Baptist Health/Milestone Wellness Center Receives Recognition for HMR Program
HMR Named No. 1 “Best Fast Weight-Loss Diet” by U.S. News and World Report
9Louisville, KY, January 2, 2020 -- A program offered by Baptist Health/Milestone and created by HMR Weight Management Services (HMR) has been named No. 1 “Best Fast Weight-Loss Diet” in the 2020 Best Diets rankings released today by U.S. News & World Report. It is the fifth year in a row HMR earned the top spot in the category. Milestone has offered the HMR Program for 19 years.
“Successful weight loss is not only about losing pounds quickly, it’s about creating changes around eating and physical activity that you can sustain over the long term,” said Chuck Bent, HMR Program Director. “By keeping the plan simple, people can lose weight quickly while building the skills they need for long-term weight management.”
Bent,who has been keeping off 100 pounds for almost ten years said, “Diets, by definition, are designed to fail. We have all lost that same 30 pounds repeatedly. That is because diets have a starting point and a stopping point. HMR, on the other hand, is a lifestyle change program, utilizing a team of professionals and face-to-face support. Here at Milestone we have helped people of all sizes lose anywhere from 15 to 230 pounds and keep it off long-term.”
How it Works
HMR programs achieve fast weight loss in a livable way by encouraging people to eat more and stay satisfied, which makes it easier to stick to the program in the short-term, and over the long haul. HMR focuses on three skill areas critical for weight-loss and weight maintenance:
- How to make healthier food choices;
- How to eat more fruits and vegetables; and,
- How to increase physical activity.
Research has shown that practicing these skills may also help reduce the risk factors for the development of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, some types of cancer, and other chronic diseases.
Get There Faster! A common misconception is that losing weight quickly is not healthy or sustainable, and will just lead to future weight re-gain. Results from a weight-loss study of more than 200 people published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology (2014) showed 81 percent of the rapid weight loss group achieved their target weight loss compared to 50 percent in the gradual weight-loss group, with no significant differences in weight regain. These results indicate that rapid weight-loss does not put individuals at risk for greater weight regain. Furthermore, more rapid weight loss may motivate some individuals to stick with their diet and achieve better results long term.
Selected Health Outcomes from the HMR Program
It is well reported that weight loss is associated with favorable changes in medical risk factors. Below are health risk reductions and medication changes for 721 HMR patients who participated in a clinic-based program (mean duration of participation 107.6 weeks):1
- Fasting Glucose (mg/dL): -9.4 percent
- Total Cholesterol / HDL ratio: -10.3 percent
- Diastolic / Systolic Blood Pressure: -7 mmHg / -4 mmHg
- Triglycerides (mg/dL): -26.7 percent
- Of 126 patients taking oral diabetes medications at baseline, 40.5 percent (n=51) had discontinued these medications at follow-up.
- Of 45 patients taking insulin at baseline, 35.5 percent (n=16) had discontinued their insulin at follow -up.
- Of 337 patients taking blood pressure medications at baseline, 36.2 percent (n=122) had discontinued these medications at follow-up.
About Milestone
Baptist Health/Milestone Wellness Center is a full-service “wellness” facility. Along with being a world-class fitness facility, it offers Physical Therapy for Baptist Health patients, and its Aquatics program has won many national awards including #1 Aquatics Physical Therapy program in the U.S. Milestone also offers 270+ fitness classes for all levels and age groups, on both land and water, including a multitude of Yoga and Pilates classes, than any other facility in Louisville. The facility also includes a full-service Spa, a Café, Childcare, personal training and of course – the Best Weight Loss program in Louisville. To call for membership information, 502.753.7554 or HMR is 502.896.3900 x124.
About HMR Weight Management Services Corp. (HMR)
HMR Weight Management Services Corp. (HMR) is a part of Merck’s Healthcare Services and Solutions business unit and specializes in improving the healthcare experience for patients, providers and payers. HMR programs, available in person or at home, offer lifestyle education, a structured diet and an emphasis on long-term weight and health management. Since 1983, HMR programs have been available in hospitals, clinics, and medical centers across the country. For more information, visit https://www.hmrprogram.com/baptistmilestone.
1Poster T-2083 presented at Obesity Week, 04Nov2014, Boston, MA; These data reflect mean weight loss and associated changes in health risk factors and changes in medication from patients who: enrolled in HMR’s clinic-based Decision-Free® or Healthy Solutions® programs at one of 43 U.S.-based HMR clinics, completed a baseline health risk assessment (HRA), and a follow-up HRA during the weight-maintenance phase of the program (July/August 2013). Patients were excluded if they did not have continuous enrollment in the HMR program between the time of initiation and completion of the HRA or if they did not have complete biometric values.
