I started coming to see Dr. Chhabra in July. I weighed close to 185 lbs. and was very uncomfortable with myself. I started losing weight almost immediately. I eat regular food and just follow Dr. Chhabra’s meal plan and advice. 3 months later, I have lost 25 lbs. I feel great and I know I look great too!!

I was referred to Dr. Chhabra’s office by my lung doctor as I was recently diagnosed with Sleep Apnea. My lung doctor told me that if I lost some weight, I could get “rid” of the sleep apnea and I may not need to use my CPAP machine at night. I had tried numerous options on my own but none really worked.

I began the Optifast diet in February and I started seeing results almost immediately. I lost 3-5 pounds almost every week!! After 3 weeks, My wife Gloria also joined the program. That helped a lot because now we were both doing it together. Both of us have lost over 60 pounds(total) and we are still losing!!

And the best news of all…my lung doctor will be repeating my sleep test in two weeks to see if I still need to use CPAP!!

I have been combining the Optifast shakes and bars with a standard food diet. I have learned to like foods that I would have not normally eaten-hummus with raw vegetables, salads and fish. Once you get past your old ways of eating and when you are exercising and changing your attitudes about your old ways, the weight will come off.

Meeting with Dr. Chhabra weekly really does help me stay on the plan. I am not in a room with lots of people. Rather, every week she checks my blood pressure, blood tests are done periodically and my BMI is calculated. This wonderful doctor is my most positive supporter! She addresses medical problems as soon as she sees them. She gives me ideas for healthy snacks and provides me with magazine and newspaper articles. She also has a nutritionist come in for a workshop, especially during the difficult holidays. I think her personal approach to each patient is what makes this system work!!

A while back I had a terrible case of Plantar Fasciitis that ended up requiring surgery making every step I took extremely painful. I gained a great deal of weight – the heaviest I have ever been. Then earlier this year I was diagnosed with an Auto Immune Disease and decided that to live the longest, healthiest life possible I needed to lose weight. Losing weight has been a struggle and has many ups and downs but Dr. Chhabra has been there to help, push and cheer me on through the struggle. I have added more exercise to my life and been able to do things physically with my body that I could not have done at the beginning of this year. I am a happier healthier me.

Hello, my name is Jane. This year, January 5th was truly the beginning of a “Happy New Year”. It is now October 5th, and I am sitting in Dr. Chhabra’s office but without my cane and without clothing purchased in a big and tall men’s shop! You can relax though-I am wearing some clothes-the ones I stored in my Guest room closet several years ago.

It is wonderful to look forward to going for a walk every evening (without the cane) and my afternoon exercises are also getting easier every day.

Thank you Dr. Chhabra for the encouragement and guidance that you gave to me and continue to give me, every visit!!!

Dr. Chhabra’s statement:
When Jane first came to our office in January, she was walking with a cane and got winded just walking from the parking lot to our office. She also suffers from Diabetes, Insulin requiring and was injecting over 100 units of insulin every day. She was also on 12 other prescription medications.

10 months later, Jane has lost over 90 lbs!!! She has more energy than she has ever had before! She walks every day and does weight training with a DVD every afternoon! She has discontinued 5 of her prescriptions and uses less than half of her original dose of insulin!!

Art and Susan have struggled with their weight their whole adult life. Art was prediabetic and had high blood pressure and was referred to us by his primary physician to lose weight.  Susan had already lost more than 50 lbs with another physician before she started seeing Dr. Chhabra in Feb 2010. Collectively they have lost more than 100 lbs. They are now much more physically active and can keep up with their children’s soccer games. Art now has a normal blood pressure and a normal blood sugar.

When I first came to the Institute for Weight Management (IWM) I was 389 lbs., Dr. Chhabra, it’s founder and presiding Doctor, once told me that people generally loose weight when they know they are ready to do so.

In my case that absolutely applies.

Before joining this program in October of 2007, I had tried various other diets, including this very same Opti fast program with another provider. My ex wife registered me with the other program in 2000, the year we got married. At first I did have some success, loosing some 40 + lbs. But then, as seems to be the usual story, I gained it all back. I was there for 4 years before the program dis banded, but did not have any success at all. In fact I am glad it stopped, I was just not going any where with it. But a few years later, a former member from that group recommended the IWM to me and said it was much better organized and run than the previous program. Where as weight loss was an after thought for the previous program, done after hours,

it’s main focus being the Dr’s medical practice, it is the main and sole focus of IWM. 

When I first came here I could barely walk 10 feet without feeling heart palpitations. The very simple daily tasks of life were an ordeal and chore for me. As an example, I dreaded flying on an airplane, for fear of infringing on someone’s space. So much so that I became an expert in trying to get a seat with an empty one next to me. I dreaded the word “full” flight. To say I was ready was an understatement. But to be ready is not enough. You need to have a plan, support and motivation. I got all this from IWM. It was a place to come once a week and be accountable for your actions. Prior to coming here I was some what knowledgeable about what constituted a good formula for weight loss, diet coupled with exercise and healthy living. But I had no proper plan of execution and I let my everyday hectic life get in the way of doing the right thing. I was slowly killing myself. Finally I had enough. I joined this program, albeit not following it as prescribed. Yes I modified my diet and eventually settled in on my own system, some times much to the chagrin of the doc. But I believe each person knows their body best and will eventually develop their own plan. I like to call mine modified optifast.

I have now, some 2.5 years later, lost 170 lbs and continuing like a run away Train to my final goal weight. And I will achieve it this year. But without the support, encouragement and genuine caring from Dr. Chhabra and her staff I would not have come this far. I am a completely different person. Weight loss is not a sprint.

It is a marathon. It is not a fad diet and huge loss of pounds in a short while. It is about loosing the weight in a healthy manner and changing one’s life style. If you are looking to loose it all in a day or 2 or a month forget it, you have already lost before you have started. You need to stay focused at all times and take baby steps. Set small goals and then once achieved keep going. For me it is 10 lbs. Loose 10 lbs and move to the next. And believe me before you know it adds up. You will feel better about yourself as the weight starts coming off. I have my own old saying, ” if you are in a hurry to get somewhere you will not get there fast enough. If you are not in a hurry you will get there quick enough:” This may sound like a cliche, but listen, if I can do this anyone can. Today I could not care less if a flight is full and would not even mind taking the middle seat, if that was the only choice. Best of all, I do not have to ask for a seat belt extension. I exercise intensively and extensively and enjoy it. It is part of my life now. I do 40 minutes of stair climbing almost daily. No not on one of those sissy machines, but on actual steps. The best cardio work out anywhere. It kind of reminds me of Rocky 3, where he moves from a fancy Gym in Philly to a real boxer’s gym in South LA.

There is no easy road here. If somebody is telling that to you they are lying. There will also be bumps in the road. I have experienced many of them. But as you get into the process and start losing you will find it easier and easier to deal with those situations as they arise. Basically, you just get right back onto the horse and get going again. I use to have a bad day and then let it affect my whole week. I would simply say ok we ruined the day so let it go and we will get on it next week. Bad move. How many days would you then sacrifice if you thought this way. Now, if I have a bad day, and now they are few and far between, I simply get right back at it the next day. This is the attitude that needs to be developed. This is all part of a change in behavior. Who does not like to indulge from time to time. We all do. We are bombarded with food everywhere. I am not saying give up all the things you like. I am simply saying enjoy them, but in moderation. Have self control. I love chocolate, It is a huge weakness. of mine. But I can now satisfy my need by simply having a small piece every other day. Many convenience stores now sell small tiny bars, which one can enjoy without feeling guilty. All you have to do is ask yourself are you better of the way you are or do you really want to feel and look better. Once you start and you see the results the momentum will carry you. To achieve success you need to have definitive goals and a burning desire to achieve them.

I can only tell you that it can be done. I am doing it. Stay focused and you will get to your goal. Treat each day unto itself. Never look beyond today. Win each day and the days will pile up. And when getting up to exercise just do it, don’t dwell on it. And the sooner you get started the sooner you will get to where you  want to be. And remember, once you are ready and once you start you cannot and must not quit.

I encourage who ever reads this to join IWM and change your life.

I began coming two years ago and was skeptical at first that I could live eating so few calories.  Now, after two years of following the programs and advice of Dr. Chhabra, I have lost 90 pounds and totally changed my life around. 

I exercise 45-75 mins per day and eat a healthy balanced diet.  Many of my prior health problems have diminished and I feel incredibly better.  I thank everyone for their support.

My name is Luisanna . I started the program of table food with 283 pounds.  This program with the guidance of Dr. Anjana Chhabra has taught me how to control the amount of calories I consume, namely balancing the proportion of carbohydrates and proteins I eat each day and different foods to help accelerate my weight loss.

Now my weight is 233 pounds which I am happy with this program and  with the help of the doctor, this program has helped me clarify my skin, I feel more active, more happy with myself and more importantly, I have learned to eat healthy, to enjoy food without fear of getting fat again.