Skip to Content
800-533-8762
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Health Care Professionals
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
UPMC
  • Find a Doctor
  • Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
      Allergy & Immunology Behavioral & Mental Health Cancer Ear, Nose & Throat Endocrinology Gastroenterology Heart & Vascular Imaging Neurosciences Orthopaedics
      Physical Rehabilitation Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Primary Care Senior Services Sports Medicine Telemedicine Transplant Surgery Walk-In Care Weight Management Women’s Health
      See all Services
    • Services by Region
    • Find a UPMC health care facility close to you quickly by browsing by region.
      UPMC in Western Pa. Western Pa. and New York
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Services
  • Locations
    • Locations by Type
    • Locations by Type
      UPMC hospitals
      Hospitals
      Physical Therapy
      Physical Therapy
      Urgent care
      Walk-In Care
      UPMC Outpatient Centers
      Outpatient Centers
      UPMC Imaging Services
      Imaging
      Community Health Centers
      Community Health Centers
      See All Locations
    • Locations by Region
    • Locations by Region
      UPMC in Southwest Pa. Southwest Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Northwest Pa and Ny. Northwest Pa. & Western N.Y.
      UPMC in West Central Pa. West Central Pa.
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Locations
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
      Patients and Visitors Resources Pay a Bill Classes & Events Medical Records Health Library Patient Information
      Patient Portals Privacy Information Shared Decision Making Traveling Patients Visitor Information
      Man uses mobile phone
      Pay a Bill
      Nurse reviews medical chart
      Request Medical Records
  • Patient Portals
  • Find Covid-19 updates
  • Schedule an appointment
  • Request medical records
  • Pay a bill
  • Learn about financial assistance
  • Find classes & events
  • Send a patient an eCard
  • Make a donation
  • Volunteer
  • Read HealthBeat blog
  • Explore UPMC Careers
Skip to Content
UPMC
  • Patient Portals
  • For Patients & Visitors
    • Find a Doctor
    • Locations
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Services
    • More
      • Medical Records
      • Financial Assistance
      • Classes & Events
      • HealthBeat Blog
      • Health Library
  • About UPMC
    • Why UPMC
    • Facts & Stats
    • Supply Chain Management
    • Community Commitment
    • More
      • Financials
      • Support UPMC
      • UPMC Apps
      • UPMC Enterprises
      • UPMC International
  • For Health Care Professionals
    • Physician Information
    • Resources
    • Education & Training
    • Departments
    • Credentialing
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Newsroom
  • UPMC >
  • Our Services >
  • Endocrinology >
  • Our Services >
  • Disease Remission in Obesity Programs (DROP)
Endocrinology
About Us
Conditions We Treat
Our Services
Diabetes
Disease Remission in Obesity Programs (DROP)
Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy
Telemedicine
Tests & Procedures
Thyroid Disease
Thyroid Eye Disease (TED)
For Patients
For Professionals & Students
Our Locations
Endocrinology
About Us
Conditions We Treat
Our Services
Diabetes
Disease Remission in Obesity Programs (DROP)
Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy
Telemedicine
Tests & Procedures
Thyroid Disease
Thyroid Eye Disease (TED)
For Patients
For Professionals & Students
Our Locations

Chat Keywords List

  • cancel or exit: Stops your conversation
  • start over: Restarts your current scenario
  • help: Shows what this bot can do
  • terms: Shows terms of use and privacy statement
  • feedback: Give us feedback
Continue
Chat with UPMC
RESTART
MENU
CLOSE

Disease Remission in Obesity Programs (DROP)

Many people need help when they decide to lose weight and improve their health.

UPMC's obesity programs can help you "DROP":

  • Bad habits.
  • Inches.
  • Medicine.
  • Pounds.
  • Obesity symptoms.

People have success with weight loss when they create a goal and have good reasons to achieve it.

Actions as small as making modest lifestyle changes and losing a few pounds can have health rewards. Each step in the right direction is worthwhile.


Find a Provider


Find a Location

What Is Obesity?

Obesity is a chronic disease, like high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

It can cause or worsen:

  • Arthritis and chronic pain.
  • Fatty liver disease and cirrhosis.
  • Heart disease and stroke.
  • High blood pressure.
  • High cholesterol and triglycerides.
  • Infertility and trouble getting pregnant.
  • Many cancers.
  • Sleep apnea.
  • Type 2 diabetes.

Our Approach to Helping You Drop Weight

At UPMC, we treat obesity early and actively.

The DROP approach treats this chronic disease with you at the center of our care.

We do this through:

  • Group lifestyle visits for accountability and complete care.
  • Experts — including doctors certified by the American Board of Obesity Medicine — to help with medicines, nutrition, and behavioral counseling.
  • Aftercare and follow-up to help prevent weight regain.

Obesity Program Options at UPMC

Mediterranean life: Diet derived from large heart disease and diabetes trials

The Mediterranean diet consists of a range of plant-heavy, healthy-fat, whole foods, such as:

  • Beans.
  • Fish.
  • Fruits and veggies.
  • Nuts.
  • Olive oil.
  • Wine.

Lifestyle changes focus on ways to live longer and have a healthy and happy life.

These changes can help you:

  • Get better sleep.
  • Be more active.
  • Manage stress.
  • Improve social connections.

This program:

  • Lasts one year with monthly virtual group visits with a dietitian.
  • Costs $250.

Enroll in DROP – Mediterranean Life Program

 

OPTIFAST®: Meal replacement low-calorie diet for extreme non-surgical weight loss and disease remission

Certain health problems reach a severe stage where lifestyle changes and modest weight loss aren't enough.

OPTIFAST® — a medically supervised diet — starts with 12 weeks of total meal replacement for active weight loss. Then you'll slowly build a new diet and habits to stay at a healthy weight.

It's for people who need to lose a large amount of weight fast to either:

  • Get off medicine for type 2 diabetes.
  • Safely have a needed orthopaedic surgery or infertility treatment.

It can also help if you've tried less intense diets or programs and only lost small amounts of weight.

The six-month OPTIFAST® plan can:

  • Reverse polycystic ovary syndrome, sleep apnea, and fatty liver disease.
  • Achieve an average weight loss of 18%.

OPTIFAST® requires:

  • A one-on-one exam with a UPMC endocrinology doctor.
  • Six monthly follow-up group visits (two in-person, four virtual).
  • Sixteen virtual group visits over six months with a dietitian.
  • A monthly maintenance program for one year.

OPTIFAST® costs:

  • $450 for 6 months for the program and materials.
  • $2 per meal replacement product (at most, $10 a day for the first 3 months, then the cost declines).
  • $250 a year for the maintenance program.

We bill health visits and tests to your insurance plan.

 

Partial meal replacement: Building simpler healthy habits for long-term weight loss success

Partial meal replacement:

  • Combines parts of the Mediterranean life and OPTIFAST® programs.
  • Focuses on helping you improve your diet and decrease how often you need to cook or prepare meals.

It requires:

  • Twice a month virtual group visits for six months with a dietitian.
  • A monthly maintenance program for one year.

Partial meal replacement costs:

  • $250 for six months (cost doesn't include meal replacements).
  • $250 a year for the maintenance program.

Enroll in DROP – Partial Meal Replacement Program

 

Other DROP Services

  • Prescription drugs to treat overweight and obesity, if and when appropriate, prescribed by our obesity medicine experts.
  • Resting metabolism assessment using a 10-minute breath analysis.
  • Body composition assessment using a bioimpedance scale.

Learn more (PDF).

Make an Appointment with the DROP Programs

The team at UPMC can help you on your weight-loss journey. We provide health care, support, and nutrition counseling at certain locations.

Call 412-586-9780 or find an endocrinology location near you.

More DROP Resources

Listen to a UPMC HealthBeat podcast on DROP.

View a video interview with Dr. Rometo to learn more about DROP:

UPMC
200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213

412-647-8762 800-533-8762

Patients And Visitors
  • Find a Doctor
  • Locations
  • Pay a Bill
  • Patient & Visitor Resources
  • Disabilities Resource Center
  • Services
  • Medical Records
  • No Surprises Act
  • Price Transparency
  • Financial Assistance
  • Classes & Events
  • Health Library
Health Care Professionals
  • Physician Information
  • Resources
  • Education & Training
  • Departments
  • Credentialing
Newsroom
  • Newsroom Home
  • Inside Life Changing Medicine Blog
  • News Releases
About
  • Why UPMC
  • Facts & Stats
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Community Commitment
  • Financials
  • Supporting UPMC
  • HealthBeat Blog
  • UPMC Apps
  • UPMC Enterprises
  • UPMC Health Plan
  • UPMC International
  • Nondiscrimination Policy
Life changing is...
Follow UPMC
  • Contact Us
  • Website/Email Terms of Use
  • Medical Advice Disclaimer
  • Privacy Information
  • Active Privacy Alerts
  • Sitemap
© 2025 UPMC I Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Supplemental content provided by Healthwise, Incorporated. To learn more, visit healthwise.org
Find Care
Providers
Video Visit
Portal Login