Recent national headlines had an all-too-familiar message for those of us in the Deep South: “Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee top list of fattest states in America” blared the June 30 headline in the New York Daily News.
UAB’s EatRight Weight Management Services wants to help Alabamians remove themselves from their role as a national punch line by helping them lose weight through evidence-based therapies that provide a personalized approach.
EatRight’s plan includes opening offices in major cities in the state. The first such expansion was the recent opening of the Hoover location at 5330 Stadium Trace Parkway, Suite 350, in the Awtrey Building near Regions Park.
“Our primary goal is to be recognized as the most credible name for adult weight management in the state,” says Jamy Ard, M.D., associate professor of nutrition sciences and medical director of EatRight. “We feel with the staff, expertise and resources of a leading nutrition department that we have — and with our approach — it’s vital for us to be located in places were people can access the programs to achieve that goal.
EatRight combines diet, lifestyle behavior changes and physical activity as the basis for permanent weight control. Created at UAB more than 30 years ago, EatRight uses a comprehensive approach to tailor individual weight-loss strategies delivered by physicians, fitness trainers, psychologists and registered dietitians trained in weight-management for adults.
“We have a growing base in Birmingham, especially within the vicinity of UAB and among UAB employees, but we realize that our downtown location may not be ideal for everyone. We need to be in as many locations as we can be to extend our reach,” Ard says. “We had a wonderful opportunity that arose in Hoover, and it’s an ideal location.”
EatRight Hoover is located near I-459 at the Hwy 150 intersection at Exit 10. It’s easily accessible for those living in or near Tuscaloosa and Shelby County, Ard says.
EatRight stresses low-calorie, high-volume foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and the medically monitored weight-loss program also may include meal replacements using OPTIFAST products.
Ard says EatRight recently started a licensed program at Cullman Regional Medical Center.
“Part of our strategy is to partner with other hospitals like Cullman and other outlying cities to systematically expand to different communities that will enable people to access our programs easily,” Ard says. “We have set goals to expand to Montgomery, Huntsville, Dothan and Mobile — some of our major population centers in Alabama. They are our targets.”
For more information on the UAB EatRight Weight Management Services, go to www.eatright.uab.edu or call 934-7053.
