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Established in 1969, the Duke Diet and Fitness Center has a long-established reputation among the most highly respected treatment centers in the world for individuals who are overweight and who have a sedentary lifestyle. The primary reason people seek our expertise is for help achieving sustainable weight loss. But what sets us apart from other programs is our attention to the bigger picture. Yes, we’re skilled in weight management, but we also guide patients to substantially increase physical activity - which is equally important as eating healthfully. And we utilize the best available medical information to assure our clients learn strategies conducive to weight management while maximizing overall health. We strive to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, to minimize disability from arthritis and chronic pain, to build stamina, mobility and lung function, while managing stress, and improving mood.

Ours is an “immersion” approach to lifestyle change. People seeking lasting changes in their lives join us for two to four weeks or longer to experience healthful eating and safe exercise. This experience is combined with an intensive program of individual assessments and treatment sessions, group classes, and activities that reinforce the adoption of healthy lifestyle strategies. Our patients gain confidence and learn skills to make changes that will endure. Virtually all our clients see results within days. Along with weight loss, our clients report improvements in mobility, energy, and mood. We typically document improvements in blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, along with other parameters used to monitor health. To help assure that beneficial changes are sustained when people return home, we offer a “Lifestyle Coaching ” option - a 6 month program of regular telephone contacts with our licensed clinical social workers, experienced in counseling and coaching to support healthy lifestyles.

Our program is not for everyone. It requires a significant investment in time, money and energy. Those who have not given serious attention to less intensive approaches should perhaps try those first. While we provide a comfortable facility, with a warm and supportive ambience, excellent food, and amenities such as massage therapy, be assured that the Diet and Fitness Center is not a spa. This is a place for folks who are serious about charting a new path to better health.

Our clients take comfort in knowing that our program is part of the world-renowned Duke University Health System. Indeed, we are uniquely equipped to assist those with medical issues such as heart disease, lung disease and arthritis that are commonly linked with overweight and inactivity. Our physicians, health psychologists, nutritionists, exercise physiologists and other staff are expert in the assessment and management of such problems. Our facility is accessible for those living with handicaps. When needed, Duke’s vast health care resources can be readily accessed for the benefit of our patients.

The challenges of addressing overweight and a sedentary lifestyle are not to be underestimated. Our human genes make us particularly vulnerable to weight accumulation. Today’s environment encourages over-consumption, and under-exertion. For some, medical conditions, medications, social, or psychological issues trigger weight problems. We recognize that simple solutions to weight control are often ineffective. While committed to no particular dogma, we remain alert to research advances and promising theories that can inform and improve our program. We assume the responsibility to make a difference in our patients’ lives, and we are rewarded daily by changes we see. The staff of the Duke Diet and Fitness Center welcomes the opportunity to become your partner in your journey to better health.

A Word from DFC Director Howard J. Eisenson, MD

After 20 years as a practicing family physician, I was looking for something different. I was trained to address the “whole person” in my work– to see patients not as “cases” but as unique individuals. As our health care system has evolved, connecting with patients while addressing their most challenging medical problems has become increasingly difficult. Thus I sought a place where collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of skilled professionals was encouraged; where clinicians had the time and resources to do their best work. I wanted support to empower patients and address their needs as individuals while providing them with the knowledge and the skills to enhance their health – in short, to make a lasting difference in their lives. In 1999, I was recruited to join the staff at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center, and I’m pleased to report that I found everything I was looking for. This is a place where meaningful change happens. I would be delighted to welcome you to our program where I am confident that you will learn a great deal and soon will share my enthusiasm for our approach.