Frequently Asked Questions

We have early weekday hours starting at 6 am several days a week at each location, though each location is different. All locations are closed on weekends and major holidays. For most up-to-date office hours, click on the location: Scottsdale, Chandler, Phoenix, and Glendale.

SWLC sees patients both in-office or through telemedicine. But in order to become an official patient, the first appointment must be done in person. Virtual visits are encouraged for especially high-risk patients. Ultimately, we leave it up to the patient to decide what they feel will best support their path to weight loss.

Yes, we can see out-of-state patients, please call our office and we can discuss your specific situation.

All four SWLC locations have doctors or nurse practitioners.

Medical weight loss is a physician/medical provider-directed weight management program based on medical/scientific principles that target the root causes of obesity and weight gain to achieve and sustain a healthy weight in the long term.

The programs at SWLC are designed by medical weight loss specialists and are customized according to an individual's needs and goals. Programs are based on losing weight safely and maintaining that loss beyond the program's completion.

SWLC does offer medication to assist with your weight loss, however, all medication prescribed is designed to complement and enhance your weight loss. Medication alone is not the key to successful and long-term results

The SWLC programs are designed to give our patients all of the tools they need to achieve their ultimate weight loss goals and learn to be lifetime weight managers. We have a great track record of success. Check out some of our testimonials.

SWLC offers a wide range of classes taught by behavioral psychologists, dieticians, and certified trainers. We address boosting your self-control with mindful eating, cooking for success, and building your self-esteem and body confidence. Classes are scheduled on Thursdays at 5:30 pm (PST). Classes are also filmed and available online (SWLC patients receive a link to watch all 20 classes at their leisure).

Classes are not mandatory, however, are included in the cost of the program. Your short and long-term weight loss will be greatly enhanced by your attendance in the classes. Studies have shown that 54% more attendees were able to keep their weight off when attending classes.

This is one of the huge advantages of a medically supervised weight loss program. At SWLC we treat patients with various pre-existing conditions. We work closely with your doctor to ensure that we design the best plan to address all health concerns. We will also adjust your medications as you lose weight. Don't be surprised if you no longer need some medications.

The minimum age at our four SWLC locations vary. Scottsdale treats children as young as 7-years old (Dr. Primack and Dr. Ziltzer are pediatricians). Glendale and Chandler treat children 12-years old and up. Phoenix treats children over 16 years of age.

At SWLC we welcome anyone who would like help to lose weight and maintain that weight loss.

The rate of weight loss is contingent on a number of factors such as age, any pre-existing conditions, lifestyle, and weight loss goals. The average weight loss is 7-14 pounds within the first two weeks and 10-12 per subsequent month.

At SWLC, we customize a patient's weight loss plan based on a number of factors such as age, any pre-existing conditions, lifestyle, and weight loss goals.

In our 20-week program, patients do a weekly weigh-in and see a doctor every other week.

If you lose weight faster than anticipated and meet your goal, you may transition into a customized maintenance plan with your healthcare provider. Keeping the weight off is as important as losing it.

Your weight loss doctor will ask about your medical history, health issues, and current medications. They will use all of this information to evaluate any medical conditions that may impact your care.

At SWLC, we find that weighing-in weekly provides much-needed accountability. We encourage our patients to not weigh themselves at home every day because body weight tends to fluctuate dramatically day-to-day.

Our SWLC medical team will work with your primary care physician to get your full medical history and currently prescribed medications. They will also communicate continually with your primary care physician throughout the program.

Patients can choose to have their meal replacements and prescription medications conveniently delivered by mail to their home, doctor's office, or even temporary address if traveling. Keep in mind that your first appointment with the doctor must be in-person.

We have a comprehensive, physician-supervised program personalized for our patient's needs, health issues, medications, goals, and lifestyles. We are not a "one size fits all" weight loss center. Everything we do is scientifically proven, FDA-approved, and safe. Once you've achieved your goal, we also have a comprehensive program to help you keep it off.

Our weight loss programs are customizable to a patient’s individual needs and cost will vary depending on the variations discussed with your healthcare provider. Please call us for a quote or learn more about our programs.

SWLC accepts cash, all major credit cards, FSA (Flexible Spending Accounts), and HSA (Health Savings Accounts)

The SWLC program has an initial fee that is paid upfront; the balance is set up on a weekly auto-payment plan.

There are no contracts. You may pause or cancel at any time.

Since there is no contract, you can pause or cancel at any time. We simply require a written or verbal form of cancellation. The change will be effective immediately.

Medical weight loss is typically not covered in the state of Arizona. We hope this changes sometime in the future.

Patients can, and many do, use their Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) or Health Savings Accounts (HSA) to pay for their weight loss services. Unfortunately, most insurance companies do not cover weight loss services. Sorry, we regret to inform you that we do not bill insurance through our offices.

All SWLC medical doctors are board-certified. They know the latest advancements in obesity medicine and deliver high-quality care to their patients.

A weight loss doctor treats and manages overweight and patients with obesity with a combination of nutrition, exercise, behavioral therapy, and medications.

Bariatric physicians are doctors who specialize in treating obesity, overweight patients, and related disorders; they focus on helping patients lose weight without surgical intervention, and provide the tools and support to keep the weight off.

SWLC does not perform bariatric surgeries.

It's important to stay with the SWLC clinician who sets up your program throughout your plan. However, if you change locations or would prefer to switch to another healthcare provider (for the duration of your program) you are permitted to do so.

The biggest difference between the two is the amount of time spent training in developing comprehensive and successful weight loss programs. Nurse practitioners receive less training than a doctor. They also are licensed differently. Both, however, specialize in obesity medicine and will provide you with exceptional customized care.

Yes, it is called the Active Maintenance Program (AMP), which you can enroll in after you complete your 20-week program, or earlier if you reach your goal weight sooner. This program incorporates metabolic testing, ongoing education, and continued physician-supervised care. Just as weight loss requires a plan, so does maintain your new weight. We will provide a specific plan to keep your weight steady and to deal with the normal fluctuations in your weight. Your long-term care is of great importance to us and we feel that once you are a patient, you are always a patient.

SWLC has a continued weekly program for those who have not met their goal in the 20-week program. We also have a monthly maintenance program as well as an a-la-carte plan for those who just need to check in every once in a while.

Bariatric physicians are doctors who specialize in treating obesity, overweight patients, and related disorders; they focus on helping patients lose weight without surgical intervention, and provide the tools and support to keep the weight off.

You can be on the SWLC weight loss maintenance plan for as long as you feel that you need accountability. For some, it may be a month or two. For others, it may be years. It all depends on what will make your weight loss long-term success.

If you learn and apply all of the education and tools SWLC provides for you to become a successful weight manager, you can absolutely maintain without our help. We are happy if you don’t need us, though we are here if you do.

Scottsdale Weight Loss Center currently offers a variety of weight loss medications including Phentermine, Qsymia, Contrave, and Semaglutide. They are all designed to address different aspects of hunger. To learn more about our prescription medications, click here.

SWLC does not do any injections. Injections such as B12 have not been shown to be effective for weight loss.

SWLC medical specialists will determine if and what medication is necessary once they've assessed a number of factors such as age, any pre-existing conditions, lifestyle, and weight loss goals. Medication is never mandatory. Yet if you have struggled to lose or maintain your weight loss, it is often recommended.

Your SWLC clinician would discuss getting you on a more aggressive plan to kickstart your weight loss again. Plateaus are normal, however, your healthcare provider will not want you to go too long without seeing results.

If medication is prescribed, the length of time used will be determined by ongoing conversations with your doctor or nurse practitioner. A rule of thumb is, if the medicine is working, you should continue using it.

Meal replacements are foods, usually in the form of shakes, soups, or bars, that are designed to contain a high amount of nutrition and a low amount of calories. SWLC medical meal replacements have all the essential macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals. They can only be purchased from SWLC and need to be closely monitored by a healthcare provider.

At SWLC, we sell OPTIFAST from Nestle Health Sciences. Optifast has been around since 1974. We believe it to be the best of the full medical meal replacements on the market as far as taste and helping you achieve your weight loss goals.

High-quality meal replacements, like those used as SWLC, can only be purchased under the care of a medical professional. They are not the same as the protein shakes or bars that you can get at the grocery store.

At SWLC, patients can choose to have a Full or Partial meal replacement plan. The Full Plan includes 5 meals per day. The Partial plan includes 4 or fewer per day. You can do any plan for as little or as long a time as you like.

Meal replacement plans have been shown in many studies to help people lose weight faster and better and for longer than food-based diet plans. But some patients at SWLC choose a FULL Food Plan instead of meal replacements.

Once you've completed your meal replacement plan, your SWLC provider will transition you back to whole foods, if desired.

Meal replacements do not work by themselves but are a successful tool both in weight loss and in weight maintenance. That’s why we require you to do our Jump Start Program to ensure the best and safest results. We have found, by extensive research, that our comprehensive program will lead to the best and longest weight loss success.

Optifast meal replacements are medical-grade and can only be purchased via prescription. They contain complete nutrition, meaning they have the optimal amounts of macronutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrate) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes). Therefore, you can safely eat them instead of whole foods.OTC meal replacements, on the other hand, do not contain full nutrition as they lack several key nutrients. If you were to use these as a sole source of food, you may develop electrolyte abnormalities and other severe deficiencies.