Are You a Candidate for an Inpatient Weight Loss Program?

These types of programs depend on supervision of the patient by qualified staff.

Patients are monitored for vital signs and weight loss and there is usually some form of physical therapy, exercise and even psychotherapy to ensure overall patient health and wellbeing.

Any successful weight loss program depends upon being able to maintain weight loss, once the pounds have come off. For this reason inpatient programs often include periods of monitoring and study before the diet begins. This helps researchers figure out whether or not patients are able to maintain their weight before they begin the program, and how many calories it takes to do so.

Maintaining your weight after losing weight is harder than maintaining it before you lose, because it takes fewer calories to maintain a lower body weight. The dieting period can be followed by a period of monitoring after you lose weight to ensure that you are able to keep it off.

Inpatient weight loss programs are often conducted in research facilities by doctors and weight loss research scientists who monitor body mass index along with muscle and fat ratios and perform blood and urine analyses to ensure good health.

Subjects may be placed on a liquid or solid food diet of less than 1,000 calories for the period of study. After losing some percentage of their body weight (maybe 10% or so), the weight loss subjects may be required to maintain their weight for a period of several weeks before proceeding with further weight loss if needed.

Inpatient stays range from several weeks to several months, usually with a follow-on period of study conducted on an outpatient basis. Eligibility for the programs varies widely, depending on the nature of the study being conducted. There might be a certain age range, a certain weight range or a specific gender (male or female) associated with the study. Weight loss subjects in research studies are usually volunteers, and there are many inpatient weight loss programs focused on helping obese children.

Not all of these programs are directed towards the obese. There are also studies for people who are not excessively overweight but still have a few pounds to lose.

Many programs focus on testing new drugs and medications that help to promote weight loss while others are focused on testing weight loss theory and the effects of exercise or lack of exercise on metabolic rate. There are also studies and special programs for people who are interested in bariatric surgery. Bariatric surgery involves several types of procedures that reduce the size of the stomach so that less food can be ingested.

To find an inpatient weight loss program that could work for you, contact your local hospital or the health department of your local university. You can also go online to www.clinicalconnection.com where you can register to become a free member and receive notifications of new weight loss trial programs in your area.