Weight Loss Programs

Our Philosophy 

Weight Gain and Habits

Let's face it. Weight loss isn't easy.

As human beings, we are "programmed" to gain weight, not to lose it. Any program, even ours, isn't going to change that. 

While Dr Edman feels that medications, in general, should be used only when absolutely necessary, his experience in helping people to lose weight has shown him the great value in certain medications for weight loss. The true challenge is how to use them properly. What every patient who struggles with weight needs to do is to change his or her lifestyle choices that has led to excessive weight gain. These lifestyle choices have become habits. Remember the Doobie Brothers album title - "What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits"?  Overeating, under-exercising, and living stressful lives were once just vices. But now they are firmly fixed in our brains as habits. Research into habits has shown it takes three to six months to make or break a habit. Smoking cessation is a great example of this. Once smokers have stopped for over three months, they are more than twice as likely to become ex-smokers when compared to those who have quit for less than three months.

Breaking Habits to Lose Weight

We designed and administer our weight loss programs with this "habit" principle in mind. Our goals for you are not only to lose the desired weight, but also to change your habits so that you don't ever need to struggle with weight loss again. It is truly important to us that you never come back for weight loss.

With that said, we also recognize that there are "life changes" causing weight gain that have nothing to do with bad habits. These are almost always hormonal changes. While both men and women experience a generalized decrease in hormone levels as they age, women can be particularly challenged by the rapid swings in hormone levels around menopause. Fortunately, Dr Edman's expertise in hormone replacement provides an important "back up plan" whenever he suspects that hormone disturbances may be contributing to weight gain.

Weight loss is a team effort

Weight loss is a collaboration between the client and the provider. We must both approach this as a potential win. It is good for us if you are successful and great for you, BUT both of us must put in the effort to "get you there". 

Our Methods

What we do

With over 15 years of helping people lose weight, Dr Edman has pretty much seen it all in terms of weight loss programs and diets. Unfortunately, with most weight loss programs out there, the only weight you lose is the weight of the cash in your wallet (at least on a long-term basis).  While our programs (like all others) can't guarantee success, they will work, if both of us put in the effort. Remember, this is a collaborative effort, we both have to put in the work.

Components of Our Program

We have several components to each of our programs:

• A ultralow carbohydrate diet. It just plain works and we need to train you what not to eat.

• An optimized exercise program. While exercise per se is not strictly necessary to lose weight, it clearly helps (and makes one fitter as well). However, for weight loss, you want to select exercises that more conducive to weight loss. We can identify these for you .

• Regular (monthly) visits. We cannot overemphasize how important this is. It is all about accountability.

• Progress monitoring. The simple act of weighing oneself has been shown repeatedly to assist in long-term weight loss. In the office, clients will also receive a body composition analysis each month to make certain you are losing fat not muscle or water.

• Medications to assist you lose weight. The use of proven and safe medications make weight loss faster and less stressful. You simply don’t need to feel hungry during your weight loss journey Medications help to curb appetite and allow the brain to focus better while under caloric restriction.

It's Stuff that Works

We don't do gimmicky or fad diets. What we do has be proven to work in clinical studies. This is "stuff that works" that Dr Edman has picked up from friends, colleagues, personal experience and patients from his 17 years as a weight loss physician.

*We don't take insurance, but we will provide you with a superbill which you can submit to your insurance for possible reimbursement. We can accept most FSA or HSA cards. We do offer a discount to active military personnel and college students.

Frequently Asked Questions About Weight Loss:

I have tried all the diets and nothing has worked for me in the long-term. What do you differently?

Quite simply, I approach weight management as a long-term problem. That is why my programs require a minimum of a three-month commitment. However, if you have struggled with weight for years, you should realistically commit yourself to six months or more. Shorter time frames are just a set up to yo-yo dieting which is proven to be unhealthy. Both the body and the mind need work and that takes time. You don’t necessarily need to be in my program for longer than six months, but you do need a long-term maintenance plan that works.

Do I have to count calories with your diet program?

Sometimes. The majority of my successful patients never count calories or use any point system. You don’t need to. When clients limit themselves to the proper foods, almost everyone loses weight. Occasionally, we run into hormonal, emotional or other issues that make weight loss more stubborn, but even in those cases, it is just a matter of how fast the weight goes off.

Do you prescribe the HCG diet?

No. You can starve yourself without hCG.

I heard that phentermine was dangerous and could damage the heart.

In the mid-1990s, phentermine was used in combination another weight-loss drug called fenfluramine (the now infamous “fen-phen” cocktail). Fenfluramine was responsible for heart valve damage and was taken off the market by the FDA in the late 1990s. Phentermine has been on the market since the 1960s and has an outstanding safety profile. Most people can tolerate it well. However, patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease do require clearance from their cardiologist before I will prescribe it to them.

I heard about the “fill in the blank” diet on The Doctors last night.

Honestly. The diet that I promote was described in detail in the late 1800s. Seriously. Before there were airplanes and automobiles, there was a diet book that showed the basic principles of losing fat. It was a bestseller in its time. We don’t need any new diets, we know how to do it. With my program, I am merely trying simplify things and provide clarity to the massive amount of misinformation and disinformation that conspire to keep you fat.

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