Obesity has become something of an unspoken killer in the United States. A staggering one third of all American adults are considered clinically obese and seventeen percent of all American children fall under the same category. It has been a persistent problem for American citizens over recent years and has long been considered a serious disease in the medical community. Some have gone as far as to call it an epidemic. Others simply dismiss it as sloth. No matter the title, the issue is present – the country is getting fat.

But some are not accepting this new winded and flabby lifestyle. And one method of trimming down and tightening up that has recently received heightened attention is the Medi-Weightloss system. Medi-Weightloss is offered by local physician Dr. Scholle, who has an office in Key Estero Plaza. Several friends of the Sand Paper have successfully completed the program, so we decided to find out more about it and hear testimony from a few people who went through the program.

"I lost 79 pounds in five months,” said Beth Wright, a Medi-Weightloss participant and current Medi counselor and office manager at Dr. Scholle's medical offices on Fort Myers Beach.

What sets the Medi-Weightloss program apart from the rest is its immediacy. Through the use of appetite suppressants and supplemental injections people are expected to lose anywhere from 5 – 10 pounds in the first week and 20 pounds the first month.

The program is broken down into three phases: the Acute Weight Loss Phase, the Short-Term Maintenance Phase, and the Wellness Phase.

Phase I – Acute Weight Loss

The first step is a consultation with your physician to evaluate your current health status. This includes a physical, a look at your health history, a comprehensive blood panel, a blood pressure reading, an EKG reading, and a weight and body fat index reading.

"As long as I've been working here we've never turned anybody away from the program. We treat people on different doctor prescribed medications. We treat 18 year olds. We treat 70 year olds. If you want to lose the weight we can help you,” says Beth Wright.

After the initial tests you then meet with a Medi counselor and discuss and set your weight goals. They will then prescribe you the amount of medication they deem appropriate for your body type and lifestyle. Then you are counseled on how much to exercise and how many calories to intake (usually around 500 per day, depending on the person).

During the first week you are to eat only protein, absolutely no fruit, vegetables, juice, candy, mints with sugar in them, gum with sugar, alcohol, biscuits, pasta, rice, beans, cereal, grits, macaroni, breads, desserts, French fries or pizza.

They also instruct you to trim all fat and remove all skin on any meat before you cook it. And they strongly encourage you to spread out your calorie intake evenly throughout the course of the day so as to act cooperatively with the appetite suppressants and help subdue the urge to eat.

Now, as the program goes on your food intake increases as your body gets used to your new lifestyle.

Along with the initial appetite suppressant, counseling, and blood and health tests, the Medi clinic gives you literature on what to do and what to expect while on the program as well as nutritional supplements to keep your body at its regular strength despite the decrease in caloric intake. They also give you what they call a "starter kit.” In this starter kit they include what is called a Ketosix to monitor the level of ketones in your urine. Ketones are produced by the liver from fatty acids. The ideal goal is to be in a state of ketosis. What this means, basically, is to be in a state where your body is using the excess fat it has stored for energy instead of carbohydrates. This will burn the fat on your body instead of the sugar carbohydrates make up. This is why you are instructed to eat only protein the first week and not any carbohydrates – so the body begins to use the stored fat for energy, thus, depleting the body of the fat all together.

Your program will be evaluated each week and any adjustments necessary will be applied. You will remain on this phase until you have reached your desired weight. You will then move on to the second phase – the maintenance phase.

Phase II: Short Term Maintenance

Phase two is a transitional maintenance phase. It is designed to gradually wean you off of your medications and still keep you at a healthy weight. You still meet once a week and they still perform weight and body fat analysis, check your vitals, administer your MIC injections and give you multivitamins. But, during this faze, instead of focusing on losing weight you will focus on maintaining your new weight through an increased calorie intake and a stable exercise routine.

Phase III: Wellness

The third phase is the final phase. You only meet once or twice a month. But you still receive your weight and body fat analysis, your vitals are still checked and you still receive your MIC injections. And finally, once the treatment is complete, you are expected to be able to maintain your new weight completely clinic and medication free. This is the desired outcome.

Appetite Suppressants

As stated, the corner stone of the Medi-Weightloss system is the appetite suppressant. The two appetite suppressants that the Medi-Weightloss Clinics use are called Phendimetrazine and Phentermine. They have both shown to be extremely effective when used for the purpose of weight loss. They have both been around since the 1950's and have not been proven to show any sort of lasting side effects. However, there are some short-term side effects that can possibly occur: restlessness, nervousness, headaches, constipation, dry mouth, difficulty sleeping and a possible rise in blood pressure and pulse.

Phendimetrazine and Phentermine

Both of these pharmaceutical agents act similar to an amphetamine while treating obesity. However, they do not have the extreme stimulation of an amphetamine. They can cause stimulation in the central nervous system and elevate blood pressure though and they have been proven to occasionally increase a person's metabolic rate, while also showing to be more effective when treating obese people than placebos and diet alone.

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Charley's Boat House General Manager Mike Stanton began the program in August and not only has he lost 68 pounds, he's gotten rid of several medical problems.

"When I started, I has Type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea and high cholesterol,” he said. "When I lost my business, I lost my group health insurance and nobody would insure me! So I decided it was time for a change. I quit drinking 24 years ago, and smoking 12 years ago, so I knew I had the will power, but food is a lot harder because you can live without booze and cigarettes! Over the years, if you have a weight problem, you do this and that and nothing works. I thought this (MEDI) would be a good idea, so I did it.”

Stanton said that the hardest part about the program was keeping his willpower.

"This is an entire lifestyle change, you have to be sure you're ready. I made sure it was the perfect time when I started, and I took the time and concentrated on me.”

Mike told us that he was nearly at his goal weight, and that he was happy with the support he received from the program.

"What I liked about the MEDI program is that it is very user-friendly – it uses common sense,” he said. "They are very helpful, they give you medication, and Beth was always so friendly.”

"Since I've gotten rid of the weight, the diabetes and the cholesterol, I've got more energy and I'm looking forward to playing more golf!”

Marcy Dansborough, a 55-year-old mother of four, lost 70 pounds in seven months. "It was hard for me because I never worked out in my life,” said Marcy. "But after the first few weeks I started to notice how well it was working. I noticed my arms getting thinner and my face looking skinnier. Someone even told me that I was looking healthier. No one ever told me I was looking healthy before. It made it much easier to keep up the working out and good eating habits when I could actually see how it was making a difference.”

Surf Club owner Bruce Cermak spent six months on the MEDI program, losing 72 pounds.

"The weight came off pretty easy – it was mostly education about carbohydrates,” he told us. "Dr. Scholle's office was very helpful, and they keep checking your vitals and things while you're on the diet to make sure that you stay healthy.”

"One thing I learned is that I eat too many breads, " Bruce said. "So, now I read more labels than I ever have before in my life!”

Jesse Titus, owner and broker of Fort Myers Beach Realty, told us that she couldn't be happier with her success on the program.

"Well, I first got the idea when I saw another person who had gone through the program, and she was just melting away!” she told us, laughing. "So when I got back from vacation and saw a coupon in the paper for it, I said to myself, ‘It must be a sign'.”

Titus began the program in January of 2009, and by August she had lost 65 pounds and gone from a size 20 to a size 6/8.

"Dr. Scholle is my regular doctor, and I went to him and said, ‘I'm here because this program has your name on it,” she said. "He told me that he had looked at it for two years, and he was convinced that it was the real deal. For me, it was the easiest hard thing that I've ever done – I had to stay commited but the pounds just melted off.”

The program's cost did not bother Titus, either."Some people say it's expensive, but when you realize that you get a mini-physical and costant monitoring included in the price, it seems reasonable,” she said. "Plus, I spent much less on groceries!”

Jessie told us that she what she learned on the program will help her for the rest of her life.

"I now know the caloric value of anything,” she said. "When I was on the program, they weighed me every time I came in and gave me a computer printout showing how many calories I would need to intake to keep at that weight, so now that I've lost the pounds I know exactly how much to eat in order to maintain it.”

"Also, I now know how carbohydrates, protein and alcohol work,” she said. "If I had known that before, I never would have had a problem with my weight.”

To set up a Medi-Weightloss consultation, contact Dr. Scholle on Fort Myers Beach at 233-8671.