About the Hernried Center
At The Hernried Center, we treat obesity as a chronic disease of abnormal energy storage and not a lack of willpower. Patients understand that even if they lose weight, they will always be an obese person in a thinner body and at risk for regain.
One of the first principles participants learn is that “weight loss is not the cure for obesity.” Effective lifetime weight management requires absorbing new concepts of nutrition, activity and conflict-resolution, then utilizing a new battery of problem-solving skills to implement and shape new behaviors.
Because most commercial diet centers only focus on the diet, they provide some combination of products — special foods, supplements, lectures and so on. Few, if any, actually offer a program that identifies and changes the behaviors that contribute to your being overweight in the first place. Our programs, will help you overcome the avoidance and denial that have made and kept you overweight. While you’re losing weight you’ll receive professional help and be held accountable for your actions. Clinical studies have shown that accountability and behavioral counseling are effective tools in weight loss and they are the cornerstone of The Hernried Center’s program.
After reaching goal weight, our aftercare program, known as “Compass”, allows individuals to practice weight management skills with support, guidance and accountability, which includes new challenges like adapting activity to the weather or the complex situations that tend to occur around food during the holidays, vacations and social events. Data from The Hernried Center follow-up studies show that the most successful long-term maintainers of lower weight bodies complete a minimum of 12-18 months in Compass before reducing the frequency of their weekly contact. Over 80% of those patients who stick with the entire program are successful in avoiding regain long-term.
The weight management programs at The Hernried Center are designed to help you reduce obesity “risk factors” (the elements in your lifestyle which endanger your health), and help you improve your chances to live a long and healthful life through lifetime weight management.
The Hernried Center Staff
Medical leadership of The Hernried Center is provided by John D. Hernried, M.D., F.A.C.P. Dr. Hernried has a deep, caring interest and extensive experience in the treatment of obesity. Board-certified in Internal Medicine, he is also a member of The Obesity Society and American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. Dr. Hernried has directed weight loss programs for area hospitals, and is a well-known lecturer on emerging topics in obesity. He has been listed as a “Top Doctor” in Sacramento Magazine, Solano Magazine, and The Davis Enterprise.
The Hernried Center’s staff of physicians, physician’s assistants and nurse practitioners come from a variety of area hospitals, clinics, and the UC Davis Medical Center. The clinical team includes certified exercise physiologists and registered dietitians. Our behavioral education staff comes from a variety of disciplines, including education, counseling, nutrition, and social work, and undergoes extensive continuing education on an ongoing basis.






