This web page is intended to provide some information of our diet program to the referring physician and explain to you why we request a referral letter before we book your patient.

First of all, we are not a weight loss clinic.  It is our intention to help you to help your patients to improve on their obesity related conditions.  Since condition like Metabolic Syndrome is related to obesity, helping the patients to lose the fat weight is the treatment of choice.  Medication may treat the number, but weight reduction treats the cause.

Objective of this program is to lose fat and excess water while maintaining the muscle mass.  It can be achieved by eating a diet that is low in sugar, starch, salt, saturated and trans fat.  It is an all you can eat diet without the need to count calories.  It is not how much you eat but what you eat to gain weight.  Vitamin, supplement and exercise will be discussed with the patients once they are losing weight.  There is no fee to join our program.  If the patient wishes to purchase the Dr. Poon’s Metabolic Diet Book or the Cookbook, it will be done on voluntary bases.  Patients eat foods that are available at the supermarket. No expansive meal plan to purchase.

Doctors in our clinics will only counsel patient on nutrition and exercise.  Any medical conditions that are not related to this diet plan will be referred back to you.  We do not do general practice.

Patient who do not follow the diet plan will be discharged.  We are very strict on that.  Please mention this to your patients.

All patients in our program are referred by their GP of specialist.  We do not see any patient who does not need our help.  I am sure you will not refer patient to us unless you think that we can help your patient.  With the GP as a gate keeper, it will shorten our waiting list.  A recent copy of the patient’s blood work should be faxed along with the referral letter stating the reason for the need of dietary counseling.  This will save us ordering unnecessary blood work.  We will order another set of blood work after the patients lose 10% of the initial weigh.  It usually takes 2 months to achieve.  Copy of their blood work will be forwarded to you directly.  We do not use the referral letter for OHIP billing purposes.

Most of the time, patient who comes to see us has to have a BMI of over 30.  We will see patient who are just overweight but has poorly controlled Type 2 diabetic.  Patient with chronic renal failure (GFR<40), liver failure or Type 1 diabetic is not candidate for our program.  Vegan may find it difficult with our menu also.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for further clarification.  We have seminar on our diet program runs monthly.  You are welcome to join us if your wish to learn more about this diet program.

Dr. Poon’s Metabolic Diet Clinic.