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VALERIE SUTHERLAND, MD

Diplomate, American Board of Internal Medicine

Diplomate, American Board of Obesity Medicine

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Dr. Sutherland has been specializing full-time in Obesity Medicine since 2015.  Her private practice offers specialized chronic  medical weight management from a personalized healthcare perspective with the goals of preventing, managing and reversing chronic medical conditions. 

We prescribe and manage all FDA approved medications for both short term weight loss and long term weight management within 

a comprehensive approach to get you the best results for you with best safety and lowest risk of side effects. Our goal is results, both short and long term, and that takes an individualized approach. 

We are currently accepting new patient for supervised medical weight loss.  If you are a prior patient and would like to resume care, please submit an inquiry form and a demographic form as our billing company has changed. If it has been 3 years or more since you last saw Dr. Sutherland, you are considered a new patient for insurance purposes and should complete the enrollment application as well.   She is not currently accepting new Primary Care patients. 

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS

We evaluate and treat the health of each individual to determine potential causes of excess weight and associated conditions including pre-diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and high cholesterol. We work with the individual to formulate a program to prevent, improve, or reverse these conditions. Each program includes a comprehensive approach that is tailored to the individual.  Programs have been offered since 2015 and were created and developed by Valerie Sutherland, MD.

We recommend you check your insurance policy prior to your first visit so you know your options. Look for the section on weight management medications. For many people, these are "excluded" regradless of medical necessity, and so options may be limited to generic medications. You have the option of doing a supervised very low calorie ketogenic diet either with or without weight management medication. Our meal replacement programs lead to about 12 to 20 pounds a month of weight loss starting right away. This can be a great jump start. Newr injectable medications can be a great follow up to keep the weight off.  There are generic oral medications for short  term weight loss but not everyone is a candidate for medical reasons. 

Expeditions Program: For women with 30 pounds or more to lose, or men with 40 or more pounds to lose, we offer a medical intervention known as a very low calorie diet. After a medical screening process, participants replace all of their nutrition with prescription medical food consisting of shakes, puddings, soups, bars and snacks. Typical weight loss is 3-7 pounds per week, or 15 pounds per month for women and 20 pounds per month for men, although individual factors can cause results to vary. This is a powerful tool for addressing pre-diabetes or diabetes, even if followed for a short time, such as 4 weeks. This plan can be done with either liquid food options, or a variety of foods including pastas, egg scrambles, soups, and bars. For more information, read the Full Plan Guide

Summit Program: For people who either do not qualify for the expeditions program or choose a more gradual approach, we offer the Summit Program. This does not require medical supervision, blood work, or EKG. It does require that you check with your primary care provider or Dr. Sutherland first. If you qualify for the Expeditions Program but are uncertain about it, rest assured, you can always transition to this program at any time. For more information, read the Partial Plan Guide

Peak Program: This is our program for anyone that has an individual health, fitness, or well-being goal. It may be an amateur athletic contest or another personal health challenge that you are determined to overcome or, just to help keep you at your best. This is for those at the sharp end of the sword or those working on something other than weight.  

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Flexibility, Accountability, & Support

Sustainability and accessibility are crucial for long term health. That is why we offer a full spectrum of Telehealth, Remote Patient Monitoring using blue tooth technology, and interactive app.

Our programs have been updated in 2023 to include the following:

  •  Telehealth

  • Remote physiologic monitoring via bluetooth technology

  •  Improved App offering enhanced self monitoring, accountability, nutrition programs and recipes

  • Improved online medical food and supplement ordering with home shipping.

NEW & RETURNING PATIENTS

We will bill our services to contracted health insurance companies as a courtesy.  If you are a returning patient, we thank you for your patience and resubmitting the insurance demographic forms as we have a new billing company. We welcome inquiries from new patients. We recommend you read the blogs and resources page to familiarize yourself with the program and practice prior to your appointment in order to be able to focus on how to individualize things for you. Please keep in mind that our program will not be the right fit for everyone and the physician/patient relationship is voluntary on both sides.  Please go to our new patient page for forms to complete prior to your appointment.  You will get the most from your visit if you return these prior to your appointment by 24 hours. They may be faxed or emailed directly to the practice manager or brought to your appointment. The practice email is HIPAA compliant, but yours may not be. 

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DIABETES PREVENTION AND REVERSAL

Address the Underlying Cause.

Type 2 Diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance and higher than normal levels of insulin. With typical treatment, it is a chronic, progressive disease. Bariatric surgery is one option for drastically changing the course of the disease, and a very low calorie diet is another.

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WEIGHT MAINTENANCE PROGRAM

Losing weight is just the start.

After weight loss, there are a variety of physiologic processes that predispose a person to return to their starting body weight. Called "metabolic adaptation", these factors slow the resting metabolic rate and can increase hunger and cravings. Even after bariatric surgery, weight regain is common without ongoing follow up and, in some cases, treatment and a program. After the active weight loss phase, all patients are in our maintenance program, designed to maintain their weight within ten percent of their goal weight. That's why all our patients are automatically enrolled in our maintenance program free of charge upon reaching their goal weight range.

Hours: Summer Schedule

Monday: Closed

Tuesday: Office Closed

Wednesday: 8:30 am - 5 pm

Thursday: 8:30 am - 5 pm

Friday: 8:30 am - 12:00 pm

Saturday: once a month, 9 am - 11 am, as posted

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Intro to Website!

Intro to Website!

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Jennifer's Story

Jennifer's Story

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Interactive Forums

Interactive Forums

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Expeditions Plan Orientation

Expeditions Plan Orientation

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CONTACT US

5713 Wollochet Drive, Ste 101

Gig Harbor, WA 98332

p: (253) 319-3339

f: (706) 416-4727

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