Local spotlight on healthy weight-loss solutions
“People who want to lose weight should consider going to a physician,” says Ralph J. Nobo, Jr., M.D., a gynecologist who has practiced in Bartow for 25 years. “When health issues arise, they’ll be detected more quickly than at a clinic. I’ve developed a weight program for my patients because I’m committed to their total health.”
Dr. Nobo’s NewU plan is open to anyone, including husbands if their wives want to bring them along. The program is built around weight loss catered to the individual and includes an exclusive support system during and after the program, to help participants maintain healthy habits.
“Weight-loss is a lifestyle change,” says Dr. Nobo. “We change how people in the program look at food. They learn to figure the caloric intake of what they eat and to think in terms of portion size. We help them develop a healthy exercise pattern: three days a week of any activity they like as long as it stimulates the heart. Once someone finishes the plan, they know what’s healthy for them.”
NewU also offers medical support: injections of vitamin compounds to break down fat and help the liver eliminate it, and B12 and B6 to suppress appetite and accelerate the body’s use of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Participants are weighed on a scale that performs complete body-composition analysis, measuring the basal metabolic rate, the body’s energy needs, total body water, fat mass and also fat-free mass, to ensure that muscle isn’t being lost along with fat.
“Participants lose weight gradually: 35 pounds in 3 months, 75 pounds in 5 months,” says Dr. Nobo. “Once their goals have been met, they return to the office regularly to be weighed and discuss maintaining healthy habits to keep the weight off.”
In a program where ages range from 18 to late 60s, one group has special needs. “Women who have been my patients for years sometimes put on weight after menopause,” notes the doctor. “Their metabolism has slowed, but they continue to eat the same.” Saliva testing, which is performed in the office and the administration of bio identical hormones, helps to correct this change in their hormone imbalance.
Some participants have to get clearance from their primary care physicians, cardiologists or other specialists, and everyone gets blood work and an EKG at the start of the program. “People with chronic conditions have been helped,” says Dr. Nobo. “I’ve had diabetics whose insulin count went down after losing weight, and one hypertensive patient who, with her doctor’s ok, stopped one of her medications.”
To inquire about the NewU Plan, call Dr. Nobo’s offices at 222 W. Main Street, Suite B in Bartow. The number is (863) 533-8944.
