Dr. Sasson Moulavi, Medical Director of Smart for Life™ Weight Management Centers and member of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP) is extremely alarmed at the increasing number of low and very low calorie diets offered to the public without doctor supervision.

Early use of very low calorie diets with poor quality protein and little or no physician supervision resulted in about 60 deaths* attributed to unsupervised weight loss programs. A very low calorie diet is generally less then 800 calories a day. Before anyone should engage in this type of diet program, they should have complete blood testing, a medical examination, and regular follow-up visits, preferably weekly.

The public needs to protect themselves, as they are being preyed upon because they are desperate to lose weight fast. “What we’re seeing now are low calorie diet programs and products being offered on the internet and in retail stores offering dangerous diets. Also, certain weight loss chains market themselves as doctor supervised, but the clients never see a doctor,” says Dr. Moulavi.

With rapid weight loss you must have medical supervision by a physician or you can deplete vital body electrolytes and develop problems with the heart. You do not know who is a good candidate for this type of program until they are tested. For example, if you purchase a diet program or product on the internet and your body potassium is already low, you will not be aware of this deficiency and by beginning the diet without the proper supervision; you can lower this essential electrolyte even more, and cause severe health problems.

Low calorie diets under the proper medical supervision are effective, safe and give fast results. With medical supervision a person can safely lose 5 pounds the first week and about 2.5 pound every week after. This amounts to approximately 12 to 15 pounds a month. These results keep people motivated and on-track towards goal.

“We have had great success with our Smart for Life™ Weight Management Center Program and our clients do very well. A typical client has a medical examination by one of our staff physicians, a diet history is taken, EKG and BMI performed, complete blood profile, and weekly one-on-one counseling sessions. We also teach our clients that to maintain their weight loss will be a continuing life-long project,” says Dr Moulavi.

The task begins with the unique, scientifically, doctor-formulated cookies that people eat during the day on the Smart for Life™ program. These cookies contain natural and organic ingredients and teach clients to consume smaller meals more frequently during the day. This behavior modification technique has been found by experts to help people attain their proper goal weight and help maintain that weight for long periods of time. Even after people are taught healthy eating habits and how to maintain their weight, we ask them to come back to visit us one month a year, once they reach their goal weight.

“A 1999 study from the University of Florida, on ‘the effects of exercise-focused versus weight-focused maintenance programs on the management of obesity’ found that; during the year following initial weight-loss treatment, participants in the weight-focused only program demonstrated significantly greater reduction in fat consumption and significantly better maintenance of weight losses than subjects in the exercise-focused program.”

Moulavi urges all persons who want to lose weight and need the motivation and fast results provided by lower calorie diets, to do so, only under competent medical supervision. “Would anyone who is going to lose 40 to 50 pounds over a three-to-four month period feel comfortable about doing so without having the proper follow-up by a doctor? Would anyone undergo weight loss surgery without using a doctor. Why would anyone consider undergoing a program that yields weight loss results comparable to a surgical procedure, do so, without the proper medical supervision?” asks Dr Moulavi.

* Reference: PMID:1784876 [PubMed-indexed for MEDLINE] Human Performance Laboratory, University of Nebraska, Kearney, NB