Photo courtesy of Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery of Dublin
Anyone who has ever wanted to drop a few has undoubtedly heard that the secret to success is to eat less and move more.
While it’s true there’s no magic pill that’ll help you shed the weight, there are plenty of resources to help you along the way that aren’t as invasive as surgery.
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CoolSculpting
In 2011, Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery of Dublin became one of the first facilities in central Ohio to offer CoolSculpting.
CoolSculpting won’t necessarily make you lose weight, but it will help shape whatever you consider your problem areas to be. For example, if you’ve been dieting and exercising regularly but can’t seem to lose that stubborn belly or thigh fat, CoolSculpting will freeze and kill the fat cells wherever your problem spot is located.
The technology, developed by a Harvard physician, is the only FDA-cleared, nonsurgical fat reduction treatment of its kind.
An applicator is placed on the problem spot, and the tissue is drawn into the applicator. The CoolSculpting machine cools down the tissue to about the same temperature as a refrigerator – 38-40 degrees Fahrenheit.
The skin cells are not damaged, says Dr. Mary Beth Luca, owner of Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery of Dublin; they just become numb. The fat cells freeze, and the body naturally eliminates the frozen cells.
The treatment on each area lasts an hour. After the applicator is removed, the patient doesn’t need to rest. He or she can go right back to work or the gym, Luca says.
The procedure is entirely noninvasive. It takes about three months to get full results.
A healthy and balanced lifestyle is still important, Luca says.
“If (the patients) stop exercising and eat ice cream every day, they will gain weight,” she says. “If you maintain your lifestyle, it’ll be a permanent reduction.”
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Medical Weight Management
OhioHealth’s Medical Weight Management program advocates the “eat less” approach to losing weight, but with a twist: Patients are provided professional advice and guidance along the way.
“You don’t have to meet a minimum weight, or be overweight by a certain amount,” says Clinical Director Lynn Shaffer. “Typically, (participants) are more toward the level of obesity.”
Most people who partake in the program want to lose at least 30 pounds, Shaffer says.
The program is broken down into two categories:
- The Very Low Calorie Diet requires participants to eat about 800 calories a day with program-approved meal replacements for all three meals. Participants tend to lose 3-5 pounds per week by following this diet.
- The Low Calorie Diet requires participants to eat around 1,000-1,200 calories a day. This diet plan requires participants to use program-approved products, but it also allows them to add their own healthful meals. Participants lose about 2-3 pounds per week while following this method.
This extreme calorie reduction is monitored by physicians and dietitians every 12 weeks, Shaffer says. Participants take classes and can schedule individual appointments.
OhioHealth measures the success of the program by determining the percentage of patients who lose 5 percent of their body weight within 12 weeks. The current rate is about 87 percent, she says.
“The thing about the surgical method is you have to make a very drastic change in the way you eat,” Shaffer says. “With medical weight management, you have more flexibility as to what you eat and when you eat it. That’s probably the biggest advantage.”
Related: Battling myths in fitness and nutrition
Nonsurgical Weight Management
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center offers four separate weight management programs that vary in length from three months to one year.
These programs can be combined as needed, catering to each participant’s individual needs.
Kelly Urse, exercise physiologist and certified health coach, says people of all weights participate in the noninvasive programs. Some need to lose as little to 15-20 pounds, while others wish to shed over 300.
Living Well – a personalized six-month program with weekly classes that guide participants on a path to a healthier lifestyle – is the most popular and comprehensive option, Urse says.
In it, participants are paired with dietitians and exercise physiologists to determine their unique needs. They look at their own strengths, but also find out ways to bring down their barriers.
“(The assessments) help them create a vision, so they see can see themselves at their best self,” Urse says.
With the Living Well program, participants can expect to lose 0.5-2 pounds per week. On average, participants will lose about 11.5 percent of their initial body weight, Urse says.
Living Well is divided into two phases. The first phase focuses on learning healthy habits and monitoring food intake. Participants also attend classes that help them recognize problematic eating patterns and reinforce healthy behaviors. They have unlimited access to dietitian appointments.
“We encourage (the participants) to turn in food and exercise records,” says Urse.
The second phase offers a little less structure and instead emphasizes activity, while also tackling any issues participants have identified during phase one.
Hannah Bealer is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
