Comprehensive weight management: Medical weight loss

The disease is associated with numerous health conditions, including diabetes, sleep apnea. The Comprehensive Weight Management Program at UW Health is here to help with both surgical and nonsurgical options.

Building new habits is key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle long-term. Losing just 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can help with a variety of health conditions as well as improve your quality of life. This can be done by focusing on small but important changes in your nutrition and activity.

Our Medical Weight Management team will help you develop a plan using a combination of tactics that may include:

• Calorie restriction

• Low-calorie diet

• Weight-loss medications

• Controlling carbohydrates, proteins and fats

• Protein supplements

• Mindful eating

• Body-friendly exercises

We work with any food allergies, intolerances, or special diets you may follow, including gluten free, FODMAPS, vegetarian or vegan.

Group medical visits with Dr. Compton Kurtz

Group medical visits are presented by a team including a medical bariatrician, a health psychologist and a registered dietitian. The team discusses weight loss strategies and provides education on options. Patients who attend the first group session will be scheduled in individual follow-up with the medical bariatrician and the registered dietitian and can schedule further follow-up with the health psychologist as needed.

Strategies offered:

• Therapeutic carb restriction

• Medicines for weight loss

• Intermittent fasting

Lifestyle Change programming

The Lifestyle Change programming at UW Health supports a Health At Every Size approach that helps patients maintain a healthier lifestyle in terms of nutrition, activity, sleep, and well-being.

• Lead by: UW Lifestyle Change Coach and/or registered dietitian.

• Material: Prevent T2 (CDC program to prevent Type 2 diabetes)

• Commitment: 1 year (weekly x 16 weeks, biweekly x 12 weeks, monthly x 4 months)

The research study on this program showed that it helped patients lose 5-7% of their body weight. Learn more about the program

Individualized medical visits

These physicians offer individual patient appointments focusing on medical weight loss. Your physician will generally recommend additional appointments with a nutritionist and/or health psychologist or joining a lifestyle change program. Read about each provider and their general practice strategies to make sure they fit with your expectations for a specific treatment plan. To schedule with a given provider, please call the clinic phone number listed.

Brittany Galusha, MD, Arboretum Clinic (608) 239-3104

• Days/times reserved for weight management: Tuesday PM

• Strategies: Medicines for weight loss, therapeutic carb restriction, intermittent fasting

Samantha Pabich, MD, West Clinic (608) 263-5010

• Days/times reserved for weight management: Tuesday 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

• Strategies: Medicines for weight loss, therapeutic carb restriction, intermittent fasting, co-management of diabetes/endocrine problems

Philip Zimmermann, MD, 20 S. Park Clinic, (608) 287-2250

• Days/times reserved for weight management: Wednesday PM

• Strategies: Intermittent fasting, co-management of diabetes/endocrine problems

Consider joining an 18-month study to determine if patients lose more weight when they log their calories and weigh themselves regularly, while undergoing a healthy lifestyle change program. Enrollment is open now, with principal investigator Corrine Voils, PhD.

Learn more at Log2lose.com