Community Insigh Presented by AMITA Health Partner with AMITA for long-term weight loss When you watch the Olympics or the Oscars, you're seeing what people can achieve by overcoming a variety of obstacles - and that may be why these events can be so emotionally moving. If your goal is to be fit and healthy, like the contestants in the Daily Herald's Fittest Loser Challenge, the very first hurdle to surmount is a mental one. The first obstacle to overcome is to be willing to make that commitment to lifelong change," explained Dr. Anthony Auriemma Medical Director, AMITA Health Medical Group Weight Loss Solutions. "The second one is figuring out what works for you and that's where we can help. It's not a one-size- fits-all approach." When choosing AMITA Health Medical Group Weight Loss Solutions, patients come in weekly to meet, discuss and learn from dietitians, psychologists, physicians and other health care professionals who Health Medical Group Weight Loss Solutions furnish the tools to make effective long term partnering with more patients than any change achievable. Since patients have other weight-loss facility in the state and unique backgrounds, body types, lifestyles helping noisans lose it for more than and learning curves, each path to health is 40 years. "It's a comprehensive medical different and individualized. "Advice given opion, Dr Auriemma said, "with a team for the last 30 years-to just exercise more of professionals that address the behavioral and eat less does not work for the vast nutritional and medical changes necessary majority of people," the Medical Director for long term weight loss. You can lose explained. "It's much more complicated weight on any diet. The key is to keep it off than that." He noted that studies looking AMITA Health Medical Group Weight Loss at adding exercise to a dietary intervention Solutions has provided medical clearance don't show any additional weight loss for Fittest Loser contestants for the last five after one year. "Exercise is very important years, ensuring participants sail through the for lots of reasons like heart health and contest without any medical complications. psychological well-being and it helps with weight maintenance once you lose it, but it process, too. "I realize that there are still a does not cause weight loss. Dr. Anthony Auriemma, Medical Director There are now seven locations of AMITA The doctor has learned a lot from the lot of questions about the best ways to lose Dr. Auriemma says that if you've tried and weight and many people still struggle with failed to do it on your own, you're the rule, not the exception. "Ninety-eight percent wh the Fittest Loser, the obesity epidemic of those who attempt self-directed weight has only gotten worse." loss regain all the weight back," he noted "The reason is because most people take he said, "then you follow it forever. We a short-term approach to being overweight really need to shift how we think about extra and it involves a lot more, like one's medical weight and obesity it's a chronic disease history, body type, the medication we take, that needs long-term treatment just like behavior psychology and disease processes. hypertension and high cholesterol. But with It's a complicated chronic disease. Other our comprehensive, individualized approach, health issues, like diabetes, anxiety or success is surely within your reach." hypertension, affects physiology, which Look into how AMITA Health Weight Loss makes it make it more difficultoe Solutions can help overcome your obstacles weight. We can work on changing habits, it. Over the five years we've been involved Our program is a two-year commitment at www.amitahealth.org/medicalweightloss s, sleep and even alter meds to or call (855) MY-AMITA. achieve the goal AMITA HEALTH