Cape Girardeau, Missouri - HMR Weight Management Services (HMR) is one of U.S. News & World Report’s best fast weight loss diets of 2018, based on the rankings released in early January. The Healthy Weigh, Saint Francis Medical Center’s medically supervised weight-loss program, incorporates diet solutions from HMR.

HMR was ranked the number one Best Fast Weight-Loss Diet in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Diets of 2018 rankings. This is the third year the magazine has published the Best Fast Weight-Loss Diet category. HMR Programs focus on helping people lose weight quickly while teaching the healthy lifestyle skills needed for long-term weight management.

Saint Francis has offered the HMR Program for six years to community members in Southeast Missouri and beyond who are interested in losing weight fast and keeping it off. So far, participants have lost more than 18,000 pounds and counting!

“Successful weight loss is not only about losing pounds quickly, it’s about creating changes around eating and physical activity that you can sustain over the long term,” said Carol Addy, M.D. MMSc, Chief Medical Officer at HMR. “By keeping the plan simple, people can lose weight quickly while building the skills they need for long-term weight management.”

In a clinical study, 1,100 participants with a BMI of 40 or higher who completed at least 12 weeks of the HMR program lost an average of 66 lbs. after 26 weeks (using either the HMR Decision-Free® or Healthy Solutions® program). Participants using the Healthy Solutions® at Home program had a median weight loss of 23 lbs. over the first 12 weeks of the program. Clinically meaningful weight loss is typically defined as losing 5 percent or more of initial body weight. Healthy Solutions at Home participants using phone support maintained an average weight loss of 7.4 percent of initial body weight 18 months after starting the program.

It is well reported that weight loss is associated with favorable changes in medical risk factors.  Below are health risk reductions and medication changes for 721 HMR patients who participated in a clinic-based program (mean duration of participation 107.6 weeks):

Fasting Glucose (mg/dL): -9.4 percent

Total Cholesterol / HDL ratio: -10.3 percent

Diastolic / Systolic Blood Pressure: -7 mmHg / -4 mmHg

Triglycerides (mg/dL): -26.7 percent

Of 126 patients taking oral diabetes medications at baseline, 40.5 percent (n=51) had discontinued these medications at follow-up.

Of 45 patients taking insulin at baseline, 35.5 percent (n=16) had discontinued their insulin at follow -up.

Of 337 patients taking blood pressure medications at baseline, 36.2 percent (n=122) had discontinued these medications at follow-up.

During the ranking process, reporters and editors from U.S. News & World Report created in-depth profiles of 38 diets. A panel of nationally recognized experts on diet, nutrition, obesity, food psychology, diabetes and heart disease rated the diets on their effectiveness.

For more information on HMR’s inclusion in the Best Diets ranking, please visit www.health.usnews.com/best-diet. To learn more about The Healthy Weigh at Saint Francis, call 573-331-5686, or visit www.sfmc.net. 

HMR Weight Management Services (HMR) is a subsidiary of Merck specializing in weight loss and weight management. HMR programs, available in person or at home, offer lifestyle education, a structured diet and an emphasis on long-term weight and health management. Founded in 1983 by Lawrence T.P. Stifler, Ph.D. and headquartered in Boston, Mass., HMR’s medically-based programs are available to clinics, hospitals, major medical centers, and integrated delivery networks throughout the United States.  For more information, visit www.hmrprogram.com.

Saint Francis Medical Center is a 308-bed facility serving more than 713,000 people throughout Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas. Guided by its mission to provide a ministry of healing and wellness inspired by its Christian philosophy and values, the Medical Center has become a progressive, innovative regional tertiary care referral center. Saint Francis’ major service lines, which have received national recognition, include the Neurosciences Institute; Orthopedic Institute; Family BirthPlace, featuring the region’s first Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; Heart Hospital; Emergency and Level III Trauma Center; Cancer Institute; and Fitness Plus. 

Pictured: Donna Ozark of Perryville, Mo., has lost 118 pounds since starting the HMR program with The Healthy Weigh at Saint Francis Medical Center in December 2016. She lost it all through diet and exercise alone, no surgery! 

“I’ve been overweight my entire adult life and I have tried many programs with limited results,” says Ozark. “This is the one that works!”

Her weight loss journey is proof that the HMR program works. The U.S. News and World Report named HRM Weight Management as the #1 best fast weight-loss diet.