OPTIFAST® is a reduced caloric intake meal replacement system that can help with weight loss. At The Weight and Wellness Institute, we are proud to use OPTIFAST® in our weight loss programs. In fact, our practice is the only certified provider of OPTIFAST® in Rhode Island. It’s more nutritionally balanced than over-the-counter alternatives and prescribed under medical supervision.
If you are interested in exploring our weight loss options and potential with Optifast, it’s time to learn more.
How Does OPTIFAST® Work?
OPTIFAST® is a nutritionally complete meal replacement system that restricts calories. The system includes various shakes, bars, and soups that replace an individual’s regular meals and snacks each day.
Patients in the initial treatment phase typically consume not less than 800 calories per day. With Optifast, patients will eventually add healthy whole foods back into their diets in later stages and attain a maintenance level.
Keep in mind that a program like OPTIFAST®, which is done under medical supervision, is a safe and healthy choice for robust and consistent weight loss
Good candidates for OPTIFAST® include individuals who:
- Need to lose a significant amount of weight (more than 20 pounds)
- Are experiencing weight-related symptoms, such as joint pain and fatigue
- Are at risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, or other weight-related medical conditions
- Haven’t had success achieving weight reduction with other weight loss plans
Frequently Asked Questions About Optifast
Can You Eat Food on the Optifast Program?
Eating food on the Optifast program depends on which phase of the program you are in. However, no matter where you start, the program is designed for you to work toward eating normal foods as an everyday part of your lifestyle. Some Optifast participants may start off using some regular food in their program, while others may not use regular food for many months. It all depends on where you need to start and your progress.
How Long Does It Take to See Results on Optifast?
Weight loss on the Optifast program varies depending on whether you are doing the complete fast or the partial program, as well as your starting weight, gender, and commitment to physical activity Usually, women can shed about 2-4 pounds per week while men may see the scale move down about to 2-5 pounds per week. Over the 26-week treatment, Optifast participants can expect to lose between 40 to 60 pounds or more.
Are You Ready to Explore Optifast? Come to The Weight and Wellness Institute
If you are interested in learning more about Optifast and determining if it’s a viable option for reaching your weight loss goals, contact The Weight & Wellness Institute today. We’ve helped countless individuals meet their weight loss goals and create and sustain healthy lifestyle habits.
Contact us today at 401-895-9937 or request an appointment online to get started on your weight loss journey. We look forward to helping you.
At first glance, a meal replacement program might not seem like the best way to lose weight. Perhaps it seems unappetizing or like a gimmick. However, meal replacement programs have actually been found to be highly effective in helping many individuals from all walks of life to lose weight. Here’s what you need to know about meal replacement programs.
Meal Replacement Plans 101
Meal replacement weight-loss plans replace between one and three of your regular meals and, in some cases, snacks with high-protein, low-carb shakes or bars. They help you decrease the number of calories you eat so you can lose weight. Keep in mind that adding meal replacement bars or shakes to your current eating diet doesn’t promote weight loss, as this isn’t how they are designed to be used.
Meal Replacement Plans Work When Used As Directed
The journal Obesity published a review concluding that meal replacements are an effective weight-loss intervention. According to the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, replacing one or two daily meals or snacks with meal replacements can be an effective weight-loss and weight-maintenance tactic. In fact, it might come as a surprise that research indicates that meal replacement plans may promote more significant weight loss than standard eating plans.
How Meal Replacements Help With Weight Loss
Convenience
Ready-to-go meals and snacks mean less time shopping, preparing, cooking, and cleaning up. Meal replacement systems, especially those offering bars and shakes, may also be ideal if you are busy and tend to eat on the go a lot.
Structure
It’s common for many Americans to skip meals or lead hectic lives, causing them to not pay much attention to what or when they eat. Meal replacement plans can help you adopt a structured eating plan that will keep you on the right path to weight loss. With such a system, there are fewer mealtime decisions to make and automatic portion control.
Improved Nutrients
High-protein meal replacement systems help you get plenty of satisfying and muscle-promoting protein without blowing your daily calorie allowance.
Meal replacements offer better nutrition than your usual choices if you are used to grazing on nutrient-lacking snacks or frequently munching down on fast food. For example, a weight-loss study of people with diabetes reported that people using meal replacements improved diet quality than those on a standard weight-loss diet.
Frequently Asked Questions About Optifast
How do Optifast® Products Taste?
Most individuals find Optifast products satisfying and pleasant. However, it’s not uncommon to prefer one flavor over others. These products were designed to replace food entirely for a limited time. As such, they are much different, both in taste and nutritional quality, than many commercially available nutritional formulas and products.
Will I Be Hungry on the Optifast System?
Your feeling of hunger and the impulsive desire to consume food are real concerns. Controlling hunger is a primary goal so you can increase your chances of success and stick with the program. Controlling hunger involves both preventing and managing hunger sensations if they occur. Our program staff can suggest various techniques to accomplish this goal. However, you’ll be happy to learn that for most Optifast participants, hunger sensations typically go away within a few days to two weeks after beginning this program.
Learn More about Optifast and Weight Loss Options at The Weight and Wellness Institute
At The Weight & Wellness Institute, we know how challenging and frustrating it can be to lose weight. Our goal is to offer several valuable tools to our clients, and one of these tools is Optifast. Our professionals believe this to be the superior meal replacement weight loss system, and we are proud to offer Optifast prescriptions to our qualifying clients.
Contact us today at 401-895-9937 or request an appointment online to learn more about the Optifast weight loss system.
Weight is something many people struggle with. You try dieting and exercise but nothing seems to work, at least not for the long term. The problem with diets is that they often produce short term results. As soon as you go back to eating the way you did before the diet, the weight comes back on. You may have heard nutritionists talk about making a lifestyle change, but that may seem daunting. What’s the answer?
For many people their struggle with weight and nutrition is psychological. This means that in order to achieve any real and lasting results, you need to work with a weight loss psychologist. Weight loss psychology gets to the root of your unhealthy habits and helps you establish a healthier lifestyle.
What is the psychological approach to losing weight?
Weight loss psychology is a form of behavioral therapy. Behavioral therapy aims to help the patient learn healthy behaviors and eliminate unhealthy ones. In this case a weight loss coach can help you learn healthier habits such as exercising regularly and avoiding overeating. Through behavior psychology you make permanent changes in your behavior that not only help you lose weight, but keep it off.
What does weight loss therapy look like?
Weight loss therapy in practice could look like any one or a combination of the following:
- Individual sessions with a weight loss coach. You may meet individually with a medical weight loss coach who will help you establish healthy habits and eliminate unhealthy ones. The schedule will be based on your needs and the recommendation of your weight loss psychologist.
- Group sessions led by a weight loss psychologist You may also meet with a group of others who are attempting weight loss psychology. Group sessions provide support and a feeling that you are not alone in your struggle. You may also establish accountability partners who can help you stick to healthy habits.
- Online sessions individually or with a group. You don’t necessarily have to meet with a psychologist or a support group in person. Online sessions can be just as effective to help you make positive changes in your behavior.
How does weight loss psychology help me take responsibility for my weight loss?
Seeing a psychologist for weight loss doesn’t mean it is their responsibility to make sure you lose weight. Most of the work will be your responsibility. Self monitoring is a big part of achieving your weight loss goals. You also need to establish realistic goals that are achievable. Start with small goals that are easier to reach so that you get the feeling of accomplishment, then gradually set larger goals that are more difficult to reach. You want to set yourself up for success, not failure.
Can weight loss psychology alone help you lose weight?
Weight loss psychology is not a cure-all therapy. It may be more effective when combined with other weight loss strategies, such as medical intervention. Some patients have medical conditions that contribute to their weight, such as thyroid conditions, genetics, hormones, and other factors. Your primary care physician or a specialist may be able to address any health concerns that make it a greater challenge for you to lose weight. Medication or surgery may be necessary to address the root of the problem.
The Weight and Wellness Institute Provides Weight Loss Therapy
If you’ve struggled to lose weight after trying diets and exercise programs, the problem may be psychological. It can be extremely difficult to break bad habits and establish healthy behaviors, but working closely with a weight loss psychologist can help. Being overweight or obese leads to serious health problems and a lower quality of life, which is why South County Psyciatry has established the Weight and Wellness Institute. We want to help people live healthier, happier lives where they feel confident.
To learn more, call 401-895-9937 today to schedule an appointment.
Have you been trying to lose weight without success? Losing weight is one of the most difficult things to do, but it is one of the most beneficial to your health and well-being. When other strategies have failed, it may be time to try psychology. The reason many people are overweight is because of a combination of genetics, environment and lifestyle. Lifestyle typically affects their own habits that they are unable to control.
Weight management experts have found success in helping patients lose weight through the use of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This therapy has worked for many patients who had previously given up on ever losing weight.
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
Cognitive behavioral therapy aims to adapt the way you think as well as your behavior. The goal is to end unhealthy patterns of thinking and encourage healthy thought patterns that in turn lead to healthy behaviors.
Cognitive behavioral therapy typically involves the following steps:
- Establish a specific goal you are hoping to achieve.
- Determine what is preventing you from reaching your goal.
- Learn strategies that help you overcome the obstacles to your goal. In many cases the obstacle is simply a negative way of thinking.
- Make changes to your thought patterns that help you change your behavior.
- New thinking and behaviors become habits that help you achieve your goal.
How Does CBT Help With Weight Loss?
While there are many factors that contribute to being overweight, unhealthy habits often play a significant part. Cognitive behavior therapy can help you change your unhealthy habits through new thinking strategies toward food and exercise.
Unhealthy habits may include overeating, choosing unhealthy foods, stress eating, or avoiding physical activity. Healthy habits include paying attention to hunger cues, stopping eating when you feel full, managing your stress in constructive ways, meal planning, and adding more physical activity into your lifestyle.
Your weight loss therapist can help you develop strategies that make it easier for you to make healthy choices. You can learn to recognize when you feel full, keep track of what you eat, eat on a schedule, and find activities you enjoy that can help you move more often.
What Does Cognitive Behavior Therapy Look Like?
CBT is a form of talk therapy, meaning you spend time in conversation with a psychiatrist. Sessions can be in person or in video conference format. You’ll talk about your current situation and the struggles you’ve had with weight management. Your therapist will listen and offer suggestions on how to change your thinking in ways that will lead to healthier habits.
Your therapist may also suggest group therapy, which tends to be more helpful for people who struggle with weight loss. It helps to know others who are facing similar challenges because they provide understanding, accountability, and tips that have helped them reach their own goals.
The purpose of CBT is to help you achieve your immediate goals and continue the positive thinking habits you’ve learned to help you achieve future goals you may set in life. You can learn to be your own therapist, catching yourself when you fall back into negative thought patterns and bad habits. You can remember what you learned and coach yourself back into the positive mindframe you need to be successful. You may still need the help of your therapist from time to time, and that’s perfectly normal.
The Weight and Wellness Institute Provides CBT for Weight Loss
If you’re looking for a weight loss therapist, the Weight and Wellness Institute, a program of South County Psychiatry, is ready to help you get started. We provide in-person and video sessions for your convenience. Millions of Americans struggle with weight management, but you don’t have to be one of them. You can change the way you think and establish healthy habits that provide lasting results.
To learn more, call 401-895-9937 today to schedule an appointment.