6 Types of Diet Doctors to Watch Out For

Do any of these examples sound like your doctor? Be wary and start looking for other trusted MDs now.

Doc No. 1

... is board certified only in a field unrelated to obesity, such as dermatology, plastic surgery, or fertility

... doesn’t take insurance but instead only takes cash or credit cards.

"Weight-loss doctors who do this have an incentive to charge for weight-loss medication and/or extra therapies, such as vitamin shots, that may not have any proven benefit," says Ken Fujioka, MD, director of the Center for Weight Management at the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California.

... dispenses medications out of his office.

"Some weight-loss doctors charge many times what a patient would pay at a pharmacy for a drug such as phentermine," Dr. Fujioka says. "Since they have a strong financial incentive, this is where doctors often get into trouble, as they may give the medication to patients who are not appropriate candidates."

... doesn’t perform an actual physical exam.

It may sound obvious, but your doctor should measure your height and weight, not just ask you for your stats, and should also take your blood pressure and do a full physical exam and medical history

... prescribes weight-loss drugs if your body mass index (BMI) is under 30 and you don’t have any weight-related health problems, such as diabetes, hypertension, or high cholesterol.

... does only one type of surgical procedure or has one operation make up 90% or more of his practice.

Doctors should tailor the treatment to the individual, so it’s best to steer clear of one who performs the same surgery on everyone, says Marc Bessler, MD, director of the Center for Minimally Invasive and Metabolic Surgery at New York–Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.