Tuesday, January 10, 2006
What and why
Welcome to Bill's 20/20 Lifestyle Program blog. This blog is where I'll follow my progress as I go through the 20/20 Lifestyles program at the Pro Club in Bellevue, WA. The 20/20 Lifestyles program is a medically-supervised weight loss program.
What
20/20 is a very intensive plan that consists of 10, 15, or 20 weeks of exercise, diet, and lifestyle modification. After the main program is complete, program participants move to a maintenance phase of the program that is a slightly scaled down version of the program. According to the staff of the program, 48% of the people who go through the 20/20 program keep their weight of at least 5 years (compared to approximately 5% or less for a typical diet).
My employer, Microsoft, pays for 80% of the program if you are clinically obese, or if you have certain medical conditions. Since the program can cost up to $10,000 or so, Microsoft spends a significant amount on this for the employees going through the program. However, Microsoft claims that for every dollar they spend on the program, they save well over a dollar in insurance costs.
Why
I am going through the 10 week version of the program. I am eligible for Microsoft's assistance since I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol. In addition I am clinically overweight (my BMI is approximately 29). The doctor who invented and runs the program states that he can get 70% of hypertensive participants off their medication within 10 weeks.
Although Microsoft pays for a significant portion of the program, I have to put significant financial skin in the game: over $1000. I actually think this a good thing in that if I fall off the wagon, I will have thrown away a grand for nothing.
Stay tuned for postings about what I hope will be a very successful program.
What
20/20 is a very intensive plan that consists of 10, 15, or 20 weeks of exercise, diet, and lifestyle modification. After the main program is complete, program participants move to a maintenance phase of the program that is a slightly scaled down version of the program. According to the staff of the program, 48% of the people who go through the 20/20 program keep their weight of at least 5 years (compared to approximately 5% or less for a typical diet).
My employer, Microsoft, pays for 80% of the program if you are clinically obese, or if you have certain medical conditions. Since the program can cost up to $10,000 or so, Microsoft spends a significant amount on this for the employees going through the program. However, Microsoft claims that for every dollar they spend on the program, they save well over a dollar in insurance costs.
Why
I am going through the 10 week version of the program. I am eligible for Microsoft's assistance since I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol. In addition I am clinically overweight (my BMI is approximately 29). The doctor who invented and runs the program states that he can get 70% of hypertensive participants off their medication within 10 weeks.
Although Microsoft pays for a significant portion of the program, I have to put significant financial skin in the game: over $1000. I actually think this a good thing in that if I fall off the wagon, I will have thrown away a grand for nothing.
Stay tuned for postings about what I hope will be a very successful program.
// posted by Bill @ 7:33 PM 
