Sept. 9, 2021

This paid piece is sponsored by Profile by Sanford.

Dr. Scott Boyens had a diagnosis for himself: It was time to do something about his own health.

“My clothes weren’t fitting, my sleep habits were poor, and my energy level was down,” said Boyens, a family medicine physician at Sanford Health.

“Sometimes, just getting through a full day of patients was challenging.”

A former college athlete, Boyens knew that when he left sports behind, his eating and exercise habits would have to adjust.

“And believe me, I preach this to my patients every day,” he said.

“But going right into medical school after college, followed by residency and now practice, not having enough time to do what I know needs to be done has been my biggest excuse. “

He’s also a big fan of both cooking – and eating – which doesn’t always make the best combination, he acknowledged.

At the start of the pandemic, he invested in a Peloton stationary bike, “and I have thoroughly enjoyed using that as a base for my exercise routine,” he said.

He didn’t have to look far for a solution to complement his increased activity level.

A past Profile by Sanford member, he knew the program worked for him.

“At a bare minimum, to get the weight off fairly quickly,” he said.

There was an extra incentive too – Boyens had signed up to join his teenagers on a Colorado hiking trip this summer and realized he “did not want to haul a bunch of extra body weight, in addition to the added 50- to 60-pound backpack, up into the Rocky Mountains,” he said.

“With the level of strenuousness the hike ended up being, I’m glad I made that decision. I also just needed to get healthier.”

With his weight-loss goal met, Boyens is shifting to maintaining his lifestyle. He’s shooting to keep to his exercise routine at least three times a week and continue to improve his energy level.

“I also have challenged myself this time to sustain the weight-loss goal I worked so hard to achieve this time around a lot longer than the two years I have done in the past,” he said.

“By following through with the excellent coaching I have received thus far, I do believe the third time is a charm.”

He said he realized he needed the coaching to reintroduce him to a healthy, regular diet and is repeating his coach’s mantra: “Before, during and after.”

“Rather than feel defeated when I have a poor diet day, what am I going to do to prepare for that situation before it happens, minimize the damage during that particular day and adjust caloric intake after to get back with the program?” he explained.

There have been victories apart from the scale too. His clothes are fitting better, and he’s able to shop for new ones.

“But in addition to just the outward appearance, I feel so much better, and with that, I hope I look better,” Boyens said. “I have more energy to get through the workday.  I sleep better and probably snore a little less. My joints are not as sore, and my general mobility has increased. I make better meal choices when I am out at a restaurant or an event, meaning I eat more vegetables and protein rather than go for large helpings of carbohydrates.”

Feeling inspired by his story? We asked this physician for additional insight.

What made Profile stand out from other options?

I have always recommended weight-loss programs that incorporate good nutrition information, recommend regular exercise and have a level of accountability and support to optimize success.  And I believe Profile delivers on all of those. Also, having tried other weight-loss programs that rely on food replacements like shakes and bars, I believe the Profile food is pretty darn good.

You have patients you’ve referred to Profile. What do you tell them when they are considering Profile?

I am real with patients, and I tell them my story. If they stick to the program, there is a very high probability they will meet their weight-loss goal. But there’s more to the program than just the weight loss. There are discussions about sleep habits, exercise habits and emotional issues that play a role in one’s overall health. And then the hard work begins.

Maintaining, or sustaining, that weight loss for me is the most difficult, and this is where I had fallen flat in the past. I lost the weight I wanted to previously, but usually over a two-year period, I drifted back to my old habits and subsequently gained all of the weight back. This is the issue a lot of patients have heard about with high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets, and it concerns them especially with the financial commitment that is involved. Also, as I found out previously, to try and do the adapt and sustaining stages of the program all on my own, I was not at all successful. I hope that as I continue to check in with my coach and keep that accountability in place, the new habits that I am fostering will stick with me a lot longer.

What has been your experience as a referring physician in working with Profile?

As a family medicine physician, I talk about weight loss daily with patients. And for the ones who choose to go through with a program, I enjoy celebrating with them as they see positive results. The Profile staff does a nice job of letting me know if referred patients signed up for the program and then will follow that up with what sort of results the patient had with the program.

What is one thing you’ve learned from this experience as a member and referring physician?

As stated previously, I have gone through this program a few times and have had the pleasure of working with many different coaches over the years. I can honestly say that each and every one of them had my best interests at heart, cared about more than just the weight loss and were instrumental in nudging me in the right direction to get the weight off. But this most recent coaching experience will definitely be a little different as I attempt to follow through with the prescribed program to the end as it was intended.

Ready to get started on your Profile journey? Click here.