Southcoast offers OPTIFAST ~ weight management program

A new medically-supervised component to Southcoast's weight loss program at Tobey

WAREHAM, Mass. — Southcoast Hospitals has added OPTIFAST®, a new non-surgical component, to its weight management program at Tobey Hospital in Wareham. OPTIFAST is medically supervised by clinical professionals and focuses on both weight loss and the patient's overall health.

"OPTIFAST is a weight loss program that involves medical supervision, great tasting meal replacements, comprehensive lifestyle and behavior modification group sessions with ongoing support," said Stacy Medeiros, RD, Clinical Dietitian and the program director for the OPTIFAST weight management program. "The OPTIFAST program treats the whole person by combining lifestyle education, medical oversight and counseling services."

Southcoast Hospitals is designated a Center of Excellence by the American Society for Bariatric Surgery and offers two types of weight loss surgery: The Rouxen-Y gastric bypass and LAP-BAND®.

OPTIFAST is a non-surgical weight loss program that consists of three phases: Active weight loss, transition and long-term weight management. The program is only offered with a doctor's supervision and has the additional benefits of ongoing group sessions and individual counseling, customized programs tailored to the patient's needs and helpful tips for keeping the weight off.

"People with diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease benefit from the OPTIFAST program because they are consistently monitored in a safe health care environment," Medeiros said.

OPTIFAST is designed for people with a BMI of 25 or over, which would be a weight of 150 pounds for someone five foot, five inches tall. People must be over the age of 16. People who complete 22 weeks of the program average more than a 50-pound weight loss and also see a significant reduction in their blood levels of cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure.

Tobey also offers a "partial" OPTIFAST program for people who only wish to lose a small amount of weight or who do not need to be medically monitored. The 12-week program involves the OPTIFAST meal replacements and ongoing support. The cost of the program varies according to the individual. Some of the medical monitoring may be covered by insurance, but the group fees and cost of the food products are paid by the patient.

The next free and introductory sessions will be held in the historic Alden Besse House on 112 Main Street in Wareham on Tuesday, January 12, at 3:30 p.m., Thursday, January 21, at 9 a.m. and Tuesday, January 26, at 4:30 p.m. To enroll, call the Southcoast Wellness Line at 1-800-497-1727.

More information is available at www.southcoast.org/weightloss/optifast.html.