Adolescent Obesity Program
Adolescent/Family Medical (Non-Surgical) Weight Control Program
Patient criteria:
Adolescents ages 12-18 who are overweight or obese, or referred by their pediatrician or CHOC to prevent and treat overweight/obesity. No minimum requirement for percentile overweight or BMI; the program is open to all.
Family considerations:
One or both parents must be willing to come to all appointments, as needed. Siblings are encouraged to come with the family even if they don’t have weight problems. The main focus of the program is to address the adolescent’s weight issues and create a healthy family environment. If the parents would like to focus on their own weight loss as well, they are encouraged to join one of our existing comprehensive programs, either during or after the 8-week adolescent program. All legal caregivers/parents must agree to support the program.
Program overview:
This program is an 8-week structured program including both family counseling (medical, nutrition, psychological, and exercise coaching), exercise training for the whole family, and group sessions (family-focused lifestyle workshops and support groups).
For information on our adolescent surgical programs please contact us by email or by phone @ 949-722-7662.
Program components
Medical:
The program begins with an initial evaluation (30 min) with the bariatric internists and a follow-up medical consultation at the end of the program. The N.E.W. Program will need to be provided with records from the patient’s pediatrician (recent History and Physical, weight history, and recent lab tests), ideally before the first appointment. Psychological and social evaluations are included as part of the initial evaluation. Lab testing will be ordered, if needed, but is not a mandatory component for every patient.
Nutrition:
An initial family nutrition evaluation (60 min) is followed by weekly 30-minute dietary counseling sessions for the family. Temporary meal replacements may be recommended based on initial evaluation, but no chronic dieting is recommended; the emphasis is on replacing any high-fat or high-sugar foods, and “junk food,” with healthy, fresh foods that everyone will like. The adolescent enrolled is not the only one weighing in, and the focus is on not only the adolescent patient’s best weight, but the healthy habits of the entire family. Everyone will benefit by being on board. We strongly recommend that any adults needing weight loss consider enrolling in one of our structured programs during, or after, the adolescent’s program.
Psychology and Behavior:
Three family therapy sessions (1 hour) are included at the beginning, middle, and end of the 8-week program.
Exercise:
Initial exercise evaluation for the family (60 min), followed by weekly personal training sessions are included. These may involve the adolescent patient as an individual or the whole family together.
Workshops/Support Groups:
These are available weekly and are separate from the adult workshop program. Topics include family-friendly meal and snack ideas, healthy shopping at the supermarket, how to plan for an active family vacation, dealing with family/friends who may sabotage progress, and other topics. The workshops are FUN and interactive.
Foods/supplements:
The program includes a phased meal replacement program designed individually for each client, as appropriate. Vitamin and mineral supplementation will be based on initial medical testing when needed.
