OBESITY MANAGEMENT
Our Obesity Management Clinic is a customized effective solution to help you lose weight and increase the quality of your health. Elizabeth “Libby” Allen is experienced in providing individualized care to help you be successful, and to find a program that meets your needs. Libby will monitor your medical conditions along with your primary care provider, while providing guidance on medical interventions that may help you lose weight.
In our Obesity Management Clinic, our goal is to help you make life-long changes. While diets can provide a short-term benefit to kick start weight loss, overeating is not the only cause of obesity. Obesity is caused by a combination of factors, which can be different for everyone.
Reasons for obesity may include:
- Overeating, environment (high calorie foods, calorie-dense foods),
- Physical health,
- Mental health,
- Genetics,
- Certain medications
- Low physical activity
All of these factors can combine to cause obesity, and in turn, negatively impact your health. In this clinic, we teach you how to adapt your lifestyle to get the results you want.
As you gain excess weight, the additional fat damages many of your organs, which can decrease your life expectancy by up to 10 years. In addition to the shortened life expectancy, your risk for these diseases increase with the more weight you carry:
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- High cholesterol
- Sleep apnea
- Heart attacks
- Pulmonary embolism (blood clot traveling to the lungs)
- Deep venous thrombosis (blood clot in the leg)
- GERD (heartburn)
- Ulcers on the legs
- Cancer
In addition to providing coaching about healthy lifestyle changes including improved diet and increased physical activity, Libby may help patients by providing referrals to our Registered Dietitian Linda Klejch, referrals to our other clinics (endocrinology, orthopedic surgery, chronic pain, urology, cardiology, general and vascular surgery, podiatry, neurology, and more), and advice on medications that may help patients lose weight. These medications may help decrease appetite, cut food cravings, increase the feeling of fullness, and decrease absorption of fat.
A successful medication plan does not look the same for everyone. During your initial consultation with Libby, she will do an evaluation to learn about your lifestyle, past history with weight loss, genetic factors, and other health concerns. After this consultation, Libby will work directly with you to develop a plan for your weight loss goals. Ongoing monitoring will ensure that the program works for you, and will provide opportunity for adjustment to meet your goals.
Libby is currently accepting new patients for this service. If you are interested in starting on a weight loss journey in our Obesity Management Clinic, call the DCH Outpatient Clinic at 641-446-2285 to learn more and schedule your first visit. We look forward to partnering with you to meet your goals.
PROVIDER
ELIZABETH "LIBBY" ALLEN, ARNP, FNP
Elizabeth Allen offers Obesity Management and Rheumatology services full-time in the DCH Outpatient Clinic. Elizabeth “Libby” Allen is an ARNP and Family Nurse Practitioner from Browning, Missouri. She graduated with honors in 2016.
FEATURED VIDEO
About This Video
Elizabeth “Libby” Allen share information on a new Obesity Management service available at Decatur County Hospital in the DCH Outpatient Clinic. Libby provides services 18 days each month.
I’M INTERESTED IN WEIGHT LOSS SERVICES
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