Our Programs - Outcomes and Testimonials

OTC Success Story Interviews:

Testimonials

"I like the follow-up, support and maintenance program after you lose the weight. I especially like the small group setting. It's more personal than other large programs where they don't even know your name."
Paula Cooper

"At first I was skeptical, but when I realized I could lose weight while eating food I said, "I can do this!" I never felt better than while I was on the diet. To this day the scale says the same thing it said three years ago [when I came off the diet]. It really became my new lifestyle."
Deb Lucas

"It wasn't all about emotions and feelings. OTC told me why I weighed what I weighed and what I could do to change that. I was very impressed with the breadth of information from physiology to metabolism to nutrition. This is about changing the way you eat food. This is a lifestyle change."
Larry Mandelberg

OTC's Newest Outcomes Study

In April 2006, OTC completed its most recent outcomes study. The study examined avoidance of weight re-gain after completing our recommended program of weight loss followed by at least 18 months of behavioral aftercare. (Our behavioral aftercare program is known as Skills.) The results are summarized in the table below. The results were very encouraging, especially for those completing Skills. It also told us much more about our approach to treating obesity.

Who Did We Study?

We randomly selected patients who had completed at least four months of weight loss followed by 18 or more months of behavioral aftercare (Skills) and compared them with randomly selected patients who did not go to Skills. (In the future, we will extend our study to others who attended fewer than 18 months of Skills.)

Does OTC's Program Work?

OTC has always maintained, “the program works if you work the program.” The study clearly shows that Skills is effective. The patients who attended 18+ months of Skills were able to maintain 58% of their weight loss after eight years. This translates into 15% loss of pretreatment body weight and a dramatic health improvement with reduced risk for diabetes, coronary artery disease and cancer. Obesity-related risk of death was reduced by as much as half. Those who did not participate in Skills maintained lost weight, but not nearly as much as those who participated in Skills.

If you are a former OTC patient and you’ve regained your weight, and never tried Skills, we strongly recommend that you try it now because this study demonstrates how important it is to long-term avoidance of weight regain.

Who is the Typical Successful OTC Patient?

According to the study results, typically successful OTC patients were not always successful in the beginning. Some went through the program once or twice with little or no participation in Skills and regained their weight back. However, they knew to come back and keep trying until they were successful. Ultimately, they attended Skills and were able to maintain significant weight loss. They also knew to return if there was any partial regain after attending Skills and to stay connected to OTC for as long as they needed support. They knew that they were always welcomed back and that the program and their behaviorist were there for them.

OTC patients (who completed the recommended program):	Average
Years since starting at OTC	8
Percent Female	77%
Age when they started at OTC	47
Age now	55
Initial weight (pounds)	247
Initial Body Mass Index (BMI)	40
Pounds lost during weight loss phase	88
Pounds maintained from pre-treatment body weight	41
Maintained percent of pre-treatment body weight	15%
Body Mass Index (BMI) after 8 years	34
Average percent of original weight loss maintained	58%

How Has the Health of This Group Improved?	Average
Percent who achieved medically-significant weight loss of at least 10%	90%
Percent who have maintained at least 15% weight loss	57%
Exercise hours per week	3
Obesity-related risk of death reduced by	43%
Obesity-related risk of heart disease reduced by	35%
Obesity-related risk of Type 2 diabetes reduced by	42%

How Does OTC Compare to Other Non-Surgical Programs? (Maintained percent of pre-treatment body weight)	Average
OTC at eight years	15%
Best published long-term study at eight years	3%
Weight Watchers at two years	3%

How Do the Results Compare to Other Programs?

There have been many studies looking at the combination of very low calorie diets and behavioral therapy, an approach which has been shown to be the most efficacious. The best long-term published study showed a weight loss of 3% after 8 years by comparison to OTC’s 15% after 8 years. The best conventional diet study published was Weight Watchers in 2003 on a lower-weight group. Their study lasted two years. After two years, average weight loss was 3% dropping from 5% at six months. OTC’s results compare favorably because our comprehensive program has been tested over time, we extensively train our behavioral staff and we understand obesity as a chronic condition that may require periodic re-treatment.

How Does OTC Compare to Bariatric Surgery?

Comparing surgical and non-surgical approaches for long-term obesity management is complex because each has merits and risks. Making the best choice depends largely on the individual situation of each patient and should be fully explored after gaining the facts and discussing them with weight loss specialists. In general, if non-surgical approaches to obesity (or any other disease) will work for you, then you can avoid the additional risks and costs of surgery. However, the greatest health risk lies with not successfully managing obesity long-term with either approach.

Surgery may be a better option for those who continuously regain weight despite attending behavioral aftercare (Skills) or need the early and intense response of surgery to help them change their behavior. While the medically supervised diet also provides a quick behavioral response, the intensity and effectiveness of bariatric surgery provides a powerful start for beginning lifestyle change. Many patients believe surgery is easier if they can afford it and are willing to accept the risks. Clinical studies demonstrate that a large percentage of bariatric surgery patients will lose and maintain significant weight loss after two to four years. Statistically, however, bariatric surgery patients, as a group, do regain some or all their weight. The risk of regain is evident in both surgical and non-surgical approaches, but is likely higher in a non-surgical approach. For patient considering surgery, OTC can help because the knowledge, skills and support patients gain at OTC will make their surgical experience more effective. This is especially true with newer and safer surgical interventions such as the Lap Band.

Long-term (5+ years), OTC is comparable in many respects to surgical outcomes and it is safer. In addition to the surgical risks themselves, long-term side effects of surgery include (early complications-death, infection, bleeding, leakage, blood clots. Later complications: bowel obstruction, ulcers, strictures, malnutrition, anemia, hernias, gallstones. (These side effects are considerably lessened with the Lap-Band.) Long-term surgical outcomes just being reported suggest that many patients who have surgery will regain their weight. With gastric bypass surgery, there is one opportunity to be successful. Often, the stomach enlarges and hunger returns after 12-18 months and one must still deal with the emotional and physical aspects of food and hunger. OTC's program allows as many chances as needed for long-term success and one develops skills by actively engaging issues surrounding food, emotion and hunger as they arise during the course of your care at OTC.

Both surgical and non-surgical approaches hold an important place in the management of obesity. The bottom line is that both surgery and OTC's medically supervised diet can lead to dramatic weight loss and improved health. However, both must be considered as tools and not a 'magic cure'. The best choice is the one you believe will work best for you after considering all the facts. In either case, OTC's medical care, education and Skills program will add considerably to your probability of long-term success.

Are OTC’s Behaviorists and Medical Staff Surprised by the Findings?

No. The study confirms what we knew—that obesity is a disease of abnormal energy storage and that weight regain is part of the disease. It is a chronic disease that may require periodic re-treatment. The study confirms that our most successful patients understand this and know when to call us. We know there are good reasons why people regain weight— an injury, illness or major life stressor. These are part of living and we welcome patients back to help.

How Does OTC Work?

The key aspects of OTC remain its Skills program and keeping in contact with our behaviorists. The study shows that it is worth the time and effort and saves lives. At OTC, we have found 18 months is the length of time it generally takes for patients to master the behaviors which will sustain their weight loss.

OTC’s unique multidisciplinary program and the special and extensive in house training our behaviorists receive are key aspects to patients’ success. It is important to know that patients have a wide variety of staff to call upon (behaviorists, physicians, dieticians and exercise physiologists) and that your behaviorist has acquired the training necessary to rapidly identify issues to get you back on track.

About OTC's Study

This study was prepared and paid for by OTC as part of its own internal research program for the education of its staff and patients and to provide information often requested by referring physicians. It was not funded or sponsored by any product supplier or other third-party and may not be used or published without OTC's explicit, written permission.