Bariatric / Weight Loss

Keith R. Hester, PA-C                                                    Joseph Risko DO

This is a brief explanation of our Bariatric program. In 2007 Keith flew out to California and took the Physician's courses in Bariatric medicine. He has taken follow-up courses annually since then. In the beginning, he had three distinct goals in setting up a Weight Loss Program.

Affordability

Many weight loss clinics charge a small fortune for their weight loss programs. We have worked to make our program more affordable. The first visit costs $165.  That includes the extended visit with Keith to explain the whole program in detail, physical exam, initial labs, and an ECG. Patients come in once a week for a quick visit to include a weigh-in, vitals, and injections to help with weight loss. The weekly costs: $40/week x 3 weeks, then monthly follow up visit with Keith is $100. . Each patient has a follow-up appointment with Keith once a month to review their progress and make adjustments if needed.  The monthly body analysis costs $10.  If medications are needed to help with appetite; medication costs vary $20-$40. per month. We made an arrangement with a local pharmacy for discounted rates on medication.

Safety

We want to help patients lose weight safely and in a healthy manner. That usually means losing 1-3 pounds per week; not 8-12 pounds like some other programs offer. Keith would rather help people learn how to “change their diet”, than put them “on a diet”. That way, hopefully, there really is no end to their diet program. After a short time, they don't need to see us regularly to be able to continue their own successful diet program. We will help you learn some behavior modification techniques to make improving your diet easier than you may think.

Personalized

This is not a “cookie cutter” type of program like so many others. Our Biospace 520 provides an advanced body analysis to help us prescribe a plan that is unique for each patient. That's nice, because it can help us come up with a plan whether you want to lose 10 lbs or 100 lbs. Some people really don't need to lose much weight at all. They just need to shift things around by losing body fat and gaining lean body mass (muscle).

The body analyzer will show us an accurate body weight, percent body fat, body mass index, lean body mass (in pounds), body fat mass (in pounds), intracellular and extracellular water weight, your basal metabolic rate (how many calories your body should burn in 24 hours at rest) and even more. We use all of this information to help prepare a weight loss program just for you!

If you are interested, give us a call: 352-357-4629

revised 4/4/2024