By Matt Wiley
If you’re looking to shed those unwanted holiday pounds and change your lifestyle for the better, look no further than Medi-Weightloss Clinics. The tried-and-true method of education and implementation of healthy eating practices and a proper exercise regimen with the help of Medi-Weightloss will have you looking and feeling better in no time.
For the fourth consecutive year, the Medi-Weightloss Lutz/Wesley Chapel office (located two miles west of S.R. 56 on S.R. 54) has been named the “Gold Winner” of East & Central Pasco County Weight Loss Clinics in the Pasco Tribune Reader’s Poll! But, the owners of the weight loss center say the award has not come without the hard work of Medi’s doctors and staff — or the votes of the clinic’s many satisfied patients.
“Losing weight is not easy, and obesity is a major problem in this country,” says Gerri Willett, co-owner of the Lutz/Wesley Chapel Medi-Weightloss location. “We can’t change our whole society, but we can change ourselves.”
According to the clinic’s website, Medi-Weightloss offers a “holistic medical approach to weight loss” and is not just a get-skinny-quick scheme. Through education, healthy eating and exercise, patients are coached through a program that helps them change their eating habits and lifestyle for the rest of their lives, Willett says.
“By the time patients finish the Medi program, they can eat almost anything they want,” she explains. “It just comes down to portion control. We know that if you come in and follow the program, you’re going to lose the weight (you want to lose). But, our objective is to help you keep it off forever.”
Edward Kaloust founded Medi- Weightloss Franchising USA, LLC (which today has more than 70 locations in 22 states) in 2005 and is still the company’s CEO, working out of the corporate office in South Tampa. Willett and her husband Tom co-own/co-manage the Lutz/Wesley Chapel location, having partnered with Tom’s sister and brother-in-law, Mark and Ronda Willett, to open that center in 2006. The S.R. 54 location shares space with 10 to 10 Urgent Care (which is not under the same business ownership). The Willetts also are partners in eight other Medi Weightloss Clinics across the state and in Texas.
Three Doctors To Help Change Your Life
This closest Medi-Weightloss location to New Tampa has three full-time physicians. The medical director is Kelli Maw, MD, MPH, who earned her M.B., B.S. (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) degree (a seven-year medical doctor program) from the Institute of Medicine 1 in Yangon, Myanmar, as well as a Master’s degree in Public Health from Columbia University in New York City. Maw also is a Diplomate with the American Board of Family Medicine and a member of the American Society of Bariatric (weight loss) Physicians.
Howard Riker, D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine), is a retired U.S. Air Force family medicine physician who earned his D.O. degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Before coming to Medi-Weightloss in 2008, Dr. Riker was the Chief of Medical Staff at MacDill Air Force Base for six years.
Ian Matheson, M.D., is a retired plastic surgeon who also works at the Lutz/Wesley Chapel location. Dr. Matheson earned both his M.D. and C.M. (Master of Surgery) degrees from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. Dr. Matheson also is Board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
Real Results In Three Phases!
“When a patient comes in, it’s an emotional thing,” Willett says. “They’ve made a great step to just walk in the door. We get to know our patients so that we can help counsel them.”
The Medi-Weightloss program is divided into three distinct phases. The time period a patient remains in each phase may vary based upon his or her individual weightloss goals, medical history and progress with the program. Phase one begins during a new patient’s first visit and continues with weekly appointments until the patient reaches his or her goal weight. During phase two, the patient’s diet is slowly adjusted during weekly appointments to allow for increased calories that still will allow the patient to maintain their goal weight. Phase three includes monthly visits for wellness that may continue for three to six months.
“We have a basic program and structure,” says Dr. Riker. “We follow that structure, but it can be modified for the individual. We certainly are not putting a patient on a program that’s an assembly line. Each patient is told during his or her initial consultation with me that we want them to be successful long-term. In order for that to happen, you have to make a commitment to a lifestyle change.”
In Phase One — aka “The Acute Weightloss Phase” — the patient’s first experience begins with a doctor visit and consultation to review his or her medical history and medications. The doctor conducts a routine physical exam, an Electrocardiogram (EKG), a body fat analysis and a comprehensive blood panel, checks blood pressure and takes measurements and a ‘before’ picture. The physician then designs an individual plan for treatment and the patient’s weightloss goals and gives an injection of Medi Booster, which has vitamin B12 and amino acids for energy, and a second injection with vitamins B6 and B1 for reducing water retention and food cravings. Dr. Riker says the body absorbs B Vitamin injections more readily than in a pill form and the Medi Booster is offered to the patient on each subsequent visit, up to twice weekly.
The first visit also provides a patient with a “Medi bag,” containing a one-month supply of Medi Fat Burner supplements to boost weight loss, Medi Inner Balance to help with constipation (or calcium if the Inner Balance is unnecessary), Medi Ketone Test Strips to monitor fat burning, a food scale (which literally measures the weight of a meal with a small plastic tub) and a journal for monitoring progress, as well as a list of options for ordering food at chain restaurants. Although the doctors at Medi Weightloss have the ability to prescribe medications for appetite suppression, they typically first try to keep patients on natural supplements.
Throughout Phase One, the patient continues with weekly visits. Included in the program is the Medi Booster, member-only access on the website, Medi Stay Slim (a non-prescription, natural appetite suppressant) as well as grocery lists and recipes for a lower calorie diet created by Registered Dietitian (RD) Christine Achenbach — who also is a Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) and a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). Achenbach works in the Medi Weightloss corporate office, but is available to any clinic location remotely.
Patients also receive coaching on weekly goals for healthier lifestyle choices and an InterActive Exercise Kit that includes tools for cardio, resistance training and stretching, along with a video and pedometer to track daily steps.
“The not-so-secret secret of our program is that we’re teaching you how to eat the right foods in the right portion at the right time, drinking the proper fluids and exercising,” Dr. Riker explains. “By doing that, we’re changing your habit, so that even if you don’t realize what we’re doing, by the time you reach your goal weight, we’ve redesigned your pattern of eating.”
In Phase Two — aka “Short-Term Maintenance” — the patient continues to visit the clinic weekly to check body fat, measurements and blood pressure. During this phase, daily caloric intake and energy expenditure are increased to maintain the patient’s new weight, while any medication or supplements the patient was previously on are slowly decreased.
Finally, the patient enters Phase Three — aka the “Wellness Phase” — a time for monitoring body composition and goals monthly and continuing with optional Medi Boosters and B1/B6 injections that are offered weekly, if the patient chooses to take advantage of them.
“Once you start a program, you are always a member,” Willett says. “We never want a patient to feel that they have failed.” In other words, patients are not charged as a new patient if he or she needs to return to the program to reach his or her goal weight again.
Why Not Join The List Of Medi All-Stars?
The hallway of the clinic is wallpapered with Medi All-Stars — the before-and-after pictures of successful (and happy!) patients like Lutz resident Erin Blackwell, who lost and has continued to keep off more than 100 pounds!
“It was on a flight a couple of years ago that the truth finally hit me,” Blackwell explains. “The seat’s armrests dug into my hips and when I tried to fasten the seat belt, I could barely push the ends together. I realized then that my weight was out of control.”
Blackwell says that during her initial consultation, she learned that she was medically considered morbidly obese and her cholesterol was abnormally high for her age. She decided to go through with the program.
“Now, I love the woman I see in the mirror,” Blackwell says. “None of this would have been possible without the help of Medi-Weightloss Clinics and their supportive staff.”
Want to shed pounds and feel better about your self-image? Visit the Lutz/Wesley Chapel Medi-Weightloss Clinics at 24420 S.R. 54, (two miles west of S.R. 56). The clinic is open Monday & Wednesday, 7 a.m.–4 p.m., 9 a.m.–6 p.m. on Tuesday, 9 a.m.–7 p.m. on Thursday, and 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Friday. For more info, see the ad on pg. 23, call 909-1700 or visit MediWeightlossClinics.com/Locations/Lutz.
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