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THE CORE PROGRAM:

At Structure House, we understand your goals and needs are unique. Here, removed from the stress of home, you become a student and discover the secrets of starting and maintaining change in your life. However, you also will be able to customize your schedule to help you reach individual goals and needs. In addition to the Core program, Structure House also provides specialized programs for those with Diabetes or individuals who have recently undergone Bariatric Surgery.

"SCHOOL FOR CHANGE"

Many newcomers describe the atmosphere as "college like". At this School for Change, you can experience more than ninety weekly classes, workshops, individual meetings, and group outings, covering four key areas: Behavior, Nutrition, Exercise, and Medical. You can discard negative habits and learn new behaviors for permanent lifestyle change. Experienced staff members who hold doctoral and master-level degrees instruct and encourage you. With your fellow students, you discover the basics of good nutrition in classes and in the dining room.

You learn how to shop for and prepare healthy foods, and outings to local restaurants teach you how to order a guilt-free meal. You rediscover the rewards of regular activity as you learn what exercise is best for you. Most importantly, you become aware of how and why you may be over using food and eating for reasons other than to fuel your body with good nutrition.

Helping you learn how to change the way you think, act, react, feel, and live is at the heart of the education-based program.

The four key principles of the Structure House program:

1. Behavior:

While "structure" is a philosophical concept, it is also a practical problem-solving strategy for dealing with life's challenges. For example, you may be experiencing feelings of depression, anxiety, loneliness, or low self-esteem that accompany weight gain. Structure House behavioral therapists help you identify, understand and transform these feelings and prepare you to handle them when you return home. The specially trained therapists at Structure House help you uncover the emotional roots of your eating problem and find effective ways to deal with the triggers that cause over eating.

2. Nutrition:

Nutritious food that is consumed in appropriate portions three times a day is Structured Eating™.

Program nutritionists have created menus to guide you in choosing foods that are low in calories, fat, sodium, and cholesterol yet are filling and delicious. The Structure House diet includes a variety of fresh vegetables, whole grains, and lean cuts of meat.

Structure House offers a medically sound approach to healthy eating encouraged by the American Heart Association, the American Medical Association, the American Diabetes Association, the American Dietetic Association, and other health organizations.

3. Exercise:

Exercise is crucial for healthy weight control. At Structure House, exercise is not just about sweat and exertion. Exercise is also about recapturing the feelings of lightness, energy, and strength that are natural to your body. Trained exercise specialists start at your current fitness level and help you to develop a plan that you can maintain after your return home. Our fitness facilities are equipped with everything you need for safe and comfortable exercise and a variety of classes will help you improve cardiovascular conditioning, flexibility, muscle strength, and relaxation.

All exercise staff and personal trainers are certified in several fitness specialties and certified personal trainers are available. Water exercise classes are offered in either an indoor or seasonal outdoor pool. Therapists certified by the American Massage Therapists Association are available to offer eight different types of refreshing massage to ease muscles and help you relax.

4. Medical

The medical components of the Structure House program are designed to meet your individual needs safely. Feel assured that our physicians and nurses are available to evaluate your health while at Structure House. These highly trained professionals have extensive experience in areas of high risk medical management associated with excessive weight.

Should you need a referral to a specialist while visiting Structure House, we can facilitate consultations with some of the leading doctors in the field of cardiology, orthopedics, and dermatology, just to name a few. There are no unnecessary, repetitious, or costly medical interventions at Structure House.

Entry and exit health measurements track such factors as blood pressure, blood cholesterol, blood sugar, and other health conditions. With your permission, your Structure House medical results are shared with your doctor and the Structure House medical staff is ready to consult with your doctor about your progress. Structure House makes cardiac risk reduction a priority, whether preventive or rehabilitative in nature. Many participants lower or even eliminate the need for certain blood pressure and diabetic medications while they lose weight at Structure House.

"IMPORTANCE OF THERAPY"

There is the opportunity to meet privately with a therapist and work through concerns and gain new insights on any issue. (Additional fees may apply.) For example, counseling is offered on smoking cessation, changing careers, lifetime goal setting, self-esteem, body image, and relapse prevention.

The number of professionals and their specialized experience in weight management make Structure House unique. The program focuses on all aspects of establishing and maintaining a healthy relationship with food. Varied and multi-dimensional teaching techniques are part of the program and include lecture, small and large discussion groups, role-playing, sharing, and class participation.

"SUPPORT WHEN YOU LEAVE"

Our 30 years of research and helping individuals has shown us that this is not a problem that will go away forever once you leave our campus. However, we have created a support network that has been designed to help you keep in touch with Structure House. Support network services include: Phone sessions with your therapist, Support Groups at home that can be led by Structure House participants, Ability to send in your food diary to a therapist for feedback, Discounted return visits, and our innovative cell phone program Structure HouseCalls to name a few.

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