The OPTIFAST Diet Program is a weight loss formula that is built around partial and full-meal replacement products. But this proven weight loss system is more than nutritional formulas and bars. On the OPTIFAST Diet Program, you’ll also work with:

•  Medical weight loss doctors
• Registered dietitians

These experts will be able to offer nutritional and behavioral counseling and medications as necessary to help you meet your goals. At Peak Weight Loss, we use a proven weight loss formula that addresses not just diet and exercise, but the genetic, social, emotional, and environmental factors that contribute to obesity. The OPTIFAST Diet Program can help you lose weight and keep it off because it goes beyond requiring you to eat less and exercise more.

• Proven weight loss: OPTIFAST was the first program of it’s kind, and has been producing verifiable results in over one million people since 1974. An average weight loss of 52 pounds in over 20,000 patients using this weight loss formula has been documented in medical journals (Average BMI 39).
• Ongoing support: The OPTIFAST diet program provides support options during and after weight loss success. Studies have shown that this constant support makes patients more likely to achieve and maintain their weight loss goals.
• Keep the weight off: This weight formula won’t just help you lose weight. The OPTIFAST diet program is designed to help you keep the weight off, and studies prove that a majority of patients maintain weight loss for five or more years.

The OPTIFAST diet program is a comprehensive, proven weight loss solution. Rather than a quick fix with short-term results, this weight loss formula provides all of the tools you need to make a lasting life change. Contact us to hear about our free information sessions, where you can learn more about the OPTIFAST diet program with no obligation to sign up.

We have several different programs that you can read about on our weight loss programs page, but the typical full-meal replacement program does not include regular food. A key component of the program is a specially formulated full-meal replacement diet (generally 800-1120 calories/day), followed by a gradual transition to regular foods at the completion of the active weight loss phase. The OPTIFAST products used in the program provide high quality protein and 100% of the Daily Value for 24 vitamins and minerals in the recommended number of servings. So if you choose this meal replacement program, you will be getting all the nutrition you need. Some of our patients feel relief from not having to count calories and have described the OPTIFAST program as a temporary vacation from food.

While patients transition from their liquid and bar diet to conventional foods, they generally continue to lose weight but at a slower rate. Some people may experience a slight transient weight regain during this time while they iron out how to incorporate regular food into their diets again. Those patients who do gain some weight typically experience no more than a 2 pound regain and it tends to happen when they add starchy carbohydrates back into their diets. This small weight regain is due to two factors:

• Solid food simply weighs more while it is being digested in the intestine than liquid and bar diet products
• Digesting carbohydrates and sodium simply requires the body to retain more water

Research by Wadden and associates demonstrates that dieting does decrease resting metabolic rate (RMR). The more strict the diet, the more it depressed the RMR. This is the body’s natural response to a food shortage. The study went on to find that RMR increases as calorie intake increases. At six months after OPTIFAST Program participation, there was no difference in the RMR of people who lost weight using the 420 calorie/day OPTIFAST liquid diet* and those who lost weight using a 1200 calorie/day reduced-calorie diet of conventional foods.
If you lose a significant amount of weight, you will have a slightly lower RMR than you did before dieting because you will lose some lean body tissue in addition to losing weight. As you gain weight, you gain lean body tissue to help carry the extra pounds. When you lose fat, you lose some of the associated lean tissue too. To help ease the transition to regular foods, the OPTIFAST Program includes a gradual return to higher calorie levels. This helps give your metabolism time to increase. Developing a regular exercise program can also help maintain and increase your RMR while dieting and in maintenance.
*The standard OPTIFAST diet now provides a minimum of 800 calories/day.

It is possible to lose weight and keep it off without following an exercise program, but it is much harder to do and rarely successful in the long term. According to the data provided by the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR), people who don’t begin an exercise program while trying to lose weight and/or stop exercising after losing weight, almost always regain the weight. The NWCR has determined that individuals who have successfully maintained long-term weight loss report high levels of regular physical activity. We also strongly recommend developing and following a routine exercise program not only because it is a key component of successful weight loss and weight management, but because physical activity provides a variety of long-term health benefits such as preventing illness, injury and disease.

Your short and long term weight loss will be greatly enhanced by your attendance in classes which are taught by our Registered Dietitians. You will have the opportunity to learn about nutrition, exercise, and how eating and food affect our emotional and psychological being. The classes take a whole person approach and provide you with the tools that will help ensure that you maintain your weight loss. Studies have shown that 54% more attendees were able to keep their weight off when attending classes.

Classes are one hour in length.

This depends on your individualized plan, although it is often recommended that you come in once a week for the OPTIFAST programs and once a month for the PeakLife program.

All of our plans are individualized and your doctor will make a recommendation that is right for you.

We do not directly process any insurance in our office. On request, we can provide you with the proper documentation to submit claims to your insurance company. Unfortunately, most insurance companies do not cover weight loss services. We, therefore, recommend that you call your specific insurance company for more information. On the other hand, many people are able to use flexible spending plans to pay for their weight loss services pre-tax.

After you have reached your goal, we have an active maintenance program that incorporates metabolic testing, ongoing education, and continued physician supervised care. Just as weight loss requires a plan, so does maintenance. We will provide a specific plan to keep your weight steady, and to deal with the normal fluctuations in your weight. Your long-term care is of great importance to us and we feel that once you are a patient, you are always a patient.

The average weight loss per week is 2-7 pounds with the first month loss being approximately 12-14 pounds.

Our programs are all very individualized. You are never obligated to a particular program for a pre-determined time frame. You make the decisions that best meet your personal needs and time constraints.

Since overweight and obesity are highly related to diseases such as hypertension and type II diabetes, we have treated numerous patients in your same position. In fact, our patients are able to reduce their blood pressure and diabetes medications by 50%*. Dr. Blackwell is board certified in Bariatrics and family medicine. As a result, he is specifically trained in the management of these diseases.
*patients completed at least 12 weeks of treatment.