What Happens at a Medical Weight Management Appointment?

We get asked all the time: "What goes on in a medical weight management appointment?"

In short, medical weight management appointments are an important part of your bariatric surgery journey when you choose to have weight-loss surgery at Penn. 

Our Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program's pre-operative nutrition screening is focused on changing your eating behaviors and food selection practices. This helps you more easily adjust to your post-operative diet and achieve the best results possible after surgery.

During a medical weight management session, you'll meet one-on-one with a dietitian. He or she will evaluate your weight loss history and current eating and exercise behaviors using a weight and diet history questionnaire. You'll also be asked to keep a food diary to record your daily intake and learn the principles of post-operative gastric bypass, including dietary progression, protein and fluid requirements, and lifelong vitamin and mineral supplementation.

You can expect the following during a medical weight management appointment: 

• A Penn registered dietitian will review your current eating patterns and provide nutrition counseling. You'll also prepare for the eating behaviors and dietary changes required to be successful after bariatric surgery.
• A Penn nurse practitioner will evaluate your current medical studies and review the results with you. You'll also go over your nutrition binder before the appointment and be asked to bring it with you to your visit.

Remember: You must have insurance approval to schedule weight-loss surgery. In fact, your insurance provider may require three to six months of medical weight management before your surgery depending on your plan.

Ready to take the first step toward long-term, sustainable weight loss? Attend one of our free information sessions in a location that's convenient for you.