LA Weight Loss combats obesity 3 ways

West Bend’s newest weight-loss center opened its doors Wednesday morning.

The new LA Weight Loss center, the 841st worldwide, at 1620 S. Main St., provides an alternative to traditional weight loss techniques that urge clients to purge certain food from their diets.

Deborah Denure, vice president of operations for the Horsham, Pa.-based chain, said the company places an emphasis on maintaining weight loss without drastically altering a person’s diet.

LA Weight Loss programs are centered around a well-balanced diet consisting of protein, fruit, vegetables, starches, dairy and fat. Clients are able to eat at restaurants - including fast food restaurants - and shop at regular grocery stores.

"Little steps lead to big steps," Denure said to local chamber ambassadors. "It’s about moderation and control."

All clients receive one-on-one weight-loss counseling.

According to a National Institute of Health report, more than 60 percent of Americans are overweight. The Centers for Disease Control recently ranked obesity as the second leading cause of preventable death among adults in the United States.

To combat the rising obesity rates, LA Weight Loss employs a three-pronged approach to losing and keeping off weight.

The first phase is developing and executing a weight-loss plan. Phase two regards stabilizing the weight-loss rate. Phase three is maintaining the weight lost and focusing on lifestyle changes.

"Other diets eliminate certain foods, so people gain the weight back when they return to their previous lifestyle," said Amy Rouse, a spokeswoman with LA Weight Loss. "The transition can be easier."

Trainer Trish McGinnis said the center will focus on constant training and dietetics.

"Everyone’s going to have different challenges at different times," McGinnis said. "That’s really why it’s personalized. We don’t dictate. Everyone’s motivated by different things. That’s why the one-on-one counseling is so vital."

LA Weight Loss tailors its weight loss program to individual clients through the one-on-one counseling sessions. Clients typically stop in three times a week to be weighed and to discuss progress. The meetings typically only take 10 minutes, Denure said, and are not scheduled. Clients can come in whenever it’s convenient, she said.

Because of the personalized nature of their services, rate plans vary based on customer needs. Initial consultations are complimentary.

The West Bend location is the seventh LA Weight Loss center to open in the metro-Milwaukee region and the 13th in the state. The West Bend location has five weight-loss counselors on staff, in addition to regional support staff.