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Long Term Weight Loss Plan Goes Online

Thursday, Dec 17, 2009 | Updated 3:49 PM PST

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Losing weight often seems like a losing fight for people who have been trying for years.

Now there's a medically guided program that helps people take off the pounds from the privacy of their own home, Dr. Bruce Hensel reported.

“The number of people who have diabetes has exploded... And is expected to double in the next 25 years. Losing weight is key to prevention... But gimmicky diets often make things worse. This program is research proven to be effective for long term weight loss,” Dr. Hensel said.

Efren Perez has tried every diet in the book. But he always gained the weight right back, and more.

“You can’t bend over to tie your shoe. You keep on buying new clothes,” he said.

So when he got a notice from the Motion Picture and Television Fund about a new kind of weight loss program, he signed up.

It’s called the Virtual Lifestyle Management Service, an online program that patients do from home.

Dr. Neal Kaufman says he helped developed the web based program so that it can reach more people, “VLM is effective because it helps people make very small but sustainable changes. It helps them to identify little things they can do everyday that will improve their nutrition, improve their activity, and over time help them to adopt and sustain those behaviors so that they’ll lose weight, keep it off, and improve their health.”

After signing on, patients are given a lesson on practical ways to lose weight, like counting calories, how to eat in social situation, how to get more exercise.

The patient records how he or she is changing behavior.

“On a daily basis the patient plans and keeps track of their diet, and physical activity… On a weekly basis they get to see their progress they get to see how’d I do last week have I met my goals, have I improved my weight, have I become more active,” Dr. Kaufman said.

Each participant also has a personal coach who motivates him or her to meet his or her weight loss goal. They stay in touch through electronic messaging.

“It’s secure, it’s just between you and her. And any problems that you have, she helps you out. And she answers your questions very quickly as well,” Perez said. “Like you’re talking to a football coach. She gives you outta boys. Or she’ll tell you do this better, or do that better.”

Perez has been on the program for eight months. And has lost 47 pounds. He intends to make these good habits permanent.

“Before you think oh I’ll just watch the football game, now I’ll think I will get onto the stationary bike,” he said.

VLM is a yearlong program you enroll through different healthcare providers. For more information go to www.dpshealth.com

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