Duke Diet and Fitness Center
Duke University Health System

Today's research in the field of obesity offers great hope for the one in three American adults classified as obese.

The Facts About Weight 

As we learn more about the human body, we are gaining knowledge about how to treat patients who suffer from being overweight and obesity. 

Our nation's rate of overweight and obesity continues to rise-up from 46 to almost 55 percent of all U.S. adults during the last decade alone. This increase is the result of all-too-familiar causes - sedentary lifestyles and high-fat diets containing too many calories.

Overweight and obesity increase the risk for several common health problems including:

• Diabetes

• Hypertension

• Abnormal cholesterol levels

• Heart disease

• Certain cancers

• Osteoarthritis

• Sleep apnea syndrome

In addition, obesity can have a devastating impact on our ability to participate in and enjoy the normal activities of everyday life.

Whether you are faced with obesity or a health problem related to weight, the most effective way to improve your well-being, vitality, and overall health is to adopt a healthier lifestyle. This includes healthy eating, regular physical activity, stress management and adherence to sensible medical advice. Using an integrated approach to nutrition, fitness, health psychology, and medical care, we are committed to helping you achieve a level of well-being that will allow you to more fully enjoy your life.

At the Duke Diet and Fitness Center (DFC), we apply the scientific information to the development of a goal-oriented, practical program for each participant. A leading treatment facility in the management of patients with weight problems and related complications, the DFC works closely with other resources in the world-renowned Duke University Medical Center to understand and more effectively treat people with these challenging problems.

Welcome to the Duke Diet & Fitness Center

Since 1969, the Duke Diet and Fitness Center has helped people live healthier and fuller lives through weight loss, disease management, and lifestyle change. Our professional, caring staff provides thorough evaluation, education, and encouragement as we work with you to plan personal strategies that will help you improve the quality of your life.

While enjoying the DFC's supportive and comfortable surroundings, you will have the opportunity to practice the lifestyle changes that will allow you to lead a healthier life at home. You will also enjoy the camaraderie and support of fellow participants-a diverse group of people who share similar experiences and issues related to weight loss, disease management, and preventive healthcare.

We are not offering you a magic cure, but an opportunity to take control of your life with positive long-term changes that can last a lifetime. We look forward to being part of that decision to change your life and helping you make the most of it!

The DFC Total Approach to Healthy Living 

The Duke Diet & Fitness Center is designed for adults age 18 and up and is dedicated to education about and exploration of all of the components of successful lifestyle change:

• Nutrition

• Fitness

• Health psychology

• Medical management

Because everyone has different schedules, interests, abilities and medical needs, our program is tailored to address individual circumstances.

Wendy Wasserstein
Self Magazine

"In my mind, there has always been one last-chance diet, one no-nonsense, I'm-going-to-really-do-it-this-time alternative. The Duke Diet & Fitness Center is the Betty Ford Center of diet centers."

Nutrition: Smart Choices For a Healthier You

As a participant in the DFC program, you will quickly learn how to make smart choices about the foods that fuel your body. During your initial class, a registered dietitian will help you plan your personal nutrition program, which includes three nutritious meals per day. The Center's meals are low in calories, fat, and sodium, but high in taste. You'll be surprised to discover how well and how much you'll be able to eat and still lose weight.

Nutrition knowledge doesn't end in the dining room. Weekly nutrition lectures and group workshops will teach you how to create a healthy, low-fat meal plan and to make smart choices when dining out. You'll also learn survival skills for daily life through such activities as a restaurant "field trip" and grocery store shopping tour.

Fitness: Boosting Your Vitality Through Exercise

Consistent exercise is essential to weight control, disease management, and a healthy lifestyle. And, believe it or not, exercise can be enjoyable. The Duke Diet & Fitness Center is the perfect place to begin this positive habit or to fine-tune your current exercise program.

At the DFC, you'll learn not only about the physiological and psychological impact of exercise on your body and mind, but also how to exercise effectively, successfully and safely. Our dedicated staff of exercise physiologists will work with you to create a personal schedule of physical activity that fits your lifestyle and becomes one of the highlights of your day.

Before you begin exercising at the DFC, we'll take you through a detailed assessment of your health, including an exercise stress test. Our staff will then analyze these results, explain them to you, and use them to help you create a personalized plan to increase your cardiovascular fitness, endurance, and daily energy expenditure of calories. The plan will also help strengthen your muscles and improve your flexibility. Those with cardiac conditions or abnormal stress tests will be able to exercise under the supervision of a cardiologist on the nearby Duke Center for Living campus.  Note:  an abnormal stress test may delay the start of your exercise program.

The Center offers a broad range of fitness opportunities to meet the needs of participants at all fitness levels.

• Pool activities -  water aerobics, strength training, and lap swimming

• Gym - aerobics, cycle spinning classes, yoga, tai chi, stretching,
  and strength training classes.  Includes state-of-the-art equipment such as a virtual reality bike, elliptical trainers, weight machines, free weights, treadmills, stationary and recumbent bicycles, rowing machines, and stair-climbing machines.

And, on beautiful North Carolina days, many participants enjoy a walk on the nearby Duke University campus.

We encourage our participants to try a variety of activities. Our staff is here to help you succeed. You'll continue to meet with our exercise physiologists or lifestyle counselors throughout your stay to evaluate your progress and adjust your plan as needed.

Health Psychology and Lifestyle Management: Helping You Reach Your Goals

When it comes to successful lifestyle change, the mind is as important as the body. Our professional staff includes clinical health psychologists and clinical social workers who will teach you practical techniques and strategies for lifelong weight management, disease management, and healthy living. In experiential classes, you'll learn to recognize and change unhealthy behaviors, such as eating for emotional reasons and letting your stress level get too high. You'll learn how to enhance your coping style, prevent minor setbacks from becoming major ones, maintain motivation, and build self-confidence. You'll explore the reasons it has been difficult to gain control of your health in the past, and find new ways of thinking while on the road to success.

The health psychology staff will help identify what areas are important for you to work on while at the Center. We offer multiple activities and classes to motivate, encourage, and inspire you. Individual therapy is available if you would like to meet with a therapist to work on personal issues.

Medical Management: Improving Your Health and Well Being

Many participants choose the Duke Diet and Fitness Center because of our emphasis on comprehensive medical care. Our medical staff will carefully evaluate your health status and monitor medical conditions that are sensitive to the effects of diet and exercise such as diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol.

Your one-, two-, three- or four-week program begins with a full medical check up.

This includes:

• Complete history and physical

• Laboratory tests, including cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose levels

• Exercise test to help screen for heart disease and determine your fitness level

The DFC medical staff will serve as your primary care clinicians throughout your stay.  Beyond the initial medical evaluation, the staff can arrange for specialty consultations at an additional cost with Duke University Health System physicians.  Consultations in cardiology, endocrinology, psychiatry and general orthopedics can usually be arranged during your stay.  Some specialties, such as neurology, rheumatology and gastroenterology, are more difficult to book and usually required at least a month’s notice.  If you would like an appointment with physicians in these areas, have your personal physician contact the Duke Consultation and Referral Center at 1-800-MED-DUKE.  If you do not have a personal physician, you may call 1-800-ASK-DUKE to arrange an appointment.

While at the DFC, we will do our best to make sure your program proceeds safely. Our medical staff is available Monday through Friday at designated times and is "on call" throughout the evenings and weekends for urgent problems. Upon completion of the program, your private physician will receive a comprehensive discharge summary about your care. 

Drug Treatments for Obesity 

While medications are not a substitute for a healthy diet and exercise, the DFC supports using approved medications as useful adjuncts to diet and exercise in the treatment of obesity. Not everyone is a suitable candidate.  If you are interested, and if there are no contraindications to their use, you may have the option of adding them to your personal health program. The benefits and risks of these medications will be fully explained to you by your DFC physician.

Reaching Your Full Potential

The DFC program is not just about losing weight and managing disease, it's about:

• feeling good about yourself,

• living a healthy, balanced life and

• setting and reaching goals in all areas of your life

As part of the program, you can take part in exceptional personal development workshops to help you build on the positive lifestyle changes you'll be making.

Workshops are offered in one-day formats, and are scheduled once a month throughout the year. Each is available to DFC participants at no additional cost. Workshops are subject to availability and are held based on adequate number of participants.

Naomi Nye
Cooking Light Magazine

"The DFC staff cares more about physical and emotional wholeness than sensational gimmicks. The atmosphere feels warm, well-organized, and nurturing."

Obesity Treatment and Weight Management Programs

Four-Week Program

Our most popular program, the four-week program, is the one we recommend for most first-time visitors to the Center. This intensive program gives you the opportunity and time to begin forming new strategies and habits for life and helps you become comfortable with the lifestyle changes you'll continue at home. Throughout the program, you'll meet with staff members and attend lectures and workshops to learn about each of the essential components of weight and health management.

The four-week program includes: 

• Medical evaluation, including laboratory tests

• Fitness evaluation, including maximal exercise test 

• Individual consultations with health psychology and nutrition staff 

• Weekly check-ins with professional staff

• Lectures on topics in nutrition, fitness, health psychology, and medicine

• Small group workshops and discussions

• Three nourishing and healthy meals each day

• Cooking demonstrations, a restaurant experience, and grocery store tour

• Daily fitness classes and access to our fitness facilities, including:

treadmills, stationary bicycles, virtual reality bicycles and steppers, rowing machines, stair climbing machines, elliptical trainers, weight circuit and free weights, and a large indoor lap pool

• A complimentary personal training session

• A complimentary 30-minute therapeutic massage

Additional services, such as continued massage therapy, personal fitness training, a smoking cessation program, career counseling, and ongoing individual counseling are available for an additional fee.

Two-or Three Week Program

If you cannot stay for four weeks, a two-week program is also available. Due to the shorter stay, the daily schedule is more comprehensive and focuses more on education than experience. The program offers the same medical evaluation, individual assessments, classes, and daily activities as the four-week program. Most participants in the two-week program return for future stays. 

One-Week Program

The one-week program provides an introductory experience in managing and maintaining your healthy lifestyle.  The program still includes the medical evaluation and classes, but due to limited time, you may not experience the result of your changes until you return home.  This program is ideal for a “tune up” if you have achieved a healthier lifestyle or if you are already healthy and are trying to prevent a lifestyle-related illness.

Extended-Stay Program

For those participants who have completed the four-week program and would like to stay longer, we offer the extended-stay program. This program has proven successful for many participants who are seeking to lose a substantial amount of weight, work through the emotional transitions associated with weight loss, or fully explore weight-related or other issues in their lives. The DFC, its clientele, staff, and atmosphere provide a supportive, caring environment to work on major life changes.

Participants in the extended-stay program continue to attend the Center's daily scheduled activities for up to twelve weeks while maintaining close contact with the professional staff. We do not recommend stays longer than twelve weeks, since it is more beneficial for clients to practice their new skills at home.

Return Program

DFC programs are designed to help you achieve your goals when you go home. Many of our most successful program graduates, however, do return to the Center periodically-both in good times and bad-to reinforce learned habits, learn the latest information, achieve their next goals, reinforce motivation, or get back on track. We continually update our classes and programs to meet our participants’ needs. This ongoing process ensures the use of the most up-to-date methods to help you successfully manage your healthy lifestyle.

The Return Program is our largest program, with participants coming back for a week or more at a time. Many arrange reunions with old friends they met here. Whatever your reason for returning, as a graduate you are a lifelong friend of the DFC and are always welcome back.  Returnees receive a limited health assessment, focused on health problems associated with lifestyle and changes in health status from the last DFC admission.  If you would like a more comprehensive medical exam, we recommend the Duke Executive Health option, which can be scheduled by calling 1-800-235-3853 .

Returnees who want a less intensive program may enroll in the a la’ carte program on the Duke Center for Living campus.  Participants create their own schedule and program fees vary depending on classes and options selected.

Companion Option

It’s important to have someone to support and encourage you as your work toward achieving your goals.  The participation makes it easier to integrate new, healthier habits when you return home.  The Companion Program provides the opportunity for a friend or relative to experience the lifestyle advocated at the DFC by going through the program with you.  For this reason, we offer a discount when two people attend together.

Lifestyle Maintenance Program

Your DFC experience doesn't have to end when you return home.  The Lifestyle Maintenance Program is designed to help you take what you've learned at the DFC and integrate it into your life at home, offering vital structure and support as you embark on your journey of establishing healthy lifestyle habits. The six-month program includes two phone sessions per month (12 total) with your personal DFC Lifestyle Counselor.  During these sessions, your counselor will review your progress, discuss problems you may be having with your new healthy lifestyle, provide you with encouragement, and recommend strategies for continued success. If you are having specific issues, your counselor may also recommend consultation sessions with a DFC dietitian or fitness trainer. You will also receive biannual motivational newsletters with articles on health and wellness and tips for staying on track. This program provides a great way to maintain your healthy lifestyle changes, particularly if you are unable to return to the Center as often as you would like.

Leslie Vreeland
Town & Country

"Duke's program is top flight and no-nonsense."

Commonly asked questions about the Duke Diet & Fitness Center

Who comes to the diet and fitness center?
Men and women of all ages come to the DFC to lose weight, manage or prevent disease, and make healthy lifestyle changes. Many come to maintain goals they have previously achieved or simply to rejuvenate themselves. Others come to tackle their problem once and for all. All share a strong sense of camaraderie and a common goal of achieving a healthier lifestyle. Participants often form lasting friendships, and many arrange their next DFC visit to coincide with the return of friends they have made on earlier trips.

Who is the center's staff?
The DFC staff consists of experts in the treatment of obesity and related medical problems, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease.  Professional staff members include physicians, physician assistants, exercise physiologists, physical therapists, registered dietitians, health psychologists, clinical social workers, and massage therapists. All are warm, caring, and dedicated to helping you achieve your goals.

What is the long-term success rate of the program?
When choosing a lifestyle management program, it is important to look at the long-term success rate of the program-"quick fixes" are not the answer to long-term success. The Duke Diet and Fitness Center has pioneered the "sensible diet" approach to weight management. The lifestyle changes you will adopt at the Center are designed to help you make many positive changes in your life, including reducing unhealthy body weight. 

A recent study of DFC participants showed that after two years, 55% maintained their weight loss; at 3 years, 47% maintained; and at four or more years, 42% maintained - making this program, by far, one of the most successful in the field. Ongoing research at the Center assures the application of the most up-to-date knowledge to help further the success of its participants.

Will my health insurance cover any of the center's fees?
Some health insurance policies reimburse for a portion of the medical services you'll receive while at the Center. At the end of your stay, you'll get an itemized bill  for  services that you can submit to your insurance carrier. Our accounting staff is available if you have questions. Please consult your tax advisor to determine whether unreimbursed program and travel expenses may be tax-deductible.

Jamie Diamond
Self Magazine

"The DFC is perhaps best known for incorporating into its program up-to-the-minute medical findings about obesity."

To make your reservation, or for more information, call 1-800-235-3853 or e-mail us at: dfcinfo@mc.duke.edu or fax us at: 919-684-8246.  Check our web site at www.dukedietcenter.org.

Duke Diet & Fitness Center Recipes

Toasted Orzo and Barley Pilaf

Mushroom Spinach Lasagna

Crispy Chicken

reprinted with permission

Back to Main Weight Management Page...