JumpstartMD

Ok, I am in love with Jumpstart, MD Walnut Creek. I have been a member for about a year and in that time I have lost 52 lbs and feel great about my diet. I feel like I have honestly found a plan that will work for me for life! I have been on EVERY diet in the past (WW, jenny craig, south beach, even gwyneth paltrow’s random juice diet) and this is the only one that has ever worked for me! Of course, their meal plan/​nutrition works, but for me the most beneficial part of the plan was meeting with my clinician Christy on a weekly basis. She is amazing! Not only has she taught me ways of eating that work for my body, but she has been like a personal (non judgemental!) cheerleader in the process! I am forever grateful to Jumpstart, MD!

I can’t understand how this business identifies itself as being so different. Other than the appetite suppressants, it was a low-​carb meal plan. The weekly checkin was to give me my meds, ask how I’m doing with eating and exercising, and ask if I have any questions. Everyone was nice, but it did not feel tailored or personalized, and no one ever got deep to see what my eating issues might be so I could sustain the weight loss. It was super expensive, and it took me a year to lose 25 pounds. A year and a half later, I have gained 32 pounds back. It did not change the way I eat long term. Low carb is not sustainable. It wasn’t anything new, and I had to pay extra for the B-​12 shots to keep my energy up. This place sent me into the poor house still overweight. I did appreciate the initial total lab workup and the staff was excellent.

I lost weight… not denying that. After consistently losing 2−3+ lbs per week, week after week, I was chewed out for losing only 2 tenths of a pound during one weigh in. The counselor/​nurse practitioner had a bad attitude and wanted to know «what happened?!», assuming I went off-​diet/​meds and pigged out for the week. Excuse me?! I’m the professional dieter here, give some respect! She was very condescending to me. I quit the program shortly after that session.
Happy to report, that by using the Atkins principles (which is exactly what the Jumpstart diet is… only repackaged and costs you close to $ 400 a month), I have lost over 50 lbs and kept it off for 3 years so far. The Jumpstart MD program is not worth it. Atkins is free online and has gobs of support, recipes & social forums. Jumpstart MD does not.

I had terrible experiences at Walnut Creek and Piedmont.
I quit after 3 years even that in 2013 I was featured at the web site.
The staff is constantly changing and very expensive.

I only started a week ago and will update my review later. I knew I needed help. Taking medication and turning 50 meant I couldn’t eat as I was before. This week has been tough. I felt tired and I really missed pasta my first few days. Yesterday my energy picked up. I have lost 5 pounds this week. Their nutritional focus is eating small amounts often, mainly protein, some fruit, some vegetables, and healthy fats. You get fat burning injections of choline and inositol with one other thing I can’t remember what it is, and appetite suppressants if you want them. In the first appointment, they do an EKG, blood pressure, explain the program, requested blood work, and that costs about $ 200. Then each month is costs $ 388 for a weekly appointment. So far I really like it. If I could do it for free or do it alone I would-​but I can’t. There is no prepackaged food (actually they do sell some snacks) to buy-​you eat real, whole, nonprocessed food.

If you are looking to lose weight and want to learn about how to maintain a healthy lifestyle then this is the plan for you! I started with Jumpstart three months ago and I have already met my goal weight. The plan is straightforward and simple to understand. I was NEVER hungry and I sustained energy throuhout the day. I have been working primarily with Christy H and she has been fantastic. She is very knowledgeable and deeply committed to her patients. She has an infectious personality and a great ability to motivate. I can’t speak more highly about Christy and the Jumpstart Program!!!

This program has some good points and bad points but some of their claims are misleading. As a disclaimer I lost 20 lbs in 4 months on the program, however if you do not want appetite suppressants they offer very little in actual service for the $ 400/​month. The staff (especially the clinician) had no understanding of how to adapt the program for a largely vegetarian diet. And when I specifically asked about potassium (because no orange vegetables are allowed) and I have had potassium deficiency in the past, she basically told me I needed to decide my health priorities and would have to live with these issues while I was on the program. In my initial lab visit she commented on my cholesterol being high and when I asked to have my cholesterol retested after 4 months I got two different stories, the first story was that this diet lowers total cholesterol and the second story was, of course your cholesterol will be really high because you are releasing cholesterol as you burn fat and that’s why we won’t retest. When I said that this didn’t make any sense based on my own experience and what I knew from my doctors, the clinician became hostile and basically indicated that I could do research anywhere on the internet and find that this was true if the way she explained it did not make sense to me. At that point I decided I was paying a very large amount of money for very little service and to have any questions I asked totally dismissed by someone who I am paying to help me. So I would say this program is POOR for vegetarians, CHALLENGING if you travel, have an irregular schedule or eat out often and GOOD in that I never felt hungry and I did loose weight. If you already have a good understanding of nutrition and are willing to do most of the research yourself, it can be adapted to vegetarian and special diets, but then what are you paying JumpStart for?

Impeccable customer service. Thank you so much Jill Stanley! I hope to meet you someday in the future when I return to Jumpstart.

So – it’s been a little over 6 months since I started the program. In 6 months, I lost 58 pounds easily, just by following the carb and protein plan set up at my initial visit, and walking a few miles 3 days a week. I can’t believe how quickly it happened, and wish I had started years ago. Hindsight is ²⁰⁄₂₀ though :) When I had a week where the scale didn’t budge, the counselors problem solved with me and helped me bust through the plateau. Can’t say enough good things about it. Looking forward to continuing.

Here’s an update on Maintenance. First of all I no longer have high blood pressure or high cholesterol. My blood chemistry is «normal» for the first time in decades. Maintenance has it’s challenges, figuring out a plan that is customized for me has been a bit of struggle. Fortunately Jumpstart set me up with the dietician and a counselor named Chung who specializes in people who like to work out (that’s me). My goal was to maintain my weight and reduce my body fat and build lean muscle. Chung help me customize my eating plan to reach those goals and I am now implementing them. I realize that maintaining a healthy weight means learning to navigate the ups and downs and challenges of living in a world where I am bombarded with food messages… externally and internally.

June 6, 2013
Jump Start Weight Loss Program… a perfect 10.
Paula Jeha a client of mine and a friend, introduced me to the program. I was 186 pds. over weight and on medication for blood pressure and cholesterol. I was on the medication preidonse for a couple of years, it made me balloon up to 186 pds.
Paula introduced me to the program based upon it results. So after trying to lose weight by numerous other methods, pills, diets, working out at the gym with a private trainer I was still still over weight. Nothing seemed to work until I started JUMP START. What a great program.
I started the program and before I new it for the first time I was actually losing weight.
The program has a great support team, everything made sense to me They showed me how to change my diet and achieve my weight goals.
I now weight 158 as of this morning (6÷6÷2013); I am off medication and doing great things with riding and showing my horses. I have been able to stop taking medication and my medical doctor ran new blood test to check my cholesterol I got good results for the first time in many years.
I thank Paula, for showing me the proper way to lose weight and live a healthier happy life. I would recommend JUMP START to any one that wants to lose weight and do it with out starving yourself. Thank you for JUMP START Paula.

I started the program on February 15 and have reached my goal and more at 30 pounds. The program was easy to use. Basically the same as Weight Watchers where you check boxes rather than points but, more restricted as you are limiting your carb intake. Did not feel like I was starving and liked that they will monitor your weight loss to ensure you are losing more fat than muscle. As some of the other reviewers stated it can be expensive, but worth it and more incentive to lose the weight faster and then maintain on the monthly plan.

I started Jumpstart March 21, 2013. I’ve been overweight since I was 18, I’m 55 now. I found this to be the best diet I’ve ever been on. low carb diets have always been referred to me by doctors before but I could not last more than 3 weeks on them due to a lot of fatigue. This gives you more carbs than the typical low carb diet. You eat real food, not pre-​packaged food. They also have great high protein, high fiber bars and with lower carbs, you need the extra fiber. The Pleasanton clinic helps me with any problems I have that week. low carbs actually takes your hunger away. When I feel tired, they told me to drink chicken broth for the salt that you are not getting from the diet. It worked well.
I’ve lost 22 lbs in 6 weeks and know I will reach my goal this time for the first time in 30 years of dieting. Well worth the money. Way to go Jumpstart!
Terri

Another person who just spoke with them on the phone. I felt the need to post as someone representing the company made a claim on this thread that I feel was incomplete and misleading.
I’m a starving (though not starving enough) student looking to lose my «Freshman 30». I thought, and continue to think, this program has great promise — if you can afford it.
Someone here posted it was $ 400. My jaw hit the floor! The reply from the company said it ranges from $ 60-​$ 360. Oh. That’s not so bad. I can cut corners or do a minimal program, after all I’m only over by 30 lbs and I lost 5 on my own in the last two weeks. I’m pretty self-​motivated. I eat just fine, so I don’t need the appetite suppressant. I’ve done 1500 calories a day for months now using
(I don’t work for them, just like their site). I just want some extra guidance and really, someone to ride my butt and check in with me once a week to keep me honest.
When I called to get the skinny (ha!) I was told no, it is a minimum of $ 360 a month. If I elect more visits or need extra attention, it goes up. «What about the $ 60 I saw on Unilocal?» I asked.
Oh, that’s if you have PPO insurance AND they cover any of it (out-​of-​network). How will you know if they cover it? Well, you’ll spend $ 360 and then you’ll submit to the health insurance for reimbursement and they’d say yes or no and how much. If I know health insurance companies (and I do), they’ll say no as often as they can. And they’ll take six months to do, putting you firmly in the hole.
I asked when insurance companies tend to reimburse — when you have a valid code — ie High Blood Pressure, Pre-​diabetic, High Cholestorol, Heart Damage or similar high risk situations. I have none of the above so insurance coverage is useless. It’s $ 360 /​mo for me.
They were VERY nice and forthcoming on the phone. It clearly works for many. But you better have a lot of money. For students or those who can’t afford $ 360 a month, you are out of luck. If you are only looking to lose 30 or so pounds and are generally healthy, spend $ 100/​mo on a good trainer at a good gym (ie not some chain location) and you’ll get great results! (Or watch groupon or livingsocial, etc, for good deals on various exercise classes.)

Tackling weight loss is tough. Jumpstart MD makes is easy. It is the absolute best way to lose weight. I am a patient of Dr. Lai and have lost 47lbs. I like the program because they gave me tools like nutrition education, eating plans, a website resource, medication, and vitamins to ensure my success. I feel comfortable walking the door for my appointments, the staff is professional, supportive and encouraging. Most importantly, the program is run by a bariatric specialist (MD). I like knowing that an actual doctor is in charge of my care. Dr. Lai is amazing! I recommend this program highly. Oh yeah, in my case it was a covered service under my plan! Jumpstart MD ROCKS! Thanks Jumpstart for making a giant difference in my life! When you go be sure to sign up for the insurance management service they offer. if there is any chance that charges are covered. they will find it.

My wife has lost 40 lbs and kept it off, and I am down nearly 20 with just 10 to go, and it has been a very easy program to follow. Even when you slip up, which you will do, you simply «jump start» it again and you are back to losing weight at a steady, healthy pace. Highly recommend it.

This program worked wonders for me! I lost over 60 pounds and feel better than I have in years. I tried multiple diets before going to Jumpstart but under these programs, I only contiuned to gain weight (most sell their own food and snacks which are packed with sugar). When I went to Jumpstart, I felt like I was a hopeless case. Dr. Lai, Chong and Paula all worked with me every step of the way, and I learned how to live differently. Removing sugar and junk food from my diet allowed me to not be hungry all the time, and eating healthy gave me more energy. Chong even got me to love walking — quite a miracle! At 55, I feel like I’m in my 30’s again. Thanks Jumpstart — you have given me a fresh new start!

I am with CM. That is my experience of the program exactly. But I am going to make my husband write a review too, because he loves the program and it’s one of the few diets he can do. He has already lost a lot of weight.

It’s hard for me to give a rating, because I think this program will really work for some people, it just didn’t work for me. Before I joined I read everything on Unilocal,so I’m just going to describe my experience as best I can to help other Unilocalers.
The initial visit is $ 250, but you can get a $ 50 off coupon code online. At that visit they take your measurements, body fat, weight, and go over the program in detail. They also give you a full blood test form to take to Quest. This is included in the price and for me was one of the best parts. I have put on 10 pounds in the last 6 months so I was glad to see I’m perfectly healthy, especially cholesterol and diabetes.
Then the fee is $ 400 per month. The weekly 15 minute appts are for you to get your amino acid shot and your appetite suppressants. I met with 3 different people over the month I was a member. 2 could have cared less about how I was doing, rushed me in, gave me a shot, put on the scale, BYE. Only the new nurse practitioner Peggy genuinely wanted to know how I was doing and encouraged me.
The entire program is based on ketosis, the burning of body fat. They explain that you can’t burn fat if you are eating carbs because it is easier for your body to burn the carbs. So basically the program is very, very low carb, and overall calorie reduction something on the order of 1200 calories less that you burn in an average day. They give you a booklet with boxes to check off as you eat, and show you exactly how much protein and carbs are in everything you eat. If you eat one protein serving you check a box. A serving is 3oz of chicken or half of a greek yogurt, for example. You get 10 protein boxes a day. You get 4 carb boxes a day. A carb box is ¾ cups of berries for instance.
My first problem with the program is that I don’t like meat and seafood. I eat of ton of veggies and fruits, whole grain bread and oatmeal, most of which are off limits on the program, or only two boxes a day. Absolutely no pasta, potatoes, oatmeal, bread, starchy vegetables, beer, etc. So I basically ate tofu, egg whites, string cheese, greek yogurt, and the 2 cups of spinach with a tiny bit of cheese and beans, for 3 weeks. Snacks were 10 almonds or a string cheese.
I just couldn’t keep that up. I was also soooo tired of thinking about what I could, when can I get to whole foods for the tofu pasta, when can I go have a happy hour drink again, etc. In week four I started making my own modifications.
Second problem was that it didn’t matter when I took the appetite suppressants, they kept me up at night. By week four I was taking one in the morning and then a sleeping pill to get to sleep otherwise I was wide awake at 1am, needing to be up at 6am for work. NOT a good cycle. Another problem, this restriction resulted in one pound lost per week, not fabulous, I’ve done better on my own.
So in week four it dawned on me that there was no reason for me to be paying $ 400 per month. I couldn’t take the pills anymore, I couldn’t stick to that strict diet, and honestly didn’t want to. I provided my cancellation in writing and they sent me an email acknowledgement a few hours later.
If you have no problem eating a lot of meat and very small amounts of food then this program really will work. My goal was 18 pounds, I bet if you had 30+ to lose you’d do better and be more motivated. Even though it didn’t work for me, I did learn a lot about nutrition, which was worth it for me. I had no idea that some of the veggies I was chowing on were super carby. I do intend to apply what I learned, and just get my butt back to the gym.

Its been 3 months and Ive lost 9.6% body fat… how crazy is that? This place is completely worth the money, and will help you lose weight, i love it. I feel great!