7 BENEFITS YOU MAY EXPECT IN ENROLLING IN THE CHARTER WEIGHT LOSS PORGRAM 

1. Improved quality of life. When you lose weight, you are able to move around better. You are better able to participate in personal activities such as cleaning the house, maintaining your yard, and playing with your children and grand-children. Also, you are better able to enjoy going on vacations, outings, picnics and family events.
2. Improved self perception and body image. When you are closer to your desired body weight, you are better satisfied with how you look and who you are. This means you become more confident. You perform better at job interviews, and if employed, you are better able to perform your job.
3. Better perception of your worth by others.  People who are obese or morbidly obese are often perceived by others as being lazy, unmotivated, or not very educated. These perceptions can affect you in personal relationships, attracting or holding on to a mate, and even getting or keeping a job, if you don’t keep your weight down.
4. Better health. A person who is obese has a greatly increased incidence of chronic diseases such as Hypertension, Diabetes, Heart disease, and Osteoarthritis. These may lead to sudden death in middle age, kidney disease, paralysis from stroke, and physical disability from arthritis. Such people are also more likely to end up in the Intensive Care Unit for an acute life threatening illness or the Nursing Home due to a chronic illness that cannot easily be managed by family members at home. Reducing weight therefore means better health.
5. Less risk of cancer. It now well known that Obesity does not just increase the risk of diseases like hypertension, stroke and diabetes, it also increases the risk of cancer and risk of death from cancer.
6. Longer life.All studies performed by physicians, scientists, sociologists, and  insurance companies in the USA over the past 50 years have shown that people who are overweight or obese have a shorter life span than those who are at a normal weight for their height.  This is why Life Insurance companies since the 1950’s published actuarial tables based on average life expectancy by weight. The Body Mass index (BMI) which is a ratio of weight to height was developed based on these data. The findings are as true today as they were 50 years ago. A person with a BMI in the normal range (18-24) compared to a person in the obese range (above 29) will expect to live longer, all other things considered.
7. Financial advantages:  Apart from advantages in health, life span and quality of life, a person who loses weight may end up putting more money in his or her pocket due to reduced expenses. For instance, a person who is obese is more likely to pay higher premiums for health and life insurance. A person who is obese may end up paying higher for motor vehicles since he or she may not fit into cheaper, smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles, and may end up driving only trucks and SUV’s. Some airlines have started charging higher fees for individuals who are above a certain weight due to the need to assign special seats and longer seat-belts.

Charter Weight Loss Center.                         Medical Director: Oladele Olusanya, MD     Business Director: Kim Olusanya                 "We help you get there!"

12 ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESS BEFORE YOU ENROLL IN OUR WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM

1. Know why you want to lose weight. You must know and always remember the reason why you want to lose weight, namely to improve your health and prevent or treat health complications like diabetes, hypertension or cosmetic disfigurement.
2. Have a goal. You must know what your weight and BMI are, whether you are overweight, obese, or morbidly obese. You must know what your ideal weight should be for your height, and what weight you want to be. This is your own personal goal.
3. Have a plan.  Develop a strategy with the Weight Loss Program to allow you lose the weight you want in the time you have set for yourself. This must include a combination of diet and exercise.
4. Have a diet. Understand that you can never lose weight without reducing your current calorie intake. And even after you’ve reached your goal, you must continue to diet to maintain your weight goal, so you won’t ‘gain it all back’. 
5. Keep your diet simple and tailored to your needs. Avoid fad or crash diets. Follow a simple plan provided by the physician that you can continue for a long time, that you can afford, and can easily obtain or make by yourself. There are many kinds of diets like “South Beach,” Weight Watchers” or “Atkins.” Unlike these expensive endeavors, the Charter Weight Loss Program succeeds by teaching you to eat less food with more nutrients and less calories, and to exercise at the same time. It is a plan and diet personalized for you. Remember, you may eat healthy low calorie snacks.  Eating snacks may be part of your diet if you are the type that needs to put something in the mouth several times a day rather than the typical three meals a day. Examples of healthy snacks include diet soda, unsweetened tea with sugar substitute, low fat yogurt, or baby carrots. Eating frequent snacks may allow you avoid a heavy meal later in the day, and prevent food craving. Do not snack on cookies, French fries, chips or chocolate bars! Stick to your healthy diet. Avoid eating outside. Prepare your own food if you can. Avoid extra food at parties, workplace and family events that will throw you off your diet.
6. Do not exceed your daily calorie goal in your Weight Management Plan. Be aware of the calorie content of anything you eat or drink. Read the calorie information on the package of each food or drink, or consult the guide we have given you.
7. Drink water regularly. Drink 12 oz (360ml) of water or diet soda with every meal Drink at least 64 oz (2 liters or 1/2 gallon) of water daily. Cold tap water from your fridge is safe. No need to buy expensive bottled water.
8. Exercise regularly. 30 minutes of your preferred exercise (we recommend treadmill, jogging or fast walking) at least 5 times a week
9. Keep a record. Weigh yourself every day and track your progress. You do not have to keep a record of your meals as long as you stick to your diet plan and daily calorie goal.
10. Know that surgery is over-rated.Weight loss (bariatric) surgery is simply meant to reduce the size of your stomach so you will have to eat less. The same weight loss result can be achieved with a strict diet, without the complications of surgery. Cosmetic surgery is a different thing altogether. Operations like liposuction, abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) or breast reduction are meant to alter how you look- they are not strictly weight loss surgery.
11. Beware of weight loss medications (diet pills). You may use a diet suppressant (like Adipex) at the beginning of your weight loss program, but do not depend on pills in the long run. They have side effects and effects wear off after some time.
12. BE POSITIVE. Try not to think of the inconvenience of following a diet. Think of the positive gains. You are guaranteed to be healthier, feel better and look better if you succeed with your Weight Control Program.