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Physicians Weight Loss Centers® |
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Review
Summary |
Physicians Weight Loss Centers® is a comprehensive weight loss program that utilizes a variety of methods to aid weight loss. The program has been around for a long time and has only enjoyed marginal success throughout its history – due to pricing and the more sterile approach it offers. The diet is available through centers located in 12 states in the eastern part of the United States, or the program is available to anyone on-line. Physicians Weight Loss Centers® offers its clients a high protein, low carbohydrate diet plan with weekly weight-ins, specific meal plans and an extensive support system. All centers are staffed with registered doctors, nurses and support staff to facilitate the plan. Online users can enjoy such features as customized menus, weigh-ins every week, and body analysis. Those who use the on-line program must log in each day and enter a food diary and exercise notes. For those dieters who like the structure of this program and who do not mind checking in each week, or the strict nature of the program, this might be a good plan.
There are six diets available to customers designed to work with people’s different weight loss needs. The Very Low Calorie Diet 700 plan is used for those who want to lose weight quickly. It is based on a diet that is 700 calories a day and is low in fat and high in protein. Obviously, this diet is of concern because of its rapid weight loss feature – not the healthiest way to go.
The Thermogenic Low Calorie Diet 1000 plan is used for controlling the amount of carbohydrates while providing a flexible meal plan. The Physicians Fast™ Meal Replacement Program is intended for those with busy schedules and is very strict with portion size and calories. The Low Fat High Energy 900 plan is for those who find it easy to stay on a diet with limited food selections eating about 900 calories a day. The Low Fat High Energy 1000 plan offers more variety in meal choices that are low in fat and calories for consistent weight loss. The Low Fat High Energy 1500 plan is for those looking for weight maintenance and who are physically active.
The bottom line here is that all of these plans are available to the consumer in the marketplace without having to pay the extra money surrounding the hype of a “physician-attended” diet program. It used to be that making any physical change in your diet was heralded with a “check with your physician first” directive – but times have changed and most individuals are now taking a lot of responsibility for their own health and preventative care into their own hands, which almost this program seem pretentious. |
| Ingredients At A Glance |
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The Physicians Weight Loss Centers® program offers its customers several products that can be purchased to go along with the meal plans. Dinner entrees, protein bars, drink mixes, cereals, salad dressings and snacks are created to supplement a low fat, low calorie, and high protein diet. Several supplements are available providing such things as essential fatty acids, minerals, calcium, and 11 different vitamins to do things like increase metabolism and burn fat. There was no list of ingredients for the 4 supplement products available. Another supplement customers can buy is the Carb Block pill. It contains vitamin E, Niacin (vitamin B3), Calcium, Magnesium, Caffeine, ECGC (a powerful antioxidant), PABA (a B-complex factor), and Kidney Bean White. These ingredients combine to prevent carbohydrates from being absorbed in the body easily.
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| Cost |
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At the time of this review customers could join Physicians Weight Loss Centers® program for $6.00 a week. The website advertised that this was a discount from the normal $10.00 a week. The ongoing discounted price may be signaling a need for more takers as this program does not have a tremendous appeal with the rise of many other on-line diet programs and newer more exciting support diet programs popping up all over.
The supplemental items cost extra and can be purchased online or at a center. The prices for these items are: Dinner entrees are $4.25 each or between $13.00 and $15.00 for a box of three; Protein Bars are between $15.00 and $25.00 for a box of 7 bars; Cereals are $3.35 a box for 7 servings; Fiber Drinks are $8.00 for 10 packs; Meal Replacement Drinks are $3.56 each or $24.95 for a box of 7; Drink Mixes are $15.45 for 7 packs; Salad Dressings are $3.25 a bottle; Snacks are $1.50 a bag; Vitamins are between $3.00-$4.00 for a week supply; and the Herbal Plus Advance supplement is $43.95. You can also purchase 16 motivational tapes for $79.99. We can see that joining this program could be a constant cash outlay.
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| Website In Focus |
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The website for Physicians Weight Loss Centers® is an informative one. It provides information in an easy to follow format. Users can register for the program and shop for products from the site. There is a place where customers can calculate their body mass and body fat percentages as well as learn about body composition. Browsers can check out weigh loss articles, useful links, an extensive frequently asked questions page, and inspirational before and after pictures of past participants in the program. There is an e-mail address and a toll free telephone number to contact for questions or program information.
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| Positives |
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Comprehensive website providing information and resources
A variety of plans to cater to different needs
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| Negatives |
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Regular exercise is suggested but not a main focus of the plans
Prices of supplement items are expensive and there are many of them
Ongoing fees required for membership
Weekly or daily check-ins depending on plan
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| Final Thoughts |
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The Physicians Weight Loss Centers® offers a holistic program that appears to be a healthy way to lose weight, however, the cost of the membership and the prices of the prepackaged foods, and supplements will put this program out of the reach of many people. Although using these foods and supplements is not mandatory – the insinuation is there that you will have more success if you do avail yourself of them. Additionally, with the busy lives most people live, checking in weekly or daily may not be of interest to some dieters. Although Physicians Weight Loss Centers® takes a realistic approach to weight loss by urging participants to make safe and healthy weight loss choices, these same things could be accomplished with a little self-discipline and accessing many of the resources that are readily available to anyone these days via books or the internet. All in all, this physician directed approach is a little outdated and relies on the old school thoughts regarding doctors as “knowing all.” In truth, medicine has not made that many new inroads into weight-loss and the dieter would do just as well to find a good diet, develop an exercise program and use a good diet supplement to assist in appetite control and fat-burning.
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