Our Program

Dr. Manish Patel is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Obesity Medicine. He has gone through extensive training with the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, now called Obesity Medicine Association.

Obesity is a medical disease and requires treatment by highly trained medical professionals.

Piedmont Healthcare Weight Management’s mission is to provide a personalized, comprehensive program that leads to improvement in your overall health. We are not here only to help you look better. Feeling better, reducing or eliminating medications and living life more fully are our ultimate goals for you.

Our program incorporates four principal tools:  nutrition therapy, pharmacologic (drug) therapy, physical activity and behavioral therapy. We believe in educating our patients as we work with them to achieve the best physical state possible.

Our comprehensive medical nutrition weight loss program includes the following elements:

• Comprehensive history and physical exam to uncover any barriers to weight loss.
• Body composition analysis.
• Appropriate obesity related lab/blood tests.
• Measurement of resting metabolic rate using a Korr Reevue Indirect Calorimeter.
• When appropriate, appetite suppressant pills such as phentermine and phendimetrazine may be prescribed. For patient convenience, our office can dispense those medications for $20 for a month’s supply
• We also offer Lipotropic MIC-B injections at $5.00 per injection.

It is our firm belief that nutrition is the cornerstone of any healthy lifestyle or weight loss endeavor.  Pills can be helpful tools but food is the most important medication!  We will review our medical nutrition plan with you one-on-one and answer any questions you may have and provide supportive written materials.

Many of our patients are on multiple medications to treat obesity related medical issues. Some of these medications could cause weight gain and we will work with your physician to replace, reduce or eliminate those medications that can hinder weight loss.

We will also discuss how exercise and non-exercise activity affect your weight loss and healthy lifestyle goals.  We can help you set exercise and fitness goals if needed.

We like to get to know you well and provide ample time for your questions.  Please allow an hour to and hour and a half for your first visit.  We do our best to accommodate little ones but be prepared with snacks or activities if you must bring small children.  An hour and a half will seem like an eternity to them!

Please fill out New Patient Forms prior to first your visit.

 

Follow up Visits

Follow up visits are usually monthly but the schedule will be individualized based upon your needs.

Follow ups will include body composition analysis, ongoing review of the nutrition plan, evaluation of your response to medications and review of any labs results. Our team strives to provide ongoing positive feedback, motivation and information.

Regular follow up visits are key for long-term weight loss success. If you are struggling or feel you are not losing, that is when you need us the most – just as you would need to see your cardiologist if you were having issues with chest pain.

 

Maintenance

Keeping weight off is often the most difficult for folks. We encourage scheduled follow up visits to provide accountability, ongoing support and evaluation. Your maintenance lifestyle will be unique to you. Our team will help you determine which foods work for you for long term control.

 

Cost

If you have an obesity related medical condition such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, thyroid disorder, or sleep apnea, your insurance company may cover your office visit. If you do no have insurance, please call our office for approximate costs.