioxidant, but has been found to enhance the lean muscle mass at increased dosages. These are our basic three supplements. We have other available supplements for specific needs and can review them with you at anytime.
What is the difference between BMI and body composition/body fat analysis?
BMI is the Body Mass Index and is calculated by your height and weight. It can be an inaccurate measurement for some people. If a person has a lot of muscle mass the BMI will be inaccurately elevated as it does not take into account what your weight consists of. A much more accurate way to evaluate a person is to utilize Total Body Fat Percentage. There are multiple ways to obtain this percentage. We utilize a top of the line Tanita Body Fat Analyzer. This analyzer will give us your total fat mass, muscle mass, total body fat percentage, basal metabolic rate and other indices that we will use to monitor your progress.
What are your hours?
Please click here.
Do you take insurance?
We do not personally bill any insurance company. We can provide you with the necessary papers or a letter for you to file with your insurance company. Each insurance company has their own guideline regarding the coverage of weight loss.
What should I do prior to my first visit?
You should eat dinner as usual, but then not eat anything after midnight so we can obtain fasting lab work. You may drink water and also take your prescribed medications with water as well.
How long does the program take?
There is no set time for the program. It depends upon how much weight you need to lose, as well as if there are any factors compromising your weight loss. We want you to achieve your weight loss goal in a healthy manner. Every person is different so therefore every persons weight loss is different.
How soon can I get started?
It is never too late to feel good physically and mentally as well as obtaining a healthy lifestyle. Call us during our normal working hours to set up an appointment at either the Brandon or Tampa location. We look forward to seeing you soon!
DISCLAIMER:
The medical information on this website is for educational purposes, to provide general information regarding certain areas of medicine. The information on this website should not be considered complete, nor should it be relied upon to establish or suggest a course of treatment for any particular individual. The claims made and opinions presented on this website are those of the clinic's medical director, Michael B. Austin, D.O. and are subject to change, and should not be considered to be a treatment recommendation for any individual patient. You, the reader, take sole responsibility for interpretation and application of the information in this website. Medical opinions differ, and no representation is made that the information on this website represents all current medical opinions. We cannot guarantee, nor do we mean to imply, by any of the information in this website, that our treatments will necessarily lead to clinical improvement if administered for any given new patient.
For Current Specials & Promotions Please Click Here |
