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| 'Tis the season of the holiday food hangover—when all of the food I ate from Turkey Day to Bowl Day is hanging over my waistband. However, it’s also the season of new beginnings, and help may be just a visit away at Physicians Weight Loss Centers (PWLC). While PWLC has been serving clients for 30 years, the program is new to Nebraska and is the only U.S. franchise offering safe and effective weight loss within a medically supervised environment to bring about a permanent lifestyle change, says Brian Shanks, franchise owner. The first Lincoln location at 5955 S. 56th St., Suite 8 opened in September 2009. Grand opening activities are being planned on January 4th, 2010 for the second Lincoln location at 2550 Superior St. “Our goal is to bring more and more people to wellness through weight loss,” says Centers Manager Brenda Wilson. During its 30 years of operation, 1.5 million people have experienced weight loss, she adds. To begin, the client and a staff counselor discuss the client’s eating habits, lifestyle, and the six different food plans in order to determine which plan will best lead to success. The client provides a full medical history. A nurse completes a blood workup and an electrocardiogram (EKG). A Tanita scale is used to measure the client’s Body Mass Index (BMI), muscle mass, fat, and water weight. A physician reviews the medical history, the EKG, and the blood work results, and then conducts a waist-up physical exam. After that, Brenda says the physician approves the client for the program, makes other recommendations to the proposed plan, and/or talks with the client’s primary care physician if there are concerns. Weekly weigh-in and counseling sessions, group “behavior guidance” classes, vitamin B-12 injections, regular assessments of measurements, and monthly tracking on the Tanita scale are part of the plan’s follow-up. There are 16-week programs and eight-week programs, Brenda explains. All of the programs include a regimen of vitamins, essential minerals, calcium, and essential fatty acids. The Lincoln staff counselors have been trained and certified by instructors at the PWLC corporate headquarters in Akron, Ohio. The staff counselors are certified and participate in ongoing training. Brenda points out that the programs are for anyone who wants to lose weight, even if it is only five or 10 pounds. Client Deb Christ had been in her program for three weeks and had already lost six pounds when we spoke. Her total weight loss goal is around 14 pounds. She started at PWLC because she felt she just couldn’t lose those extra pounds. Deb says she likes the program for several reasons, including that the counselors are very supportive. Having a physician involved is also an appealing aspect of the program. “I can trust in this,” Deb says. Client Tricia Trumbley says she wanted a weight loss program that requires accountability and provides structure. She is currently on the Physicians Fast program, which is a 16-week program on which she eats four supplement items per day and one regular meal. She says her program is one of the strictest offered at PWLC, and is the quickest way to lose weight. When we talked, she had been on the program for five weeks and had already lost about 28 pounds and a total of 26 inches. Tricia says her favorite part of the program is that the sales counselors “help you stay motivated. They are good at reminding you that it’s not just a number on the scale. You are very well monitored health-wise.” She adds that she is looking forward to seeing better blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol numbers as her weight decreases. Tricia also likes the “behavior guidance” classes. She was looking forward to classes geared toward helping clients stay on the program over the holidays when we talked. Some people overeat because of stress or boredom, Brian says. The “behavior guidance” classes help change habits. The food plans take into consideration the client’s preferences. While the programs do include some food supplements, the diets are based on real food from the grocery store, and the supplements offer a wide variety from which to choose. Deb likes that she receives a menu and a shopping list. She goes to the grocery store and buys real food. “The program is simple and easy. You pick out what you like. If you stay organized and buy the foods from the menu, you are never going to be hungry. You get to eat a lot of food.” “The supplemental food tastes very good,” Tricia adds. “It’s not like eating crushed-up vitamins.” Brian says he became excited about the franchise because of his own and his wife, Karen’s, passion for health and fitness. Karen is a fitness instructor. Brian, a UNL business administration graduate, owned a trucking company for 28 years until he decided to sell it in 2003. “My passion is business,” he says. They decided to combine passions and purchased the PWLC franchise for the Nebraska region. The couple is steering this venture toward a family business. Their daughter, Whitney, works as a staff counselor at the South 56th Street location. Their son, Kolby, is a freshman at UNL, and he is taking accounting courses with an eye on joining the business in the future. The other 90 PWLC locations can be found east of Nebraska. Brian says he plans to open other locations in addition to the two in Lincoln. Brenda says she loves the opportunity to bring wellness to people through weight loss, and she enjoys the family atmosphere and teamwork structure at PWLC. “It is fabulous to have a job helping people.” Brenda adds that she has found the medical and corporate communities to be supportive. Brenda expects more corporate partnerships as employers consider studies that show nationally that an estimated $5.5 billion is lost annually due to employee absenteeism and chronic health issues related to overweight and obesity. Brenda is also looking forward to offering the Closet Exchange at the new north location. As clients downsize in clothing, they are encouraged to bring in items that are too large for them and trade them for smaller sizes that other clients have exchanged. This service is free to clients. PWLC is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. On Tuesday the office opens at 7:30 a.m. for blood work. The corporate Web site is www.pwlc.com. Clients can call 483-7952 for the South Center and 421-7952 for the North Center to schedule an appointment. You may also stop by for a visit for more information. So about that waistband, Brenda says, “There is hope. There is an answer, and today’s the day!” |
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