The Bariatric Medical Institute (BMI)
You've tried everything.
Now try the program that has everything.
For over 20 years, we've provided thousands with compassionate, evidence-based weight management.
If diets have let you down, it's time for something fundamentally different.
Access to specialized physicians (internal medicine, endocrinology)
Access to the most effective medications including GLP-1’s
Expert guidance to help you manage medications
Unlimited access to Registered Dietitians who specialize in weight management and have training in CBT
Unlimited access to a personal trainer along with onsite and virtual fitness classes
Educational classes around nutrition, cooking, and psychology/habit change
IT'S NOT YOU, IT'S THE METHOD
But You've "Tried Everything"
Many clients come to us exhausted, believing they've tried every possible solution to lose weight.
In fact, “I’ve tried everything” is one of the most common phrases from new clients who walk into our door.
We hear you, probably more than you know.
Does it feel like you've tried everything before?
In reality, they've often tried solutions that were incomplete:
Diets that depended on deprivation.
Exercise programs they didn't enjoy.
Short-term solutions and fad diets that never addressed the real reasons behind their eating habits
It’s no wonder that failure is the most common result when going this route.
But what if you could create an environment that makes success the natural outcome?
How to Make Success the Natural Outcome: Total Immersion
Imagine you want to become fluent in Italian. You could try an app or take a class—but would that truly make you fluent?
Real success comes from full immersion.
That means moving to Italy, living with a host family, and embracing the language in every conversation.
You’d surround yourself with native speakers, work with expert tutors, and make Italian a natural part of your life.
Our 22-week Adult Obesity Program follows the same principle.
Instead of small, scattered efforts, we immerse you in a comprehensive, structured experience that transforms your health.
Immerse yourself in our program and team of experts.
From mastering nutrition fundamentals to understanding the psychology behind lasting change, we cover it all.
You’ll also be surrounded by experts—registered dietitians, trainers, specialized physicians, and psychologists—all providing unlimited one-on-one support to guide you every step of the way.
Success isn’t about dipping your toes in. It’s about diving in fully.
4 PHASES TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE
Our 22-Week Adult Program
Our Philosophy
Through extensive scientific research and over 20 years of experience, we've learned the key to sustainable weight management:
You must genuinely enjoy the life you're living while losing weight, or the results won't last.
Your “Best Weight” is whatever weight you reach living the healthiest life you can honestly enjoy.
There simply comes a point where you cannot happily eat less and you cannot happily exercise more.
At some point, the you cannot lose more weight without living happily.
Your weight at that point is your Best Weight, and it’s far more useful a goal than trying to reach some number a table or graph says you should aim for
Our four-phase approach teaches you how to confidently manage food, handle cravings, enjoy fitness, and sustain your results for life.
The Program's Four Phases
Our four-phase approach teaches you how to confidently manage food, handle cravings, enjoy fitness, and sustain your results for life.
Our program focuses on four core phases over 22 weeks.
Phase One: Nutrition
A strong understanding of nutrition is key to weight management, which is why the first six weeks of your program are dedicated to building that foundation.
In Phase One, you’ll have at least three one-on-one sessions with a registered dietitian.
You’ll learn that weight loss doesn’t require food restrictions or deprivation.
We’ll cover essential topics like macronutrients vs. micronutrients, how to use the glycemic index effectively, and why sustainable weight loss isn’t about hunger.
Your journey starts with a customized plan based on your resting metabolic rate, measured through indirect calorimetry—taking the guesswork out of calorie needs.
Over the next 22 weeks, we’ll teach you how to integrate this data into your daily life for lasting success.
Phase Two: Behaviour
We help you uncover the reasons and take control.
After establishing a strong nutritional foundation, we shift focus to the behaviors that contribute to weight gain and past struggles with weight loss.
Eating isn’t always about hunger; we often eat out of habit, stress, or emotion. Heck, we often eat just to eat.
This phase is designed to address those moments.
You’ll work one-on-one with our expert physicians, who will analyze your food logs and help refine your strategy for lasting change.
Beyond medical guidance, you’ll also attend a 45-minute class with our clinical psychologist on the "9 Major Roadblocks to Losing Weight."
Using evidence-based psychological strategies, we’ll equip you with tools to prevent diet sabotage—helping you take full control of your journey.
Phase Three: Fitness
By this phase, you’ve spent 10 weeks training at our onsite facility building core strength, balance, and flexibility through advanced resistance techniques.
You’ll not only feel stronger and more flexible but also notice a boost in energy.
Now, our focus shifts to helping you find an exercise routine you truly enjoy—one you can sustain for life.
Research consistently shows that regular exercise is a key predictor of long-term weight maintenance.
Plus, staying active during weight loss helps preserve lean muscle, which plays a crucial role in metabolism.
At this halfway mark, we’ll reassess your fitness levels, providing measurable insights into your progress—not just in weight lost, but in overall strength, endurance, and inches shed.
Phase Four: Fusion
Over the past few months, your body and mindset have transformed. Activities that once felt impossible may now feel easy.
Food situations that used to feel overwhelming, like birthday parties, will now be moments you can navigate with confidence and even enjoy.
Small setbacks? They’ll no longer derail you but simply serve as learning experiences.
Now, our focus is on turning these new behaviors into lasting habits.
While you’ll still have unlimited access to our experts, most find that only the minimum check-ins are needed as they’ve already gained the skills for long-term success.
To wrap up, we’ll reassess your fitness levels and resting metabolic rate to measure your progress and fine-tune your strategy—ensuring you have a clear path forward to sustain your results.
UNPARALLELED MEDICAL EXPERTISE AND MEDICATION SUPPORT
World Class Obesity Experts
The backbone of our 22-week program is the medical expertise that comes with it.
Our physicians specialize in obesity and the newest medications (specifically, GLP-1's) that are available in order to improve the efficacy of weight management.
Physicians Who Wrote the Book on Obesity—Now Helping You
Our physicians don't just understand obesity. They wrote the book on it––literally.
Our Medical Director, Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, is a co-author of the Canadian Obesity Practice Guidelines, ensuring our care is at the forefront of medical expertise and evidence-based practice.
Obesity in adults: a clinical practice guideline. CMAJ. 2020 Aug 4;192(31):E875-E891. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.191707. PMID: 32753461; PMCID: PMC7828878.
In fact, our Dr. Freedhoff has been featured internationally for his work on obesity and nutrition in places such as:
You will also have access to other specialists, such as an internal medicine doctor and an endocrinologist (as needed).
Maximizing Medication Benefits, Minimizing Side Effects
GLP-1’s are the most effective obesity medications to ever exist. Unfortunately, they are not a magic pill.
Their side effects can be difficult to manage and individuals may be disappointed by their results.
As such, the overall dropoff rate in the general population is relatively high.
30% of users
stop taking medication within 30 days.
58% of users
stop taking medication within 90 days.
At BMI, we have worked with thousands of people taking GLP-1’s since they were first introduced.
When medication is appropriate, our expert physicians carefully prescribe and manage GLP-1 medications as well as other treatments.
93% of BMI's Participants
continue to successfully take their medication.
We’ve helped both reduce side effects and improve results–even in those whose body weight previously did not respond to medication alone.
RISK FREE FOR 30 DAYS
Comprehensive Program, Affordable Price
Our program offers more services at a significantly lower cost than other medically supervised weight loss programs in Ottawa.
Program Details:
Length: 22 weeks
Cost: $1,950 + HST (Phase-by-phase payment plan available: $650, $495, $495, $495 + HST)
Includes: Unlimited one-on-one access to registered dietitians, personal trainers, and physicians
No hidden fees or required product purchases
Risk Free for 30 Days
At BMI, we understand that life happens. That’s why we have no contracts and a hassle-free refund policy.
If you decide within the first 30 days that the program isn’t right for you, we’ll refund the cost of any unused phases—no questions asked.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens during my first visit?
During your first visit you will meet with one of our physicians to determine if BMI's program is well suited to you where they will explain our philosophy, approach, and answer any questions you might have.
If you decide to enroll, if not recently done, you will be asked to do a series of blood tests, an electrocardiogram (ECG) as well as set up your first one-on-one visits with one of our dietitians and certified fitness consultants.
You will also be given the option of having a 15 minute appointment to have your resting metabolic rate measured as well as undergo a body composition analysis.
Can I eat out while on your program?
Absolutely. BMI's program is meant to teach you the means to live your lives free of constantly battling your weight.
In order to do so you will learn about diet, exercise and changing your eating behaviours, but if you weren't able to live normally and go out with your friends, clearly the program would be set to fail.
As well, our registered dietitian will be providing you with extensive nutritional education with which you will be well equipped to make healthy choices when out with your friends and family.
Is your program covered by OHIP?
Partially in that roughly 1/3 of the program's true costs are covered by OHIP as all visits with the physician are covered. Unfortunately OHIP does not pay for visits with our dietitians, certified fitness consultants or the use of our on-site fitness facilities.
Do I need a referral from my doctor to visit BMI?
No, there is no need for a physician's referral however many physicians do refer their patients to us.
How much weight can I expect to lose?
Every patient is different and it depends too on the approach.
At BMI, without the use of medications, we would strive for weight-losses of 1-2 pounds per week, and with medications possibly more.
Generally speaking for behavioural weight loss programs like ours, without medications the average person will lose 10% of their body weight, and with medications the average person will lose 20%. Of course we have had people lose more than those averages, but averages are useful for expectations.
Even a 5% weight loss has been shown to provide significant health benefits, but really the best way to think about things is that the more weight a person wants to permanently lose, the more of their lives they will have to permanently change. Our overarching goal is to help you on that path.
How heavy do I have to be to visit BMI?
Anyone who feels they have a problem with their weight can visit BMI. Together with our physicians you will decide if BMI is well suited to your weight management problems.
Does BMI uses meal replacements and will I be on an all liquid diet?
No, absolutely not. At BMI we would only ever recommend you use meal replacements if you were using them to replace meals you would otherwise skip.
As well, while we have meal replacements and protein supplements available they are not required as part of the program but rather are there for your convenience.
Many patients complete the program without ever purchasing a single one and if you do want to use protein supplements and you have tried a product in the past that you have enjoyed, we certainly won't require that you buy those we stock instead.
Your program sounds interesting, but I really don't want to do the exercise component. Is there an option without exercise?
No. As detailed in our science and medicine section on exercise, exercise is an absolutely essential component of a healthy weight lifestyle.
However, what our certified fitness consultants will strive to do for you is find you fitness activities that you enjoy so that once you have completed the on-site fitness component of our program, you will be able to continue your daily fitness in a manner that suits you.
What type of diet do you use at BMI?
What we don't use at BMI is a one-size fits all diet. Every client's diet will be individualized based on their lifestyles, resting metabolic rates, activity levels, co-existing medical conditions and their dietary likes and dislikes.
With rare exceptions we will not be using low-calorie diets or very-low calories diets unless there is a pressing medical need for speedy weight loss.
Will I be hungry?
No. At BMI we realize that if you're hungry, there is no way that you will be able to maintain your weight once you have completed our program. If you are hungry while on our program, our physician and our dietitian will make adjustments to your diet to ensure that you avoid hunger.
Does BMI use weight-loss medications in its program?
Yes. While in the past medications for weight management were either ineffective or carried high risk of side effects, current generation of weight loss medications are extremely well tolerated and effective. Should you meet the medical criteria required for their prescription, and should you want to trial their use, our physicians are comfortable and experienced in their use.