Image Inhancement Center

Weight Management Program

Our Weight Management Program, formerly Fresh Start Health & Fitness Program, was originally developed in September 1996 as a comprehensive, medically supervised program to assist patients in their weight management efforts.

Dr. Stacy S. Weeks, an internal medicine specialist, at that time, had a busy private practice that consisted mainly of women. It did not take her long to notice a trend of gradual weight gain in a large percentage of mid to late life women and men. Patients would come in for their annual physical complaining about continued gradual weight gain. They would be counseled on dietary changes and encouraged to increase their physical activity level. However, even those patients who diligently tried to make these changes, would come back the following year only to have put on another few pounds. Needless to say, this was very frustrating to the patients and to Dr. Weeks as well. Many of the patients would join a weight loss program and lose some weight only to gain it back, and often more, when they stopped the program. At about this same time, there were several very popular appetite suppressants available, including Redux, and the popular Fen Phen combination.

Dr. Weeks gradually became more comfortable with the medications and decided to develop a program combining lifestyle modification with appetite suppressant use. The intention was to use the medication to help patients while they were learning the necessary lifestyle changes to not only lose weight, but also to keep that weight off. Initially the program was part of a study conducted by the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts regarding the use of appetite suppressant medications. It was not long before the program grew to the point that Dr. Weeks could no longer manage her full-time practice and the weight management program. In July 1997, Dr. Weeks closed her private practice and moved her office to the Jane C. Stormont Women’s Health Center where she become the Clinical Director. She specialized in women’s health and preventive medicine and continued the weight management program. In September 1997, many of you may be aware that one of the medications in the FenPhen combination, fenfluramine, and another appetite suppressant, Redux, were voluntarily removed from the market due to reports of possible damage to heart valves. Dr. Weeks continued to run the weight management program although participation dwindled for some time. Eventually, a couple new weight management medications became available and the other half of FenPhen, phentermine, was still being used. The study through the Board of Healing Arts was terminated but the Board encouraged physicians prescribing appetite suppressant medication to continue to follow the original protocol. In December 2002, Dr. Weeks’ office moved to the Cotton-O’Neil Diabetes and Endocrinology Center building located on the northwest corner of Frazier and Sixth Avenue. This move was partially due to expansion of the Women’s Center and the fact that Dr. Weeks was undergoing training to broaden her practice to encompass other areas of Aesthetic medicine.

Dr. Weeks is a member of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP). Bariatric physicians specialize in weight management. In January 2001, she became board certified in Bariatrics and is now a diplomate of the American Board of Bariatric Physicians. Dr. Weeks attends the Annual Obesity Symposium offered by the ASBP to stay on the cutting edge of obesity treatment and management.

For more information on the services and treatments provided by Dr. Weeks, call the Image Enhancement Center at (785) 354-9591.

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