JAN. 3, 2002 | “It’s the easiest and most successful weight loss plan I’ve ever tried!”  That’s what some patients of Philip Kern, M.D., say about the UAMS Medical Center Weight Control Program – a comprehensive, medically supervised, outpatient service that helps each patient reach and then maintain his or her ideal body weight.

“Obesity is the number one nutrition problem in the United States,” according to Dr. Kern, an endocrinologist and director of the Weight Control Program.

“Over one-third of our population is obese, which is medically defined as 20 percent above an individual’s ideal weight. Obesity is a problem that was almost nonexistent before the turn of the century, but can now be attributed to our country’s much more sedentary lifestyle and high-fat diet,” he says.

To address these and other problems associated with obesity, the physicians, dietitians and other health-care professionals at UAMS work closely with their patients – tailoring the program to fit the medical needs and lifestyle of each individual. The heart of the program is a one-hour, weekly class during which the staff members and patients discuss nutrition, exercise and behavior modification techniques. Sydney Rephan leads the classes, while Carolyn Kennedy is the coordinator of the program. Both are registered and licensed dietitians. 

The program begins with a nutritionally balanced, low-fat diet. One way patients can adhere to this type of diet is by increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables they consume. “Rather than always emphasizing the negative – ‘Don’t eat this, and don’t eat that’ – we emphasize the positive by telling patients to eat all the vegetables and fruits they want,” Kern says. “There are very few calories, yet very high nutritional values, in vegetables. These foods are also very filling and help patients lose fat.”