RediClinic® Launches the First Weight Loss Program Delivered in Grocery Stores

HOUSTON, May 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- RediClinic®, the largest independent operator of retail-based, convenient care clinics in the United States, today announced the launch of Weigh Forward™, a medically supervised program for lifelong weight management. Weigh Forward, which was developed in partnership with renowned weight loss expert David L. Katz, M.D., is available at all 29 RediClinic locations inside H-E-B stores in Houston, Austin and San Antonio, Texas.

"There is a growing need for more effective weight management solutions, and our grocery store venue gives us an advantage in terms of convenience and the opportunity to help patients make better food choices," said Web Golinkin, RediClinic's chief executive officer.  "Weigh Forward is the first comprehensive, medically-supervised weight loss program to be delivered in a grocery store, and we believe it will set a new standard for sustained effectiveness."

The 10-week program capitalizes on RediClinic's facilities and clinicians inside grocery stores to provide patients with comprehensive information and counseling on diet/nutrition, physical activity and behavior modification.  The diet/nutrition component includes weekly meal plans, with shopping lists of items that can be purchased in RediClinic's host stores.  The behavior modification component features a proprietary system developed by Dr. Katz that identifies each patient's individual barriers to success so that each program can be customized to help the patient overcome them.  Each program also includes an initial medical evaluation and regular biometric testing to ensure that patients are improving their health while losing weight.

"With more than two-thirds of Americans either overweight or obese, weight management is the most important and challenging health issue of our time," said Dr. Katz.  "Weigh Forward combines everything I have learned about weight management during 20 years of research and clinical practice with RediClinic's unique grocery store platform to create a program that is effective, sustainable, accessible, affordable and family-friendly.  It is dedicated to helping people not just lose weight, but also find health!"    

Dr. Katz, who serves as the program's medical director, is an internationally recognized authority on weight management, nutrition and the prevention of chronic disease.  In addition to his position at RediClinic, he is the director and founder of Yale University's Prevention Research Center, director and founder of the Integrative Medicine Center at Griffin Hospital in Derby, Conn., and president of the non-profit Turn the Tide Foundation, which is dedicated to reversing trends in obesity and diabetes in adults and children alike.  Recently appointed editor-in-chief of the journal Childhood Obesity, Dr. Katz has authored more than 100 scientific papers, nearly 1,000 newspaper articles and 12 books, including The Way to Eat, The Flavor Full Diet and Nutrition in Clinical Practice.  He also is the principal inventor of the Overall Nutritional Quality Index that is used in the NuVal nutritional guidance program to rate more than 100,000 food items based on their nutritional content.  Dr. Katz is a prominent voice in medical media, serving as a source for many major magazines, newspapers, websites and radio and TV programs.  He is a health editor for the Huffington Post and a frequent guest on "The Dr. Oz Show," and has served as a health columnist for The New York Times Syndicate, nutrition columnist for O, the Oprah Magazine and on-air contributor for ABC News/"Good Morning America."

Weigh Forward patients can expect to lose one to two pounds per week, or more, and upon completion of the 10-week program, will have the knowledge and skills to continue losing weight and improving their health as needed.  Maintenance programs will be available for those who need ongoing support from RediClinic's clinicians and through the program's extensive online resources, which include access to e-nutritionists and e-trainers.  More information about RediClinic's Weigh Forward program is available at www.rediclinic.com/weighforward.

About RediClinic

Since 1989, RediClinic has provided people with convenient access to high-quality, affordable healthcare. Based in Houston, the company currently operates 29 clinics inside H-E-B grocery stores in Houston, Austin and San Antonio, Texas. For more information about clinic locations, hours of operation, services and prices, visit www.rediclinic.com.

SOURCE RediClinic