Avoiding foods that are high in saturated fat and cholesterol is one way to reduce your risk for heart disease. Despite what you may have heard, though, fats aren’t necessarily bad for you – your body needs a certain amount of fat to function. However, all fats are not created equal. This is how the different fats compare, and how they fit into a healthy eating plan.

Trans-fats are produced during the processing of margarines and vegetable shortenings. Any processed foods made with partially hydrogenated oil (read the label for ingredients) contain trans-fatty acids, which also raise cholesterol levels. Foods that contain these fats are margarines, vegetable shortenings, certain baked goods (cookies, crackers, pastries), deep-fried foods.

No, not at all. In fact, many of our patients report an increase in energy and reduced hunger!

The program at Horizon Weight Loss is different from many mainstream weight loss programs in that it is not based on prepackaged foods. We encourage a diet that consists of real, grocery-store food. Most importantly, we will work to educate you on appropriate portion sizes and food choices to create long-term results.

Losing, gaining or maintaining your weight depends on how many calories you take in and use up during the day. It’s a simple equation called Energy Balance:

People who want to lose weight often focus on counting the number of calories they take in, but overlook the calories they expend. The best route to lasting and healthy weight loss is combining dietary changes (lowering the calories consumed) with exercise (boosting your caloric output).

The Calorie Tally
A calorie represents energy. Each pound of fat your body stores represents 3,500 calories of unused energy. To lose one pound, you have to create a deficit of 3,500 calories by taking in 3,500 less calories over a period of time than you need, or doing 3,500 calories worth of exercise.

Adding 15 minutes of moderate exercise to your daily schedule will use up 100 extra calories per day. Maintaining this schedule would result in 700 extra calories burned per week, or a loss of about 10 pounds in one year, assuming your food intake stays the same.

To look at energy balance another way, just one extra slice of bread a day – or any other food that contains approximately 100 calories – can add up to 10 extra pounds in a year if you don’t increase your physical activity!

Our bodies need regular activity, especially if they are carrying around extra weight. Satisfying this need requires a definite plan, and a commitment.

Although any kind of physical movement will burn calories, the type of exercise that uses the most energy is aerobic exercise. Regular aerobic exercise will improve your ability to use oxygen to produce energy needed for activity. You’ll build a healthier body and get rid of excess body fat.

Do different types of aerobic activities. Mix it up! Try walking one day, riding a bike the next. Make sure you choose an activity that can be done regularly, and is enjoyable for you. If music helps, blast the radio or wear a personal stereo.

The important thing to remember is not to skip too many days between workouts or you’ll lose the fitness benefits. As a rule of thumb, space your workouts throughout the week and avoid consecutive days of hard exercise.

How hard is hard enough?
It is important to exercise at an intensity level that’s hard enough to cause your heart rate and breathing to increase. How hard you should exercise depends to a certain degree on your age, and is determined by measuring your heart rate in beats per minute.

The heart rate you should maintain is called your target heart rate. Use a target heart rate guide to see what you should aim for. Beginners should maintain the 60 percent level of that figure; if you’re more advanced, you can work up to the 80 percent level. This is just a guide, however. Talk to your physician about the right heart rate for you.

In addition to the aerobic exercise, round out your program with muscle strengthening and stretching exercises. The stronger your muscles, the longer you will be able to keep going during aerobic activity, and the less chance of injury. And always remember that each workout should begin with a warmup and end with a cool down.

What are some physical limitations to exercise?

Can I exercise if I have a physical limitation?
If you have a physical limitation that you think might affect your fitness plans, talk with your health professional before you start any exercise. A health care professional can give you guidance on:

Tips to get you started

Tips to keep you going

Maybe you’ve never exercised before and you’re afraid to start. Or perhaps you’ve started an exercise program – more than once – that fell by the wayside. However many reasons you have for not exercising, there are at least as many for you to get moving.

What you’ll get:

What you’ll reduce:

You don’t have to run a marathon. Start slow. Any regular exercise effort can translate into some gains in your health, especially if you increase from doing almost no exercise to exercising several days per week. Remember to talk to your doctor before beginning an exercise program.

The best way to answer this question is to speak with your insurance provider directly. Your agent will be able to help you determine whether your treatment will be eligible for reimbursement.

No. Our patients are never required to pay in advance or sign a contract.

Yes, if you have a credit card for the account. However, Horizon Weight Loss does not accept personal checks as a form of payment.

Fortunately, there are very few medications which interact negatively with our medical weight loss program. When you visit our office for a consultation, a practitioner will review your medical history thoroughly and discuss your options with you.

Yes! Our medical weight loss program is closely supervised by a physician. So if you’re suffering from a medical condition, like diabetes, you can be treated with your physician’s permission.

As the fastest growing health concern for Americans, obesity affects one in every three U.S. adults— and is the 2nd leading cause of preventable death. According to The World Health Organization, obesity is “one of the greatest neglected health problems of our time.”

Here at Horizon Weight Loss, we are dedicated to fighting the battle against obesity. With our help, you’ll obtain the fitness, maintenance, nutrition, and motivation you need to lose weight healthily. On average, our patients lose up to five to ten pounds within the first week, and as much as 20 pounds within the first month! The medical weight loss program at Horizon Weight Loss is truly effective.

To be eligible for the Horizon Weight Loss program, a patient must have a BMI of 27 or higher. In special situations, we may approve a patient who has a 25 or 26 BMI—the best course of action is to contact us to determine if you are eligible. If you would like to check your BMI, use our convenient BMI Calculator.