Frequently Asked Questions

We see that our patients are able to safely lose many pounds each month while following the program correctly. So we can easily expect that you will be able to lose 10 lbs per month while following the program correctly or we will continue to treat you for free until those 10 lbs are lost. No other weight loss program offers this commitment.

That’s generally true – for most other weight loss programs. When a person experiences rapid weight loss (generally greater than 1 ½ lbs per week), the body’s tendency is to burn essential tissues (muscle, protein and electrolytes), making the person feel weak and tired and become ill. The body also restores these essential tissues and fluids at its earliest opportunity, causing rebound weight gain.

The Dr. Bernstein program is different. Our physicians and nurses work to ensure that you lose fatty tissue and not normal necessary tissues (muscle, protein and electrolytes). Our patients don't get gaunt or shallow in the face and they don't experience headaches, fatigue or hunger. As well, our diet is supplemented with vitamins and minerals to ensure your body gets the proper nutrition it needs. Dr. Bernstein's program is very safe. Patients meet regularly with medical staff who constantly monitor their health to ensure their weight loss is healthy and effective.

When taken orally, vitamins are significantly destroyed in the intestinal tract resulting in only small amounts being absorbed. Injecting vitamins bypasses the intestinal tract and results in a higher concentration in the fat cells. This resulting higher concentration of vitamins, along with the strict diet, minerals and other aspects of the program, helps increase the rate of breakdown of fatty tissue or triglycerides inside the fat cells. The B vitamins are also used by many other metabolic processes in the body. This results in a faster, healthier weight loss while helping you maintain your energy level, a key shortcoming of most other diets.

We have successfully treated many patients who are unable to exercise due to physical problems such as heart disease and arthritic joint mobility problems. We don’t require exercise because it’s not the most effective way to lose weight. With roughly 3,500 calories in a pound of fat, it would take the average person over 8 hours of moderate exercise on a treadmill to burn off just 1 lb of fat – the Dr. Bernstein program is just more effective at reducing your excess weight without all the work.

There is no doubt that exercise is very beneficial for your cardiovascular system, strength, general health and well being, and it is always recommended. Many of our patients are on supervised exercise regimes while on the our diet.

As well, many overweight people are in poor condition to exercise, so our program is uniquely suited to help them regain their health. We do encourage exercise when the patient is able.

Yes, absolutely. Being overweight puts you at risk of developing cardio-vascular diseases such as hypertension, high cholesterol, angina, and others as well as metabolic diseases like diabetes and fatigue. As soon as you start losing weight you can actually start reversing your medical conditions and diseases. Our patients reduce and usually eliminate their need for insulin and medications for blood pressure, cholesterol, angina, and arthritis along with their healthy weight loss.

If you have Diabetes, high cholesterol or any of the other cardio-vascular or metabolic diseases mentioned above, we can monitor and treat these conditions while we help you lose weight.

We can work with your personal physician to manage your medications.

Most of our patients notice a general improvement in their health within a week of starting the program. Certainly from the first 10 lbs lost our patients feel better from improved metabolism and nutrition and some pre-existing problems begin reversing. You'll start enjoying more energy and will no longer get tired and fatigued in the middle of your day. Patients who tend to have indigestion, heartburn, stomach cramps, or irritability from different types of fatty foods and spices will notice significant improvement within 1 to 2 weeks of being on the diet. Most who are taking heartburn or hyperacidity medications won't need them anymore. Mentally, you'll achieve a higher level of concentration and mental clarity – a combined result of your blood sugar stabilizing and other factors. We help this along by supplementing the diet with vitamins and minerals.

We know that people who eat extra food at night - a lot of carbohydrates, sugar, starches, and desserts - will often have nightmares and restlessness because of the reaction to sugars. When you eat sensibly and lose weight you sleep better and nightmares tend to disappear.

The diet and vitamin supplements have a positive impact on most women that have pre-menstrual and pre-menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, anxiety and stress reactions. When you lose weight properly many, if not all, of those symptoms greatly improve. Eating sensibly along with weight loss and vitamin supplements is a more natural way to treat PMS. And unlike hormone replacement therapy, there are no unknown long-term side effects.

Losing weight can definitely improve most arthritic conditions, especially the common osteo-arthritis. Think of the benefit to someone who has arthritic pain in their weight-bearing joints like their knees and hips. When you walk around with an extra 10, 20 or 50 lbs, your joints will feel every step you take, so any loss of weight will mean an improvement. When you lose weight properly, even the small joints in your hands become less inflamed and less swollen, resulting in diminished pain and greater movement from issues such as rheumatoid arthritis.

We know that if you lose weight properly, not only do you take the fat out from below your skin (you can see your waist and your hips trimming down almost daily), but you can also reduce the cholesterol deposits in your arteries, which in turn can lower your risk of arteriosclerosis. That means it's less likely that you'll have a stroke or heart attack and less likely that you'll develop cardiovascular diseases.

Diabetes is a very common problem and there are many people who are diabetic because they are overweight. The extra weight results in poor carbohydrate control. They develop diabetes and will need insulin and/or other medications to control their blood sugars. Many of these people even continue to gain weight as a result of the pills and the insulin.

When you follow a healthy diet and lose weight properly, you have better control of your foods and blood sugar levels. Inevitably you'll see that control becomes easier with less medication. All our Type 2 diabetic patients (often called adult onset diabetes) end up reducing or discontinuing their costly medications (pills and insulin).

Proper weight loss results in a lowering of high cholesterol and a reduction in hypertension. Thus, our doctors are able to reduce or discontinue medications you are taking to control these diseases.

The Maintenance Program is the best way to keep the weight off for life. We will show you how to carefully reintroduce more foods to your diet so there is no rebound weight gain. We teach you how to keep up your good habits for the rest of your life. Our Maintenance Program offers support and ongoing medical monitoring for as long as you like. We'll always be here for you.

Our nurses and doctors teach you how to order food in restaurants and how to handle food choices at parties and work functions. We also have a selection of delicious and easy-to-prepare protein supplements (shakes, bars, soups and oatmeal) for you to enjoy when proper food choices aren’t readily available – helping you stick with the diet and lose the weight!