A newsletter from The Miriam Hospital Weight Management Program Strategy, Support, Success, Weight Loss
Our Mission: To teach patients the skills necessary to make lifestyle changes and to empower patients to implement these changes in their everyday lives. Each patient’s program is personalized based on his/ her current weight, medical conditions, lifestyle factors, and personal goals.
The Miriam Hospital Weight Management Program provides comprehensive treatment programs designed specifically to treat various levels of overweight and obesity. Treatment staff include physicians, psychologists, physician assistants, nurses, nutritionists, and exercise physiologists. Patients can enroll in a free orientation session by calling 401-444-4800. The Miriam Hospital Weight Management Program 146 West River Street Suite 11A, First Floor Providence, RI 02904 www.miriamhospital.org/ weight-management
Volume 1, Issue 1: Fall 2014
Obesity and Diabetes: Reversing the Negative Spiral Individuals with diabetes often find that as their weight increases the ability to control their diabetes becomes harder. As a result, higher doses of medication and insulin are needed to keep blood sugar levels controlled. Unfortunately, a side effect of many diabetes medications is weight gain. A negative spiral occurs as increasing weight worsens diabetic control. This causes the need to increase diabetes medication and insulin. Then the increase in medications can cause weight gain to occur even more rapidly.
After just 16 – 20 weeks of treatment in the Weight Management Program,
Weight loss can play a significant role in diabetes management. As weight loss • 59% of all diabetes medication is begins, typically blood sugars improve discontinued or reduced. quickly. Under a doctor’s care, diabetes • Average weight loss in patients medications and insulin doses can be with diabetes is 37 pounds. reduced. This results in improved weight loss as the side effects of the medication • Average reduction in HbA1C is and insulin diminish. A positive spiral is 1.0%, from 7.6% (pretreatment created as more weight loss is generated on diabetes medications) to resulting in further reduction in 6.6% (while reducing diabetes medication and insulin. In many cases, medications). insulin and medication can be reduced significantly and sometimes discontinued entirely during the course of obesity treatment. The Miriam Hospital Weight Management Program diabetes treatment program has helped patients successfully lose weight and improve diabetes control. Following a low calorie diet using nutritional supplements under medical supervision improves weight loss in individuals with diabetes. The program uses such a nutritional supplement - OptiFast™. The program helps patients with diabetes safely achieve a higher level of weight loss. Through close medical monitoring of diabetes, there is ongoing adjustment of medication and insulin. The program also focuses on behavioral strategies, such as managing urges for sweets, as well as individualized physical activity plans, and nutritional education around planning and preparing healthy and tasty meals. These changes in lifestyle are powerful in managing both weight and diabetes. Through the benefits of weight loss, the negative spiral of obesity and diabetes and their associated negative long-term health complications can be improved and reversed. Vincent Pera, MD, Medical and Program Director