Lose Weight. Save Money!

If you ask people about their reasons for wanting to lose weight, they usually mention improving their health or quality of their life. They would like to have more energy, feel better, keep up with their family – simply be able to do more. After weight loss however, people often discover another wonderful side effect – reducing or even eliminating medications.

Many people who have been taking medications for long-term conditions like high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes, never imagine that weight loss could reduce their medications or even help them to become medication-free.

As Director of Research for HMR, I’ve heard so many moving stories from people in our program who have experienced this, and it is something we consistently see in our research.

Our latest study on this is really, very impressive. It looked at two different groups of patients who, upon entering the HMR Program, were taking medications for high lipids (such as cholesterol or triglycerides), high blood pressure, diabetes, degenerative joint disease and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The study examined the changes in the medications (total number of medications, dosages and cost) after weight loss for two groups of patients.

In one group that lost an average of 41.4 lbs:

• The average number of medications used per day decreased by 43%.
• For those still taking medication, dosage amounts decreased by 46%. 
• The average monthly cost of medications decreased by 38%. This group saved, on average, $952 in medications the first year and $1152 in subsequent years as they maintained the weight loss.

In a second group that lost an average of 130.1 lbs.:

• The number of medications decreased by 72%.
• For those still taking medication, dosage amounts decreased by 79%.
• The average monthly cost of medications decreased by 72%. This group saved, on average, $1,883 the first year and $2,064 in subsequent years on medication costs.

Both groups saved on food
This study estimated that HMR patients saved an average of about $29 per week on their total food budget when comparing previous food purchases to the cost of the HMR meals and snacks.

Now, we can add the potential for saving money on medication and food costs to the long list of other health benefits of the HMR program. The side effects of the HMR program and a healthy lifestyle really are all positive!
 

by LindaGotthelf on 06/07/2011 | Share Story With a Friend

tags: money, medication