Archive for September, 2010

Rebecca Bitzer and Associates is now offering nutrition mini-consults specifically for weight loss.

Need to lose weight?  Our weight loss consults will be held on Saturdays in our Greenbelt, MD office. Most insurance companies will not cover weight loss, so if you want to see a nutritionist but not sure if you want to purchase a counseling package, sign up for one of our mini consultations to see if this is right for you.

The 15 minute session will include a background history of your eating habits followed by a plan that will help get you on the track to weight loss using real food. The session will include valuable handouts and some meal plans and recipes for you to take with you!

Our counselor is also a certified health coach so she can help you if you are interested in the Take Shape for Life Program if you are interested in a more intensive approach to weight loss.

To sign up for a session call our office at 301-474-2499. We look forward to working with you!

We recently had the pleasure of meeting with Peggy Norwood, Professional Relations Director of Structure House. Structure House is an intensive treatment program for adults who are overweight. We really enjoyed hearing about the program and wanted to share it with all of our readers. Here is what Peggy told us about Structure House:

The Structure House program is built around the need for behavioral change, which includes nutrition and exercise education, but focuses primarily on the individual’s relationship with food.  Since 1977 over 30,000 participants have gone through our program.  Our standard program is 28 days and costs approximately $10,000 which includes meals and lodging in your own private apartment.  The concept of “structure” is used to help our participants gain some sense of order in what may seem like chaos in their lives.  Our participants learn to plan meals, schedule physical activity and other activities to enhance their lives on a daily basis. 
Our registered dietitians teach menu planning and healthy eating practices, including cooking classes, grocery store tours and restaurant experiences. 
Our exercise physiologists encourage moderate amounts of daily physical activity.  Mind-body oriented classes are also featured, such as yoga, pilates and Nia.  A wide variety of exercise opportunities are offered including ballroom dancing, martial arts, water aerobics, stretching, weight lifting, etc.  Fitness tests(entry and departure) establish baseline and show improvements over their four week stay.
The average 4 week weight loss for men is 6.85% of their body weight.  For women, the average weight loss is 6.47%.  I have attached a recently published study that includes weight loss and maintenance data for up to 12 months post treatment.  Also demonstrated are improvements in “impact of weight on quality of life” scores.  Please review for more in-depth data.
Before leaving the program, participants are able to plan what kind of follow up they need and prefer.  All participants have their journal reviewed by and commented upon by their therapists as they return them every 9 weeks for a lifetime (if desired).  We also have a strong follow up program called “Not Home Alone” that includes contact by phone or electronically with participants with the staff member of their choice.
We also have an extended stay program which helps participants who feel they need additional support for their ongoing efforts to control their eating behaviors.  These participants continue to take part in the program and begin to practice more independent activities for themselves to enable a smoother transition to home.

For more information about this program please talk to your Registered Dietitian to see if it’s right for you!