How to Integrate Weight Loss in a Medical Practice

I just want to take a few moments to tell you about Take Shape for Life.

Have you heard of it? I was amazed when at a Bariatric training conference this weekend, no one had heard of it. Yet at this same conference there were bundles of physicians who wanted to integrate weight loss into their practices. Most had no clue how to do it!

Here are the top 5 reasons why Take Shape for Life is great to integrate in your practice



1. It is a program for life. With behavioral components, it can really sustain weight loss and healthy living.

2. You do not have to carry inventory, yet still make profit from your meal replacement.

3. Patients succeed with the 5 and 1 program. Patients will always refer others if your plan works!

4. By utilizing the program training from this company, you can easily train your staff to become coaches!

5. Unlike franchises such as Centers for Medical Weight loss, you don't need to pay 15,000 USD to start!

I wish I had found Take Shape for Life first

If you are doctor looking to integrate weight loss into your practice, email me steven.murphy-at-greenwichdocs.com and check out the website

If you are a patient and want to lose weight, check out my site.

Best of health!

Medical Weight Loss is Tax Deductible!

Did you know that this year if you enroll in a medical weight loss program you can have those expenses tax free.


Caveat: I am not an accountant or CPA. Every case is different and you should consult your accountant PRIOR to filing taxes! But


Yes, what I said is correct. You can get a tax deduction for a medical weight loss program. Don't believe me? Here is what the IRS has to say about it! 


What is covered?
1. Electronic body scans. If your insurance doesn't cover body composition testing and you paid, then it is tax deductible
2. BP Monitors. If your weight loss program has asked you to buy and monitor your BP. This too is tax deductible. As is a Heart Rate monitor!
3. Lab testing. If you had lab testing not covered by insurance, it too is tax deductible!
4. Off Site Medical Retreats. If your weight loss program has an offsite or resort where they take you, you can deduct food and lodging if you received medical care there!
5. If your archaic insurance company doesn't cover weight loss and you had to pay out of pocket for the program, you can claim a tax deduction!
6. For my patients who pay for VO2Max testing and RMR testing. That is also tax deductible!


What is not covered?


The IRS Publication 502 lays out specifically what is NOT covered. You should review that closely.


Again, this is only a rule of thumb. You need to double check with your accountant. But as I read it, medical weight loss is tax deductible!


Keep Burning Fat First!
-Dr. Murphy

Phentermine. What is it? Does it work?

I am often asked by patients and peers about a medication called Phentermine. Many people assume that this is the "Bad Fen" in FenPhen.

Well, it is not. It actually is the "Good Phen". So that's the first thing I tell them. The second thing I tell them, "It works"

Phentermine is the first line "anorectic (appetite suppressant)" for obesity treatment. It has a long half life of 18-24 hours, which means it stick around in your body and that you only need to take once or twice a day.

The starting dose of the medication is often a half tablet of 37.5mg of phentermine.

Phentermine has a few very good effects

1. The immediate effect of reducing hunger by acting in the brain at the periventricular nucleus

2. The second is an effect longer term on eating restraint. Which lasts during treatment.

3. The third and more long term effect of controlling carbohydrate cravings. Some but not all feel this.

Who can't take phentermine?
1. People who are pregnant.
2. People who are nursing an infant.
3. People with a rare allergy to phentermine.

You should always take the medication under the supervision of a physician. In other words, online ordering of Adipex-P should be avoided unless instructed by a physician!

This is because, like all medications, there are adverse effects. These include:
1. Palpitations, skipped heart beats
2. Insomnia, rare but does happen <3%
3. Irritability, can happen as well
4. Rare cases of dry mouth 1 in 1000
5. others not listed but very rare like Bladder spasm, migraine HA

So the take away is this.
See your doctor if you are having difficulty losing weight. The "Good" Phen may be what the doctor orders!

Arsenic in Infant Formula and Energy Bars!

Have you ever heard of brown rice syrup? I have. It is an ingredient food manufacturers use instead of high fructose corn syrup.

People have actually been flocking to this, especially as we learn more about the problems of high fructose corn syrup and obesity. The big problem is that the FDA is overwhelmed with all sorts of new derivative of food products and has not had the time to fully review this brown rice syrup.

An independent reviewer did review the levels of arsenic in organic baby food and found unacceptable levels. Up to six times what is considered safe in drinking water. Further, babies are small and get hit with more.

At thestir.cafemom.com  Adriana Vega asks "Which Ones?" Good question, the researchers did not release this info.

What matters to me is that certain diet fads like the "Alkaline diet" may move dieters towards Brown Rice Syrup as a sweetener. Further, Vegans and Celiac patients of mine use this sweetener.

I am now steering all of them clear of this substance as we can't be sure how much is enough to avoid the arsenic toxicity.

The Take Away: Steer clear of Brown Rice Syrup! You don't want to risk arsenic toxicity.

Automatic shut off gas pumps and childhood obesity!

I just cannot get over how many people do not understand what they need to eat daily. We teach in school this broad based sweeping generalization of what a good diet needs to be and how many kcals a person needs in a day. Most of this information is dead wrong.

So, in a susceptible patient, why would we expect anything OTHER THAN obesity?

I explain it this way. Ask a kid today what happens when they pump gas.
"I just press the pump and when it's full, it shuts off"

Ask a 70 year old man what happened 40 years ago when the pumped gas
" It got on your shoes if you overfilled the tank"

We have no shoes! Further, we have no spray warning.

How can we expect today's youth to understand and learn how to stay lean and fit? We cannot. This is especially true for an increasingly sedentary population that needs less calories than their predecessors

So here's my pitch. Put metabolic testing equipment in gym class. Make it a fusion class of health and gym.

Give every student their very own tank. Teach them how many kcals they need. Maybe by just telling them what's in the tank, they will make better choices with food.

Whaddya First Lady Michelle Obama? Sound like a plan

SuperBowl Plan to minimize the overeating damage.

3 hours before kickoff. Headed to the party in 30 minutes. What can you do to plan now?

The answer is simple to keep the weight off.

1. Don't drink your calories-Pick Light Beer if you are drinking (for those over 21 yrs old), No Soda!!!!
2. Stay away from high carb foods like pretzels and chips.
3. You won't have time to plan for calorie counts, but you can download a calorie app in seconds now to track
4. Avoid Sugar at all costs.....stay away from sweets and cookies or cakes.

If you do these four things, you will fare ok. And if you go over your calorie count, remember, you can use activity and exercise as a currency to buy back all those calories you consumed.

What is the best way to lose weight? Have a plan, get support and Burn Fat First!!!

You can do it. And if you are in Fairfield County CT or Westchester County NY you can do it with us at Murphy Medical Weight Loss Programs! Give us a call at 203-869-0451.

Overweight Doctors Can't Do Weight Management?

Is it true? Well, it is all over the news! Physicians with a normal BMI are more likely to bring up weight loss and management to patients. At least according to a recent study in the Journal Obesity.

Well, I would pick an overweight Obesity Specialist over a normal weight Internist any day. Why? Most primary care doctors know absolutely nothing about weight loss. They know so little it is scary. In fact one medical weight loss franchise owner says "I learned more about malaria than obesity in medical school. I have yet to see one case of malaria."

He's right. That being said the study said normal weight physicians felt more confidence in their ability to counsel on diet and exercise. What I didn't find is whether the advice given was correct or not.

Put simply, when I lost weight using my specialized program I did gain confidence. By receiving education in bariatric medicine, I gained much more. More importantly I learned what works and what doesn't.

So is your physician overweight or obese? How are the managing your weight loss? Are you satisfied with your results?

Again, the true way to lose weight is to burn fat first. Plain and simple. Once you burn the fat, the weight is easy to take off!