At Body Renewal we offer the Slender Wonder Weight Loss System, an HCG diet and medical weight loss program which treats the cause of obesity, low leptin levels. Slender Wonder is a safe and effective weight and fat loss program that has evolved over 35 years with tens of thousands of patients being treated successfully in South Africa. Slender Wonder specifically addresses the reduction of abnormal and resistant fat, which results in slimming of the body. The SlenderWonder weight loss programme is available in Johannesburg, Sandton, Pretoria and Cape Town at the Rivonia, Parkhurst, Sandton, Fourways, Morningside, Bedfordview, Irene, Brooklyn, Cape Quarter, Claremont, Stellenbosch and Willowbridge branches.

The program is based on treating low leptin levels and has four components:

• a low GI diet
• supplements in the form of capsules,
• a daily meal replacement with a low GI health shake
• daily injections of a lipotrophic substance (HCG) that releases the abnormal fat in the body.

If the program is strictly adhered to patients lose between 8 and 15 kilograms a month, generally find it quite easy, and feel good with high energy levels. In fact, depressed patients have mood elevation as the Leptin levels "Kick in" 10 days into the program. Many of our patients have tried numerous other well known diets but find this to be the magic one that actually works.

A highly professional team lead by a doctor assesses every patient. You will be seen individually by one of our doctors for

• a medical assessment which includes:
• weight and height measurements
• BMI calculated as well as giving you the target values for your gender and height
• Bodystat Machine assessment which will give you an indication of your body fat percentage, total body fat and water content

After the initial medical assessment you will be invited to:

• a group teaching session held by one of our doctors.
• The theory behind the diet and why it works will be explained.
• and you will be taken through the various phases of the program.
• an eating plan with interesting menu suggestions will be recommended and a printout given
• a daily intake chart which records all the food eaten for the day
• tips and pointers will be given, and you will be advised on how to handle difficult situations or manage times when you may be struggling with the diet

Follow up appointments:

Follow up appointments with the doctor are held every two weeks where a booster will be given and your weight checked.

• The daily intake chart will be reviewed and if you are not losing the required weight, your eating habits reviewed.
• Any questions will be answered and you will be offered encouragement and support.

• The Wonder Meal Plan:

This flexible, practical plan will help you change your eating habits without starving yourself. It is well balanced and incorporates a meal replacement shake to ensure optimal nutrition while you lose weight. The eating program can be easily followed by working men, women and school children. Pregnant women have also achieved great results with this program. Patients with medical problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure have been successfully treated on this program

• The Wonder Supplements:

Containing the most up-to-date, natural weight loss aids, the Wonder range helps to normalize your body's fat burning mechanism, helping you to feel great with abundant energy and improved health. A natural fat blocker helps with the conversion of fat to muscle and daily Vitamin B 12 ensures optimal energy cycle functioning. CLA also inhibits the body's' mechanism to store fat and enables the body to use stored fat as energy. Furthermore, it inhibits the process in the body responsible for laying down fat.

• The Wonder daily Lipotrophic (HCG) injections:

help mobilize the abnormal fat which has accumulated over time. If the eating program is strictly adhered to, 400 grams of fat can be lost each day and thus the amount of days it takes to lose the abnormal fat can be calculated.

• The Wonder Support System:

At Body Renewal we are committed to walking the road with you. During the first consultation with the doctor, a detailed explanation of the program is given together with emotional and motivational support .This is supplemented with a DVD which one takes home for extra encouragement. Follow up appointments are held every two weeks where a booster will be given and your weight checked. Any questions will be answered and you will be offered encouragement and support. The beauty of this program is that you are not doing it alone...we are here to motivate you and help you reach your goals and we have seen how this program changes lives by helping one regain confidence.

According to the newest research it has been proven that the supplements in the Slender Wonder program

• Slow down the 'trigger' of the Lipostat through the stimulation of the hypothalamic-hypophyseal-hypothalamic axis, thus decreasing the patients' cravings for food and unlocks the excess abnormal fat in the body
• increase the leptin levels in the body which decreases the patients' cravings for food and prevents the rebound that can occur after any traditional weight loss programs
• neutralise Protein-Thyrosin-Phosphatase (PTP1B) (which inhibits the action of leptin).
• increase the permeability of the wall of the fat cell and increases the osmolality of the broken down fat and saturated fatty-acids
• enhance the transfer of the signal that goes through the CNS to the Lipostat, through special transfer molecules.
• increase the Kreb-cycle, where ATP is produced.

There is proof that, if we can keep the fat cells empty for one year, most of the fat cells change to tissue cells

In the human body we can distinguish three kinds of fat:

• structural fat which cushions our organs and is vital for normal organ functioning and protection.,
• normal fat which acts as a reserve of fuel upon which the body can freely draw on.
• the third kind of fat is entirely abnormal. It is the accumulation of such fat from which the overweight patient suffers. Unfortunately this kind of fat is locked away and is not available to the body in a nutritional emergency.

Reduce with Slender Wonder.

The Slender Wonder program includes a low GL eating program with interesting menu suggestions that combined with lipotrophic supplements and injections (HCG), help mobilize the abnormal fat which has accumulated over time. If the eating program is strictly adhered to, 400 grams of fat can be lost each day and thus the amount of days it takes to lose the abnormal fat can be calculated.

Patients lose between 8 and 12 kilograms a month, generally find it quite easy, and feel good with high energy levels and an elevated mood. Many of the Slender Wonder patients have tried numerous other well known diets but find this to be the magic one that actually works. Follow up appointments are held every two weeks where a booster will be given and their weight checked. Any questions are answered and encouragement and support offered.

The most important reason for this is the fact that almost all other programs address only the symptoms, and not the real reason, for weight gain;

or the person was not fully stabilized when they reached their goal weight;

or the person went back to their old eating habits.

As you know, any permanent change in weight must go together with a change in lifestyle - after all, 'if you keep on doing what you have been doing, you will keep on getting what you have!

This is a diet based on kilojoules and an eating program based on the glycemic index of the food. Together with the Slender Wonder products (shake and tablets) as well as the injections, it is a formula which 'enables' the body to make new leptin. Leptin is a hormone which is formed in the fat cells and which regulates the entire adipose metabolism. Someone with lots of leptin can eat any amount of food without putting on weight, but when the leptin levels in the brain fall, appetite and 'hunger' increases and the metabolism falls, with the result that everything that they then eat is converted into fat and stored in the body. When this happens, it will make no difference what diet they follow, they will pick up all the weight lost because the Leptin levels in the brain re low. Leptin levels are increased with the Slender Wonder program and the patients maintain their weight far easier than with any other program.

• The Leptin levels decrease dramatically with
• Cortisone medication
• any hormonal shift of progesterone and estrogen. For this reason, some young girls are prone to obesity during puberty, women who are taking contraceptives, pregnant women and those who have had hysterectomies, especially when it goes together with hormone replacement therapy.
• Stress and anxiety also lower Leptin levels,
• as well as antidepressants
• certain viral infections
• antibiotics
• Additional causes of a lowered Leptin level are extended anaesthetics, emotional trauma and compulsive eating habits.

At Body Renewal we are committed to making the Slender Wonder program work for you and you are not doing it alone. We are here to motivate you and help you reach your goals and we have seen how this program changes lives by helping one regain confidence.

You will be amazed at how easy you will find this program and how quickly it works. The first 7 to 10 days are difficult and we provide natural and prescription appetite suppressants to help you over this initial period.

Once the Leptin levels "kick in" adhering to the program becomes much easier being motivated is easy when you feel great and full of energy, and even easier when you start receiving compliments from your friends and you fit into clothing you never thought you'd wear again.

At Body Renewal we give tips and recipes on how to make the eating program more appetizing and easier to adhere to.

There is no rebound regain of weight and our patients manage to maintain their weight loss long term by following a maintenance program.

• At Body Renewal, you won't find empty promises, just real results. We believe that a complex problem such as being overweight requires a total solution.
• Using scientific and personal analysis, we establish your individual needs.
• Follow up appointments are held every two weeks where a booster will be given and your weight checked.
• Any questions will be answered and you will be offered encouragement and support.
• The beauty of this program is that you are not doing it alone...we are here to motivate you and help you reach your goals and we have seen how this program changes lives by helping one regain confidence.
• If the Slender Wonder program is strictly adhered to, a weight loss of 4 to 6 kgs can be expected in the first 2 weeks.

Obesity is a chronic disease affecting millions of people. It is defined by excess body fat and is generally measured by calculating a person's BMI (body mass index). If a person's BMI is 30 or above, he or she is considered to be obese. The concern of health care providers about people being obese isn't because our society places an emphasis on being thin. Rather, being obese means that you're carrying too much weight for your height. The additional weight puts stress on your body that can adversely affect your health.

Overweight is classified as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) outside of the healthy range.

The BMI is currently the international standard for assessing weight.

BMI = Weight (kgs) ÷ Height (m)2

BMI Categories:

• Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
• Overweight = 25-29.9
• Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater
• A BMI of less than 18.5 is considered underweight.
• A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered healthy.
• A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight.
• A BMI of 30 or more is considered obese.

Obesity is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and some forms of cancer. Obese people are also at high risk for depression, job discrimination and other social problems. After tobacco use, obesity is the second-leading cause of preventable deaths. About six out of 10 South Africans are overweight or obese, and those numbers are rising. The number of children and teens who are overweight or obese is also expected to increase.