dr. bernstein s health and diet clinics toronto

greatwtloss · Newbie Joined: 18 Oct 2006 Posts: 4

I feel sorry for whatever clinic you worked at but i know for a fact that in the city that i am in and all the clinics i have worked at and there has been a few, NONE of the staff do the following:

"It is a well know fact that ALL the staff including the owner see you all as chump and a way to make money.
They feed off you nativity/ignorance.
The only staff that sticks around are the ones who don't care...the good ones always leave because they can't stand to work in a place that has no values or respects their patients. "

You really shouldnt clump the rest of the good, kind, caring staff with staff like yourself who is so negative. The patients need to have motivation and positive attitudes. It is a good thing you are not there anymore, cause your a bit negative. I feel sorry for you. I rather enjoy working with the staff at the clinic i am at and with all the staff i have worked with through the 5 clinics i have worked at. I know the patients enjoy coming to our clinic cause we treat them like human who have a brain. Maybe that is why your clinic had such a high turn over rate. everyone that i have ever worked with have been with the company 3-5 years. So again, do your homework prior to tacking the rest of us decent staff with ones like yourself.

As for the staff only wanting money from the patients...(It is a well know fact that [b]ALL [/b]the staff including the owner see you all as chump and a way to make money)...we dont see any of that money. Are you sure you worked at one of the clinics. Cause no one at any of the clinics here see a penny of that money. Yes it goes to Dr. Bernstein but why shouldnt it. He has designed this program to help out others. Again do your homework. You tell us how much it will cost to go to L.A. wt loss, or jenny craig, or weight watches to lose the same amount of wt as you would with Dr. Bernstein but over a very long period of time. When it could be done in a few months with medical supervision and then the maintence program to teach you how to maintain for the rest of your life. Tell us the benefits of that. Cause i would love to hear it. I use to attend weight watchers & jenny craig so i would love to hear what you have to say about that. Cause those other program you are required to purchase thier products for your food. When with this program you buy regular grocery store food. You receive a great cookbook with everything in it. The food list is much much larger than any other programs list. So please could you tell me the benefit of going to another program for assistance in loosing wt, like the slower wt loss, being monitored by my neighbour or joe blow off the street instead of a nurse and doctor and paying in the end much much more. Oh yeah and not being able to write this on my income tax as a medical expense.

Try to smile today. Very Happy

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Guest · Guest

Hum, I would advise anyone to contact Revenue Canada or their tax account to understand the rules for tax deduction.
One has to have a low income and high expenses before they can really get any use out of this so called tax deduction.

If you are making an average wage and single person...GOOD LUCK...save your money and hire a trainer at the gym.

Guest · Guest

My husband is just finishing up his first Dr. B experience. He has definitely lost the weight...about 30 pounds in two months with 10 pounds to go.

It is a tough program, you will be hungry. The food choices are pretty limited, so you will miss your old menus.

But the support is great. Without thrice weekly visits to be motivated and monitored, I am sure my husband could not have lost the weight. He's the kind of person who needs the structure and support. And paying so much has boosted his motivation.

Yes, you could do this on your own (cut calories, improve the quality of your food choices), but I find most people really struggle with that. They often need a plan to plug into, and of course after that they need to learn a new lifestyle so they don't gain everything back. Some can learn portion control, which is the key. Some never really can learn portion control.

Exercise is huge in terms of maintenance. Here, support is huge as well...work out with a group or buddy to keep you at it.

Guest · Guest

I am lucky. Both my husband and my vitamin shots were covered by our extended medical insurance companies. Please inquire if your insurance company can cover these.....

shrinkingeri · Newbie Joined: 26 Nov 2006 Posts: 2

I am so grateful that I decided to go to a Dr. Bernstein Diet Clinic almost 3 weeks ago.
I have lost 13 pounds and I feel amazing.
I have a lot more to go, but every single pound that comes off is making me feel more energetic and less depressed.

Yes, it is very low calorie diet. I know that, I understand that. I also KNOW that if I were to quit today and go back to my old eating habits; i would gain all of the weight back very quickly.

Education is the key! I have learned so much. I now understand that by having my body in a constant state of KETOSIS, I am burning my ugly fat. I am never hungry because my body has tons of energy available to it. I eat all of the proteins they tell me to and because of this, I do not have to worry about muscle loss. I now understand why I was hungry all of the time. The carbohydrates that I was putting into my body constantly were causing my blood sugar to spike and drop. I would start to shake if I had not eaten in a few hours. I thought I was getting diabetes, but bloodtests always revealed normal sugar levels. I understand why I was hungry everytime I had alcohol. Man, give me a beer or 2 and I wanted to go to a buffet!

The vitamins that they "make" you take are a huge bonus. I have always known that I should be taking a multi-vitamin and now that I "have to", I feel better! I know that Vitamin B is good for us (especially as a woman). Calcium is extremely important, because I don't drink milk!

Now we have to talk about my severe indigestion/heartburn. I don't have it anymore! What that means is that I sleep through the night WITHOUT sleeping aids. I have been taking medication to help me sleep for years and now I don't need it!

Ok, now let's look at the money thing. Yes, it is expensive, but let's put it into perspective. I did a spreadsheet to show what I was spending on the following:

3 Tim Horton's coffees per day
Croissont from Tim Hortons's 5 or 6 days per week
Large lunches at least 3 times per week
Eating out for dinner at least once per week
Snacks bought at least 2 nights per week from the corner store

Was I surprised when I discovered that I was spending OVER $500 per month on this stuff! So, the $600 that I am spending at Dr. Bernstein's is NOT a lot of money when looked at IN PERSPECTIVE.

I don't miss the carbs. I really don't. When I have a chicken breast and fill the rest of my plate with nutritious veggies - I am very satisfied. I don't crave more. I don't NEED more.

So, what will I do when I reach my goal weight? I will go on the maintenance plan. I want to know what foods I can reintroduce without having a weight gain. For those foods that DO cause a weight gain, I will no longer eat them...period! This is a LIFESTYLE change, not just a QUICK FIX.

I was so desperate to find a solution, I was looking into lap band surgery. Now, I DARE somebody to tell me that invasive surgery is safer than this diet. I also challenge them to show me that it is less expensive - no way!

No surgery for this girl! I have found my solution...and I am sticking to it!

Anyone out there contemplating this diet, wanting a weight loss buddy, looking for moral support....wanting to talk...please feel free to email me.

aol.gal (at) gmail.com

Shrinkingeri

IssuesGirl · Newbie Joined: 01 Jan 2007 Posts: 1

I have been on the Dr. B diet twice. I agree with almost all of the comments.

Personally, I found him to be a jerk and made a really rude comment about my body...very inconsiderate. Evil or Very Mad

As I said, I've done his diet twice and (wait for it...) I've had liposuction twice in two years and once again I am fat.

I have come to the conclusion, pretty much like Oprah, that I have food issues. I think a lot of people who get fat, and keep getting fat after diets and such, have food issues. I make poor choices about the foods I choose to eat because I am lazy and I use food for other problems. You can't be lazy on these diets that's for sure.

When people say the Dr. B diet is bad, I disagree. I felt my best when I was on his diet. Back in '02 I went to China just after I did the diet and took tuna paks with me in my suitcase along with other acceptable foods and had so much energy that I walked about 2 miles of the Great Wall! I even lost weight while I was away! I did find it funny that they would kick me out of the program and refund my maintenence down payment rather than let me go on my vacation and come back, but they are famous for their strictness.

The diet is just that, a diet. If you gain weight after, it's not the diet's fault, it's the fault of how you view food and your life after the diet.

Once you've been overweight, 95% of people will continue to have weight issues their entire lives because food is an issue.

On a side note, I saw the guy who won the Biggest Loser in the beginning of 2005 and who married the girl who came in second...he's gained back some weight as well. She's pregnant and I think he's putting on sympathy weight. I hope he gets it under control.

candiz · Newbie Joined: 03 Jan 2007 Posts: 1

I went on Dr. Bernstein and lost 70lbs in 4 months. My hair started falling out I was always sick to my stomach due to the lack of food. No body's body is made to be healthy by only eating 800 calories. The amount of $ is insane, and the diet was started for obese patients who needed surgery, not a fad diet. Anyway the bottom line is I had to get off the diet due to starvation and I gained it all back in 3 months, it made me sick to even eat a piece of lettuce again. Yeah I would love to take the easy way out and get back to losing 6lbs a week, but I felt even worse when I couldn't keep it off. I will do it naturally without the nurses freaking out every time I have an extra pickle. Also I ended up in the hospital with pancreaitis at the age of 24 and NOT due to alcohol (I am too young and don't drink) but doctors can only guess due to this diet.

Make the decision right for you, gook luck!

cheshirekat84 · Newbie Joined: 09 Jan 2007 Posts: 3

I've been considering getting onto the Bernstein diet, the only thing that makes me hesitate is the financial aspect of it.

To the person who last quoted how they started experiencing hair loss and feeling sick...no offense, but if you lost seventy-something pounds in three months, that's pretty self explanatory. I'm looking to lost thirty or forty pounds at most, and I weight in at about 160 right now. I know that bringing my body down to 120lbs is considerably different than weighing 210 and finding myself at 140 in three months. That's three bill payments, three months of rent, three pages on the calendar...you should have the common sense to see that that weight took years to put on, and taking it off in three months isn't logical. Smile

No offense, I'm not trying to be rude...I would just think that you should KNOW that losing seventy pounds in three months is obviously going to make you feel like you just got hit by a Mac truck.

Now, I'm unsure as to how their program works in respect to you controlling how much weight you're losing. Do you HAVE to lose at the pace they recommend? Do you have to lose the amount of weight they recommend? If I wanted to lose 100lbs and they thought that wasn't safe, would they not allow me to continue the program? Smile

shrinkingeri · Newbie Joined: 26 Nov 2006 Posts: 2

The clinic will NOT allow you to go below the recommended weight for your height.

The hair loss is something I have read about. It is not so much hair "loss" as hair "breakage". If you feel your hair becoming dry and brittle, it is important to let the clinic doctor and nurse know. I started to experience this and I am now taking an Omega-3 supplement - read up on it, it is VERY good for you. I also changed the amount that I wash my hair and I use a more conditioning product on it.

I would NEVER call the Dr. B diet the "easy" way out. There is nothing EASY about dieting - no matter what you do. The reason so many find it intriguing is because of the fast results and the fact that you very rarely feel hungry! I have been at it for 2 months, 2 days now and have lost 33 pounds. I fit into their statistic of 16-20 pounds per month - even though I indulged at Christmas time. I told the nurses that I did and it was no big deal! They know that life sometimes gets in the way, especially during the holidays. The nurses can be strict..but, that is their job. You are paying big money to get results - they need to help you achieve those results.

Remember, the key to ANY weightloss program is EDUCATION. You cannot go back to your old habits - period! You have to be willling to change for the rest of your life. You got overweight because you have a food addiction? Well, you have to BREAK that food addiction.

There is not a diet out there that can compare as far as medical supervision goes. I see the clinic doctor every 2 weeks (and it is NOT Dr. Bernstein himself). I see a nurse 3x per week. If there are any concerns when I see the nurse, they CALL the doctor. I have had bloodwork done twice. I have my blood pressure and heart rate checked routinely. I saw an Internal Medicine Specialist who analyzed my ECG and Chest X-Ray. He was NOT associated with the clinic yet highly encouraged me to go ahead with the diet. I saw my family doctor - again, he highly encouraged it but told me to MAKE SURE I did the maintenance portion (EDUCATION) after losing my weight.

So, 3 doctors all recommended it. I HAVE to listen to the experts and not a day goes by that I regret my decision.

Now, if you are a HIGHLY MOTIVATED person with a great deal of SELF-CONTROL - you can lose weight on your own. Save your money! However, I don't recommend doing this type of diet without medical supervision. The calories are quite low and you will want to be checked medically during the course of your weight loss.

Oh, and for those critics out there who say you are losing MUSCLE...nope, not me! I have had (and continue to have) fat caliper measurements done. I am losing FAT....UGLY, DISGUSTING fat! This Mom can now play with her kids and enjoy life!

aol.gal (at) gmail.com

Shrinkingeri

CarolP · Guest

Well here I am 66lbs lighter in Three Months.... yup three. And I feel great. No headaches, sick stomach or any of the other things mentioned. I have had a battery of heart tests since starting this diet and the cardiologist says I have a very healthy heart!
I was looking at gastric-by-pass surgery. After having spent 28 days in hospital a couple of years ago for a hysterectomy, the last thing I wanted was another surgery.
I was 140lbs over weight when I found DrB's... I am forever grateful. I am not hungry, I have been in ketosis since day three. I never eat all the food I am allowed in a day. I enjoy meat, fruit, veggies and breads.
I can walk for an hour, before I couldn't go across the yard with out being out of breath.
I AM NO LONGER DIABETIC, MY BLOOD PRESSURE IS NORMAL ( i had been on blood pressue since age 15, now ia don't take it at all)
my hair is NOT falling out. My skin is a bit dry, but it's winter in Ontario.

Come on people... this diet has been around for 30+ years... it is changing and being improived all the time.

Didn't your mother's ever teach you..." If you can't say something nice, Don't say anything at all"

Give those of us who have been given a life through this diet some credit. No one is forcing us to do it. It's an educated choice. And one I am thrilled to have made!!! Smile

dr. bernstein s health and diet clinics toronto

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