Medi-Weightloss Clinics are all about results.
Shannon Terkoski says she came to the Lutz Medi-Weightloss weighing 250 pounds on Jan. 16, 2018.
She now weighs 143.2 pounds, having lost 106.8 pounds.
“Week-to-week, they were encouraging but also made real suggestions on what I could do to improve things,” Terkoski says. “Like, the way I go grocery shopping and not just pushing their own products, even though I still take some of their proprietary products. I stopped going on a weekly basis, but I continue to maintain what they have shown and taught me about making better lifestyle choices.”
Shannon still pops in to buy Medi-Weightloss supplements.
“I tried every diet and miracle pill under the sun and lost a few pounds,” says Ryan Cuddy. “This all changed at Medi-Weightloss. I have lost over 50 pounds and the weight is staying off. The staff and doctor are very knowledgeable and know what works. I would recommend Medi Weightloss to anyone who is looking to lose weight and to get a better, healthier life!”
Jodi Sullivan is another satisfied Medi-Weightloss client.
“I was ready to lose weight and found Medi-Weightloss,” she says. “After having a much-needed hard discussion with Dr. (Andrew) Weitzman, at Medi, it was like a switch in my brain was flipped and I was motivated to do it!”
Jodi Sullivan says that Dr. Andrew Weitzman at the Medi-Weightloss of Lutz helped her to “flip the switch” when it came to finally doing the right things to lose weight.
These are just a few comments from patients at the Lutz Medi-Weightloss Clinic.
According to a survey done by Statista, the top three New Year’s resolutions for Americans in 2020 were: diet or eat healthier, exercise more, and lose weight.
An earlier survey, conducted in Dec. of 2018, said that just 16 percent of respondents stuck to some of their 2018 resolutions, while 13 percent said they kept none of them. While those three resolutions are obviously intertwined, in order to make lasting changes to one’s health via weight loss and diet, one must adopt lifestyle changes.
Those changes can be easier to make and keep when you have the help of professionals.
And, since 2006, Medi-Weightloss of Lutz, one of more than 100 locations nationwide, has helped clients make lifestyle changes that stick.
To date, Medi-Weightloss of Lutz owner Gerri Willett says the office located on S.R. 54 (two miles west of S.R. 56) has, to date, helped patients lose 118,877 pounds.
Know Your Phases
The professionals at Medi-Weightloss focus on three phases.
The first is the acute phase, also known as the weight loss phase.
The initial visit is a 60-90 minute consultation. Professionals will take weight measurements, do blood work, take an electrocardiogram (EKG), present informational handouts that go into a binder and start a detailed journal where the client will log their eating, drinking and sleeping data.
During the acute phase, clients come in once a week until they hit their target weight. Medi-Weightloss has many ways to help during this difficult phase. You’ll get two injections, one called a Methionine Inositol Choline or MIC Combo injection that puts B12 vitamins and amino acids right into your bloodstream. The lipotropic substances help with fat metabolism, liver function and fat excretion.
“The MIC injections are good for everyone and we never charge for them if you’re on the program,” Willett says. “While you’re on the program, you can come in twice a week and get the MIC Combo for free.”
Ryan Cuddy says he has lost over 50 pounds since joining Medi-Weightloss of Lutz.
The second shot is a Vitamin B6 and B1 injection that helps reduce water retention and helps keep your energy up while battling food cravings. In the first phase, clients also will have help with vitamin supplements, a good multivitamin, as well as calcium and Omega 3 supplements. You’ll also receive a food scale to help with portion control and ketone sticks to detect your level of ketosis.
“Ketosis is a state where your body burns fat faster,” Willett said. “The ketone stick will reveal what level of ketosis you are in. Some don’t get there but it’s okay if they just get close.”
Once you reach your target weight, you’ll move on to Phase 2: the maintenance phase. Clients meet with Andrew Weitzman, M.D., who is Board-certified in Internal Medicine. Dr. Weitzman’s goal is always for you to be able to get off any medications you may be taking.
“One of my favorite things is getting someone off of blood pressure medications,” Dr. Weitzman says. “You lose 20 pounds and all of a sudden, your blood pressure goes down.”
Phase 3 is the wellness phase. During this phase, clients need only come in once a month.
And, it’s always okay to come back later. Medi-Weightloss has clients return after completing the program, sometimes 10 years later, sometimes to share their success, sometimes because they are in need of additional help.
“They can always come back,” Willett says. “If it’s 10 years or 13 years later, I want them to be able to come back in. We want success for our patients. They shouldn’t feel guilty about coming back in. Losing weight is a lifestyle change. If it was easy or just a pill you could take, no one would be overweight.”
A Staff That’s There for You
Some clients are so happy with their results, they join the Medi-Weightloss team, like Erin Jones.
“I lost 25 pounds in the first month-and-a-half and ended up losing 50 pounds overall,” Erin says. “I liked the program.”
Jones, who affectionately goes by “The” Erin Jones in the office, lost her husband in 2010 and then, “I ate for a year,” she says.
She started coming to Medi-Weightloss in late 2011. By April of 2012, not only had she met her goals but she took a job interview at the clinic after her weight loss appointment. She started off working 10 to 12 hours per week and is now a full-time medical assistant and the office manager at Medi-Weightloss of Lutz.
“Patients can take comfort in knowing that we’ve been down their road before and that we can truly say we know what they’re going through,” Jones says.
Medical assistant Patty Pinson has been with Medi-Weightloss for a decade and is a retired Registered Nurse (RN).
“This is a good place to work,” Pinson says. “Everyone gets along, we get to know the patients and it makes us feel good when we’re able to help them — it’s a win-win all the way around.”
Medical assistant Angela Wild is the newest member of the staff, but she comes to Medi-Weightloss with 14 years of experience in the radiology field. “This is definitely a happier field than radiology,” Wild said. “People come here because they want to be here and I don’t dread coming to work. I really enjoy it.”
Dr. Weitzman is a Board-certified Medical Doctor who earned his Doctor of Medicine Degree from Tel Aviv University in Tel Aviv, Israel, and completed his residency in Long Island, NY. He operated a primary care practice in New York for three years and ran one out of Manatee County prior to coming on board at Medi-Weightloss more than three years ago.
“There aren’t as many dissimilarities as you’d think (between primary care and weight loss clinics),” Dr. Weitzman says. “The main difference is with primary care, you’re already treating a patient’s disease. Here, we’re working strictly with prevention.”
He stresses the three legs to the weight-loss process: diet, exercise and appetite suppression.
“The diet we choose for you is sensible,” Weitzman said. “It’s not some newfangled diet. It should be possible for you to eat this way for the rest of your life.”
Dr. Weitzman and the staff at Medi-Weightloss also will help develop an exercise program that fits your capabilities, and he has a lot of experience prescribing appetite suppressants.
“You must do all three in order to succeed,” Weitzman said. “Journaling helps a lot with diet. We also have supplements to help you.”
In the office and also in the startup bag clients receive is a menu of different supplements. From flavored powders for shakes, to snacks and vitamins, you’ll have all the tools for success at your fingertips.
While not at the Lutz location, Medi-Weightloss also employs a full-time Registered Dietitian who works at the corporate office in Tampa.
Jeff Cervero is available for consultations and has added valuable information to the company website, like recipes, exercise tips and other information. Cervero even went through popular restaurants’ menus in the area and came up with a list of options that fit with the Medi-Weightloss program.
“We have no competition that does all of the things we do and we do them very well,” Willett says.
From the research and development coming out of the corporate office, to the experienced and well-trained staff, to the emerging technology in the field like a step counter called the Fit-Stik and the Ree Vue Metabolic Testing, all of the tools you need to finally reach your weight loss goals this year are available at Medi-Weightloss of Lutz.
New Tampa and Wesley Chapel residents are invited to stop in at the Medi-Weightloss Clinic located at 24420 S.R. 54 in Lutz.
The office is open five days a week: 6:30 a.m.-noon on Monday; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Tuesday, 6:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on Wednesday; 1 p.m.-7 p.m. on Thursday; and 6:30 a.m.-1 p.m on Friday. For more information, call (813) 909-1700, visit MediWeightloss.com/locations/lutz/ or see the ad in our latest issue.
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