Annie Miller, a wife and busy mother of two, also has a background in law, owns multiple businesses and is involved in real-estate development and investments with her family. By Cindy Charette
Annie Miller, a wife and busy mother of two, also has a background in law, owns multiple businesses and is involved in real-estate development and investments with her family. Miller, who battled with losing weight her whole life, went from one extreme diet to another, but nothing seemed to work. One day, she happened to run into an old friend who had noticeably lost a great deal of weight. The friend told Miller all about her weight loss success through the Medi-Weightloss program. Feeling hopeful, Miller immediately called her local clinic in McAllen, Texas, and made her first appointment.
With incredible determination and the help of a wonderful staff, Miller lost 80 pounds in her first year as a patient. Miller said: “The beauty for me was that I had to come in every week, check in with a nurse practitioner, and get on the scale. And a lot of weeks I was more concerned with letting the nurse practitioner or medical assistant down when I stepped on that scale, than I was with letting myself down.” Miller added: “I built a very strong personal connection with the staff at the clinic, and I always felt that they were cheering me on. So checking in weekly was a great part of holding me accountable and keeping me inspired to keep doing the work.”
Miller reached her weight-loss goal after 15 months in the program. She said she will always remember her struggle with weight loss and her emotional journey, but she has learned that there is no such thing as being “hopeless.” Once she joined Medi-Weightloss and discovered the individualized programs were designed with proven success behind them, she knew she was on the path to successful weight loss.
When she was a patient, Miller learned that a contract to purchase the McAllen clinic had fallen through, so she jumped at the opportunity to become the next owner. Miller went to her husband and told him she was interested in buying the clinic. Despite neither having a background in medicine or the medical industry, her husband was very supportive, and Miller took over ownership in February 2019.
Since then, the clinic has grown immensely and has been a great investment financially. However, the greatest reward for Miller has been the impact her clinic has made on her community. With McAllen having been ranked as having the most massively obese population in America by WalletHub, Miller was happy to help make a difference in the lifestyles of her patients. Many patients are teachers whose lives are changing, and in turn, those teachers are setting a great example for their students. Additionally, during the pandemic, Miller made it her priority to give back within her community where help was needed most. Determined to help boost immunity and provide strength to frontline workers, Miller donated healthy gift bags containing items to encourage proper nutrition, such as protein shakes, healthy snacks, and more.
Medi-Weightloss offers a medically supervised program, starting with an electrocardiogram, bloodwork and, in some cases, a metabolism measurement test. The provider then takes that data and determines the right amount of calories, protein, hydration, and exercise for each patient. They also prescribe FDA-approved medication, if applicable. This program, followed by the consistency of weekly check-ins with staff, results in accountability between visits. Additionally, the Medi-Weightloss staff spends a large percentage of their time focusing on patient emotions as opposed to asking what a patient ate. That emotional part is so important, and that’s why the connection with staff makes a difference. The goal is to teach patients how to live in wellness and to make choices that are going to benefit them in the long run. It is a complete lifestyle shift. According to Miller, “We have people who come that just want to drop five or 10 pounds for their daughter’s wedding, to people who literally need a new lease on life. They need to learn how to live and how to eat to live as opposed to living to eat.”
For more information on a Medi-Weightloss franchise, visit mediweightlossfranchising.com.
– Cindy Charette