Frequently Asked Questions - Medical Weight Loss

How is our Program different?

Our weight loss method combines a doctor-guided weight loss blend using an FDA approved medication specifically for weight loss. We also have an educational program to help patients understand, in advance, what they can expect when they're on our medicine. We also offer a VIP program at no additional cost, which we'll explain on your first visit. A lot of our patients like that when they first start. 

We also have a community of patients and staff who support you on your journey. Often, patients come in looking for weight loss, and along the way, they discover the residual benefit of wellness they may not have expected. For example, many patients tell us that when they have lost some weight, they find their body wants to move more, which may mean exercise. Unlike at your doctor's office or other weight loss places, here it is a journey, and we are in it with you. The traditional physician's office model and many weight loss programs are not set up to support the patient. 

Insurance has dictated how much time, care, and attention a physician can give each patient.

In most weight loss programs, the focus is on food. How much food should you eat, what type of foods to eat, when, and in what quantity? You must count points or calories. It is about food, food, food. Food is the last thing you want to consider on a weight loss plan. Those other programs torcher you with the item you must eat less, or on foods you don't like. And that doesn't say anything about the torcher and torment of a regimented exercise program. Our method does the opposite. It reduces your constant craving for food. Our program works in the background. Because it significantly reduces your cravings. Your body will tell you it is time to stop eating. And you will be satisfied with how much you have eaten. And you will feel full longer. So you won't snack in between meals. The medicine won't let you. You cannot out-eat this medication.

At Best Me Power Me, we are all about options. You'll be able to eat the foods you love, just not in the quantity you had in the past. You'll be able to eat in restaurants and not look at only the 'skinny people' food on the menu. You can eat desserts, drink wine, beer, or alcoholic drinks... if that is what you like. Just not in the quantities you have before. It is amazing. You will see the weight melt off you, and you won't suffer the torcher of being on a diet. Once you have reached your goal, you will then be on what we call a maintenance program. This is where your titrate will be reduced to help you maintain your weight. The last thing you want is to put on the pounds you lost. That's what happens with diets. When you get off them, the weight comes back. Often you gain more than you lose.

Now, our patients tend to be the type of people who value their health, they want to gain confidence and self-esteem, and they don't want to go it alone. I am sure you understand how trying to get control of your weight is a lonely place. Our patients are looking for a life-long solution to weight and wellness. They are or have been told by their physician they are overweight, obese, or chronically obese. On the other hand, we are not for the crash dieter looking for an immediate solution to lose a small amount. We started Best Me Power Me OK as a place to help anyone with a chronic struggle with weight who wants a permanent solution that fits their lifestyle and wants to begin their journey toward wellness. Our program is unsuitable for our crash dieters looking for an immediate solution for the small amount of weight they want to lose.

How profound is this medicine?

It is essential first to understand how medicines intended for weight loss started. There have been amphetamine-driven weight loss medicines. They work but amp up a person's system to burn off energy. In essence, it was legalized speed. Then there are diets, which are a form of starvation. As reported on CBS 60 Minutes, we all have a set point about our weight. No matter how much one tries, the body returns to its set point to maintain what is normal for that person. It is believed this date back to cave days as an instinctive survival mechanism. 

Think about it, what are diets? Essentially, they are working. They require a person to change their lifestyle, how they eat, and what they eat. They need people to conform to the diet to change how they live. People are highly resistant to change. No matter what the method, people regularly report they are still hungry, no matter what they try. You're fighting that urge to eat. People tell us they fall victim to hunger and cravings. Invariably, they fall off the wagon and regain their lost weight; in many cases, they gain more than they lost. 

The most profound thing about our medicine is that it works in the background. The drug changes how much you can eat by sending a stimulus to your brain to let you know you're full sooner. And it sustains that feeling of fullness longer. You ultimately eat less, and eating fewer means, you take in fewer calories. With a lower calorie intake, you lose weight. Quite honestly, you cannot miss out this medicine. It is like having gastric bypass surgery without surgery.

What are the side Effects? 

As with any medication, there is the possibility of side effects. Unlike a lot of medications, though, our medication is a substance that naturally occurs in your body. If you do have any side effects, they're all gastrointestinal-related. For example, feeling bloated, heartburn, nausea, constipation, and an increase in the amount you burp.

These can happen within the first three weeks of starting on the medication, and it is the period where your body is getting used to the increase of GLP1 in your body. It has to do with the change in your caloric intact, the fat being metabolized. Though they are side effects, they are indications of good changes taking place. Probably the worst of them would be nausea and constipation. 

We do have Zofran to help relieve the nausea. Some patients tell us Tums does a good job too. For constipation, you can use an over-the-counter remedy for constipation, like laxatives. As I mentioned, any side effects would be gastrointestinal, and most tell us they are minimal when they do experience them.

THE FIRST VISIT:

When you come in, you can get your Free 3D body scan and you will see our doctor via Zoom. He will get a picture of your medical status, medical history, and goal weight. Once he does all this, he will quickly determine if you qualify for the medication. And by qualify, I mean if he thinks it will help you get to where you want to be. 

The initial visit is $75 and includes your medical history workup, determining the titrate dosage he thinks you will need, communicating that with the pharmacy, and writing the prescription. Our clinic also has your first dose, which we will give you on your first visit, no waiting.

We know you have tried other things, and this is something new for you and

because those other programs didn't work for you; otherwise, you wouldn't have called us and may have doubts about whether this will work. That is why we give you a test dose first. We want to see how you respond to it and if the titrate is right for you. Based on our own experience and that of our patients, we know this will work for you, but to put your mind at ease, in case it doesn't, we offer a money-back guarantee on the office visit.

If, on this follow-up visit, you can honestly report having not seen a noticeable change in your appetite and cravings and have not lost a measurable amount of weight from your first visit, your doctor visits and the test dose of our medication will be refunded, no questions asked, guaranteed.

WEIGHT PLATEAUS: 

Hitting a plateau is probably the biggest demotivator for anyone. Unfortunately, most other program's answers to hitting plateaus is simple "push through".

When you reach a plateau on our program, and you will, it is natural for your body to do that. When you reach that point, and you still have more weight you want to lose, we have the option to increase your dose for a short period of time, to get you over this little bump in the road. We're about options. You simply need to cross over a brief threshold, like walking through a door. So, we'll increase the dose to get you past it, then come back down to your regular dose. Remember, this is a doctor-guided program. We don't want people getting underweight.

That's not healthy too. We have monthly weigh ins to keep a close eye on your

progress. It's a balancing act. We start you on a low dose, then step you up and if

needed, up it slightly to get you through a plateau, then back down to continue a

safe weight loss, and then to a maintenance dose to maintain your ideal weight.

Again, options. And none of it requires you to do more exercise or eat less. The

medicine does it for you, naturally, automatically.

What will my Primary Care Doctor Think? 

We cannot speak for your physician. I can tell you that most all physicians are aware of and familiar with the positive benefits of the GLP1s. Because of what this could do for you, I don't see why your physician would not be supportive of your use. It is a good idea to keep your physician in the loop of what you are doing. As you know, when you visit them for your wellness checkups, they always ask about the medications you are taking. They ask because they want to keep a record of you and your health. 

HOW DOES THE MEDICINE WORK?

Unlike diets that force you to change how and what you eat, our medicine works with the stomach and brain. Our medicine is a GLP1, which stands for Glucagon-like Peptide. This is a protein you currently have in your body that regulates hunger, appetite, cravings, and it also slows your stomach to empty, so it will make you feel full a lot longer. When we are younger, the GLP1 protein is in greater abundance. It sends a stimulus to the hippocampus in our brain and tells us we are full. 

As we age, we begin to lose this protein, as we do with many things when we get older. Our medicine introduces this lifechanging protein back in the system restoring a natural occurring process. Rather than relying on our will power to stop eating, this protein does it for us. 

That is how our patients are able to see a drop in their appetite and virtually eliminate cravings. That also is how you are able to eat the foods you want when you want. You just won't be able to eat them in as much abundance as you once did.

When this happens, you lose weight. Our plan does not rely on changing lifestyles, eating habits, or willpower.

It does the work for you, naturally. 

COST? HOW CAN WE KEEP THE COST DOWN? 

It is no secret that medication costs have skyrocketed. Before our medication was approved by the FDA for weight loss, the other options cost $1500 to $2000 a month, which are not approved for weight loss.

This kind of cost is too expensive for most. We are not big pharma, and these other medications are marketed by them. They spend millions of dollars promoting them. Instead, we worked with a compounding pharmacy to produce the medication for us, based on our doctor's guidance. 

We don't have to advertise because the result of our plan works, and it spreads by word of mouth. When our patients are with friends and coworkers, they see the results. It is pretty obvious, and they tell their friends and family what they are doing, and they call us. 

Between that and being able to get the medication in small fresh batches allows us to control the cost and pass the savings on to our patients.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT WHEN I GET STARTED?

On your first visit to the clinic, you will be greeted by name by a friendly,

courteous team member. After getting you checked in you will meet with our doctor via a teleconference meeting in the clinic. 

Another way we are able to keep our prices low is not requiring our doctors to keep office hours. The visit with the doctor is mostly for establishing your medical condition and history. Our medicine works for about 98% of the people we see. There are only a few reasons you could be disqualified from using the medication.

Once the doctor diagnoses your situation, he will determine a titrate does for you.If you are ready, you will receive your test dose. We will go over what you can expect in your first week. Many of our patients experience up to 8 or 9 pounds lost from only the first dose. We cannot guarantee those kinds of results for everyone because everyone is different. 

However, a large number of our patients see a significant change in their appetite and weight in that first week. Believe me, it is positively unlike anything you have experienced with any other diet you have tried. If you're like most of our patients, they tell us they get on the scale every morning and they see the numbers move in the right direction and it gives them hope.

We are going to have you report to the clinic a week after your test dose to talk about your experience, results and evaluate a plan going forward. 

During that week, we are available if you have any questions or concerns. If you decide to proceed with our treatment, the doctor will have already communicated with our pharmacy about titrate for you. If we find you need to titrate up or down based on your first week's results, we can do that immediately. If everything looks good and you are ready to continue, you will leave the clinic with your first months' worth of medication.

We will show you how to give yourself the medication each week, or you can come back to the clinic and participate in our VIP service, where we will give you your medicine. 

There is no extra charge for the VIP treatment. 

That's it. No dieting, no exercising. A once-a-week medication and nothing has to change in your life. 

You can add exercise to your plan if you want. Patients who add exercise tell us they see the weight come off quicker, but it's not necessary. 

How Quickly Will I See results? 

Most patients see results within the first few days of getting their test dose in the clinic. As the titrate dose increases, so does the weight that you lose. Once you reach your ideal weight, we dial back the dosing so you can maintain your ideal weight. 

If ever you see your weight going up, we can adjust the dosing up to get you back on track. 

A POSSIBLE GUARANTEE: 

We do guarantee you will have the most positive and supportive experience at Best Me Power Me. Though we cannot guarantee results, in most cases, patients see a profound change in their appetite and eating habit within the first week of receiving a test dose of our specialized medicine. 

On your initial visit, if our doctor qualifies you for our medication, you will receive the initial test dose in the office, on your first visit. You will return no more than seven days later for a follow-up visit and evaluation. If on this follow-up visit, you can honestly report having not seen a noticeable change in your appetite and not lost a measurable amount of weight from your first visit, your doctor's visit, and test dose of our medication is free, guaranteed.

BECAUSE I AM EATING LESS, IS MY BODY GETTING THE PROPER

NUTRITION?

That is a great question! 

Because you will be eating less food, less nutrition will be entering your body. When that happens, physicians recommend you take a supplement like a multivitamin. 

WHAT IS TITRATING?

Titrating is simply the term the doctor uses with us regarding the amount of medication to be administered with each week's dose. When you start on the medication, your titrate or dose will be lower. For the first two weeks, you will take the lowest dose. The second two weeks the dose will then increase before you reach the full dose. 

This is to give your body time to adjust to the medication and minimize any side effects if any. Once you are at the full dose, which is usually after 4 weeks, you will stay on that dose until you reach your goal weight, then the dosing will be reduced in order for you to maintain your weight. If ever you hit a weight plateau, we have the ability to increase the dosing to get you over the plateau, which I am sure you have experienced on other weight loss programs.

Unlike those others, we have the ability to safely do something to help you get through them. For those other plans, their advice is to just "push through". That takes willpower. And if you're like me, frustration usually wins out over willpower.

(Last two sentences are said "tongue in cheek")

Keep in mind, this is a doctor guided. 

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BMI AND WEIGHT LOSS? 

Looking at yourself in the mirror, you say, "/I need to lose weight." When you see your physician, you'll hear them say, "You need to lose weight. Your BM! should be 25.'' BMI and weight loss often are used interchangeably. 

BMI stands for body mass index. It's how doctors measure your weight against how tall you are. However, for you and me, we're interested in getting to a dress or pant size, losing so many inches around the waist, or getting rid of the belly flab. Doctors see it as a number on a chart. We see it as how we look and feel about ourselves. 

At the end of the day, BMI and weight loss mean the same thing for you. 

When you reach your goal weight, you will likely be at your doctor's goal BMI. In the end, it is a win-win situation for everyone.

IS YOUR MEDICATION SAFE? 

Yes! The GLP1 class of medications have been around for many years. In other forms, they've been approved for other uses, such as lowering A1C in diabetics.

However, unlike those for diabetics, which are not approved for use as a weight loss medication, ours received approval from the FDA specifically for weight loss in June of 2021. 

If you go to our website, you'll see a video of Doctor Oz interviewing Dr. Robert Kushner, an obesity researcher at Northwestern University who ran the clinical trials for our groundbreaking medication.

I HAVE HEARD THAT THE NAME-BRAND MEDICATIONS FOR

DIABETICS CAN BE USED FOR WEIGHT LOSS.

I have heard stories of doctors diagnosing patients as prediabetic so as to

prescribe some of the name-brand medications to their patients for weight loss. I can't speak about how right or ethical it is, though I can tell you those name-brand medications are not approved by the FDA for use in weight loss specifically, as ours is. That is not to say they won't work, but they come at a very high cost and may not have the flexibility to change dosing to help patients who want to lose weight.

Medication is a tool. People are different. And in this case, if all you have is a hammer, then not everything is a nail. If you are diabetic, those other medications are for you. If you want to lose weight, our medication is for you. I am not a doctor. That is a great question to ask our doctor when you meet with him.

ARE THERE ANY OTHER BENEFITS WITH YOUR MEDICATION?

Yes! Our Medical Weight Loss benefits are residual. As you may know, the leading cause of heart disease, high blood pressure, cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, strokes, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, breathing problems, depression, body aches and pains, and a generally lower quality of life are a result of being overweight. 

As you lose weight, you shed the possibility of all this. In fact, we have patients who tell us their doctors are taking them off blood pressure medication, their sleep apnea goes away, and they generally feel better because they lost weight.   

WILL THIS WORK FOR ME? 

I don't know if it'll work for you. That's why I would like you to come in and meet with our doctor, discuss your options, and see if it is for you. Only you can decide.

We don't judge. Most of our patients have tried all the other diet programs and found ours to have worked for them. Though we can't guarantee your results, we can ensure you will have a decreased appetite, which leads to weight loss. We're all adults. We get to make our own decisions. 

Here at Best Me Power Me, we're all about options. And for all our ongoing patients, our method has been the solution that has eluded them for a long time. Meet with us, meet with our doctor, see what we can offer you, then decide for yourself. 

If you choose it's not right for you, you can rest assured you know and continue looking at other options. However, if you select this is right for you, you may stop

looking and start living. 

I can guarantee you will not be judged here for what you haven't been able to achieve on those other programs. We have all been where you are right now. Believe me, you will know after you meet with us and our doctor.