Medical Weight Loss

For patients who want to lose between 10 and 70+ pounds without surgery, our patient-centered clinical program is your path to success.

Our medical bariatrician, Dr. Sabowitz, supervises every step of the program, and a full medical team helps tailor the program to fit each patient’s specific needs for losing and keeping weight off for the long-term.

At New Dimensions, we understand that obesity is a medical condition that changes people’s body chemistry. Because obesity is a medical issue and obese patients often have associated conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and more, medical intervention is often the only way to successfully control body chemistry so the obese patient can lose weight. Typically, our patients lose between 1 to 4 pounds per week.

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Tools & Plans

Body Composition Analysis By DXA
New technology to measure body composition serves as a powerful ally in the fight against obesity.

At New Dimensions, we are excited to offer the use of a Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) Machine. This machine provides a more comprehensive and accurate picture of a patient’s body composition than the typical measure of BMI. The DXA scan is an important part of the medical weight loss program, and it’s being integrated into the surgical follow-up program as a powerful tool in the maintenance of weight loss and as an aid to create better nutritional guidelines.

Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) is the most precise and reliable measurement of body composition clinically available.  This technology, originally developed to measure bone density for the diagnosis of osteoporosis, allows for accurate measurement of how much fat, muscle and bone we have on our bodies. This information is important for several reasons. First, deciding on an optimal dietary program is dependent on the total amount of fat you need to lose and the total amount of muscle you need to maintain. Second, the scale doesn’t tell us where your weight comes from. You can be very heavy and not need to lose any fat, (think Arnold Schwarzenegger)  or you can be just a little overweight according to the scale and have a lot of fat to lose. Similarly, monitoring weight loss with the scale alone doesn’t alert us to the fact that you may be losing precious muscle instead of fat during your reducing phase. This is critical information, as it is your muscle that burns most of your calories and any muscle loss makes it harder to keep weight off in the future.

The DXA Machine:

• Gives the most accurate assessment of bone, fat and muscle mass available with modern technology.
• Tests body composition in only 20 minutes.
• Requires only that the patient lie on an open table (patients with severe GERD who cannot lay flat can be accommodated).
• Uses less radiation than a standard x-ray.
• Provides a baseline and reliable progress reports throughout the weight loss journey.

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Why is Body Composition Important?
While the numbers on a scale can tell us how much weight has been lost, they don’t tell us about fat loss. By measuring body composition, we gain a more complete picture of what’s going on inside a patient’s body. The DXA enables us to accurately track a patient’s fat losses and health improvements. The scans help us keep an eye on muscle mass (the primary calorie burning tissue) to ensure that muscle is maintained during fat loss, a critical component of long-term success. By establishing a baseline and repeating the study at appropriate intervals, we can identify patients who are losing too much muscle or bone and intervene early to help them change their behavior and nutrition, thus improving long-term success.

Metabolic rate determination by Respiratory Quotient
Your basal metabolic rate can be determined by a simple ten minute test done right here in our office.  This information allows us to guide you to an optimal diet and exercise program based on your personal metabolic parameters.  Not only will this allow us to customize a dietary program to your specific needs, it will also help us guide you to an optimal exercise program to improve your basal metabolic rate.