After successfully treating thyroid cancer, Kelly Huffman, a patient resource manager at Nebraska Medicine, found herself with two concerns: extra weight and high blood pressure.
“My doctor wanted to put me on medication for blood pressure,” Huffman remembers. “I already take a thyroid medication. I didn’t want to be on another.” She asked her doctor for time to lose weight. “He gave me two months to show progress,” she says.
Huffman had learned about the New Directions program after learning about the success of a colleague on the New Direction meal replacement program. “I had no idea we offered such an incredible program,” says Huffman. She registered in July 2018 and knew right away she made a good choice.
“The staff is amazing,” she says. “They are so supportive.”
Two New Direction Program Plans
In the New Direction program, there are two plan options: a low calorie diet (LCD) and a very low calorie diet (VLCD). Huffman is on the LCD plan and has lost 21 pounds to date, with a goal of losing 10 more. One of the things Huffman enjoys the most are the weekly meetings. “Every week, we talk about something different,” she says. “We talk about managing stress, how to read labels, how to begin exercising. Then we share as a group, which is my favorite part. We share the highlights and the struggles of the past week. It’s a very supportive environment.” Huffman returned to her doctor in November 2018 and he’s pleased with her weight loss and her blood pressure.
Program Features
Participants will also have the help of a full-time registered dietician to assist with meal planning. Interested patients should plan to attend an information session that provides an overview and pricing of the program. Among the other features of the program, participants can take advantage of the metabolic calculator and the InBody scale. “The metabolic calculator will calculate your metabolic rate,” says Lauren White, former physician assistant, Bariatric Center. “That will tell us how many calories a person needs for weight loss or to maintain a certain weight.” The InBody scale helps determine the weight of different parts of a person’s body and how you can achieve lean mass.
“Our staff is very skilled in what we do,” says White. “We are compassionate, inclusive and welcoming. You’re not in this alone. It can be scary, but we are here to help you in your weight-loss journey.”