Health Management Resources

Health Management Resources (HMR) is a provider of weight management programs, products and services to the medical community in the United States. HMR, a private company with headquarters in Boston, MA, USA, was founded in 1983. HMR helps to establish medical and behavioral intervention programs in hospitals, medical schools, and medical practices across the U.S.  In addition to these clinic-based programs, HMR also offers programs that dieters can do on their own, with or without additional support. The basis of the treatment program is learning how to make lifestyle changes to lose weight and maintain the weight loss. HMR has published a number of research studies on the program results, including several on participants who have lost 100 pounds or more over a number of years.

Basis of Program: Lifestyle change
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, published jointly in the U.S. by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA), lifestyle change in diet and physical activity is the best first choice for weight loss and maintaining a reduced weight. Calories count when it comes to controlling weight. Losing and maintaining weight is based on energy balance – balancing the calories (or energy) from food with the calories expended through physical activity. When you burn calories through physical activity and/or reduce the number of calories you eat, you create a "calorie deficit", resulting in weight loss. In order to maintain a weight loss, you must balance the “calories in” with the “calories out”.

Physical activity is an important component of weight management. Physical activity increases the number of calories the body uses for energy or “burns off”, helping to contribute to weight loss. Research has shown, however, that just doing physical activity alone is usually not enough for weight management and a decreased intake of calories is also necessary. Many studies have documented that increasing the intake of vegetables and fruits and using meal replacements for portion-control can help to decrease the intake of calories. Keeping records or self-monitoring the behaviors one is trying to change has been found, in several studies, to increase success in actually making a behavior change.

All treatment options in the HMR Program include lifestyle education to teach participants how to make lifestyle changes to balance energy or calories. HMR emphasizes three specific lifestyle changes: physical activity, vegetable and fruit intake, and use of meal replacements. The HMR Program includes record-keeping forms designed to help participants track and monitor these changes.

In-clinic outcome data
There have been several published studies documenting the outcomes of the HMR Program. Two of the most recent studies have reported on weight losses of 100 pounds or more, with the average weight loss over 130 pounds.

HMR at Home weight data
A randomized controlled trial on the HMR at Home Program found that participants doing a phone-based program lost as much weight as those in a traditional face-to-face clinic. Both groups lost an average of 28 pounds in 26 weeks. Another randomized study found that dieters using HMR at Home on their own lost an average of 13-17 pounds in 12 weeks (those who did not receive additional coaching tended to lose less weight than those who received weekly 10-minute coaching calls).

Health-related data
There are numerous studies in the medical literature that document the health benefits of weight loss. HMR has published studies which have documented decreases in medical risk factors measured in the program, such as blood pressure, cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose. In one study, those with type 2 diabetes had substantial reductions in cardiovascular risk factors (such as weight, blood pressure, HbA1c, and lipids) in spite of having long-standing diabetes. Participants who lost over 100 pounds also experienced positive changes in health, including, for many, the discontinuation of medications. In one study, 100% of those with dyslipidemia discontinued medications, 67% of those with hypertension discontinued medications, and 73% with type 2 diabetes discontinued medications.