If you have a thyroid that is impaired or has been removed, HIIP can still be highly effective as long as your condition is properly controlled through medication. While a thyroid condition may have contributed to your weight gain due to its impact on metabolic rate, once corrected and managed, it should NOT be a significant impediment to your weight loss. Many HIIP members have succeeded on the program in spite of their thyroid conditions, and have been able to lose weight and reach their goals.

HIIP is designed to help stabilize and control blood sugar, and is a healthy choice for Type II diabetics who wish to better manage or potentially reverse their condition. Please note that we ask insulin-dependent Type II diabetics, or those who take supplemental insulin injections, to work directly with their personal physicians to monitor their insulin levels during the program, and require that those members provide us with medical authorization from their doctor prior to commencing the program. Insulin-dependent Type II diabetics can request a medical authorization form from a HIIP Specialist.

HIIP is designed to help stabilize and control blood sugar, and is a healthy choice for Type I diabetics who wish to better manage their condition. Please note that we ask all Type I diabetics to work directly with their personal physicians to monitor their insulin levels during the program, and require that members provide us with medical authorization from their doctor prior to commencing the program. Type I diabetics can request a medical authorization form from a HIIP Specialist.

Heart disease includes a range of conditions, most of which do not rule out participation in HIIP, as long as light to moderate activity and a calorie restricted diet do not cause a risk to health. Many people with heart disease have been able to safely follow the HIIP program, including those who have had coronary artery bypass surgery, pacemaker implantation, stents, catheterization or other cardiac procedures. The determination of whether HIIP is right for you should be made with your physician. However, if you experience a high degree of discomfort from light to moderate activity, or if your health would be at risk from restricting calories, then HIIP would not be a good choice for you.

HIIP is compatible with most medications, including common drugs for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Type II diabetes. As your health improves due to weight loss and increased activity, you may be able to reduce or even eliminate your medications in consultation with your physician. You should continue to follow the prescription recommendations from your physician during the plan, and follow their instructions regarding regular blood testing, blood pressure measurement, or other periodic health assessments so that they can determine if dosage should be changed or prescriptions stopped altogether. Note that there are some medications that can make weight loss more difficult, such as steroids for the treatment of conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and gout, drugs that impact the endocrine system and hormone levels, or drugs that mimic hormones in the body. In addition, drugs that impact brain chemicals, such as those used for the treatment of depression, anxiety, attention deficit disorder, nicotine addiction and fibromyalgia, can have an impact on hunger levels. Please be aware that your results on HIIP may be impacted should you be taking drugs in these categories.

HIIP is designed to address the causes of high blood pressure such as inflammation, and as such can be beneficial for those suffering from this condition. We encourage members with high blood pressure to continue to monitor their blood pressure closely during the program, and to report reductions in blood pressure to their physician so that they can make changes to medication levels or eliminate medications when possible. As HIIP does involve daily activity, we also ask that members be careful not to exert themselves to a point that increases blood pressure to unhealthy levels.

HIIP is designed to address the dietary causes of high cholesterol by eliminating processed foods and foods with added sugar. While individual results vary and cannot be guaranteed, it is not uncommon for members to see a reduction in LDL, or “bad” cholesterol. We encourage members with high cholesterol to continue to monitor their condition with their physician so that they can make changes to medication dosing or eliminate medications when possible.

It is common to regain some or even all of the weight lost from bariatric surgery, or to simply fail to reach a weight loss goal after a bariatric procedure. Bariatric surgery is not a guarantee of any particular amount of weight loss or of sustained weight loss, as these procedures do not address the fundamental behavioral and environmental challenges of managing weight in the modern food environment. Whether you’ve had a gastric bypass, gastric sleeve or gastric banding, HIIP can provide you with the education and structure you need to reach and sustain a healthy weight.

We do not recommend HIIP for those with kidney filtration levels that are below the normal range, even if you do not yet require dialysis. If you only have one kidney, but that kidney has normal function, then HIIP is still appropriate for you. Should you be aware of kidney function issues but are unsure as to whether HIIP is right for you, please obtain a copy of your most recent lab report and review the results with your physician to verify that your filtration level is in the normal range. If it is below the normal range, then HIIP would not be a good choice for you.

We do not recommend HIIP for those with conditions that impair liver function, including hepatitis, sclerosis or alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD). In the limited case of those diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), we do allow program participation with written physician authorization.

Hormonal fluctuation and rebalancing during menopause can contribute to weight gain or difficulties losing weight. But contrary to popular belief, weight gain is not inevitable with menopause, and you can still achieve meaningful weight loss results on HIIP during menopause by making the proper adjustments to diet and activity level. The pace of weight loss on the program for those in menopause can in some cases be slower than would otherwise be typical, however most menopausal women can achieve excellent results by following HIIP.

While exercise is a part of the HIIP program, we do allow for flexibility in meeting your exercise goals in order to accommodate your preferences and any mobility restrictions that you may have. If you are unable to walk to accomplish your activity goal, you may substitute other exercise that is more comfortable and achieves similar results, for example, riding a stationary bicycle. Similarly, if you are unable to stand to meet your resistance exercise goal, you can also do these exercises while seated or laying down. If you are unable to be active in any way, it is still possible to lose weight on the HIIP program, however your pace of loss will likely be slower than average.

Do not be intimidated by the exercise goals for the program. For some members who are already active, these goals can be met from the outset, but for others these goals will require a gradual increase in activity level over time. For example, in meeting the daily 10,000 steps goal, you can build to this across a number of weeks or longer until it is comfortable for you. The most important thing is to just get started, and then to make progress toward your goal as your fitness level increases across the program.

It is not necessary to do your daily activity at the gym, so there is no reason to worry if you dislike exercising in a public place or simply prefer the convenience of exercising at home. You can walk most anywhere — inside or outside — and HIIP provides exercise guides that enable you to accomplish your daily resistance exercise at home.

The easiest way to make time for exercise is to build it into your schedule. That might mean a daily walk before or after dinner, or a few smaller walks across the day when you have shorter breaks. In total, your daily activity should not require more than an hour of dedicated time, but may be accomplished in even less time depending on the type of exercise that you select.

During periods of calorie restriction as in the weight loss stages of HIIP, we advise our members to engage in only light to moderate activity. This is to ensure that members have enough energy to exercise safely, and that they do not trigger hunger that is counterproductive to their weight loss. Since exercise has little impact on weight loss without also following a calorie restricted diet – even intense exercise – it is better to ratchet down exercise levels to achieve your weight loss goal during HIIP than to do just intense exercise alone. We encourage members to increase their activity levels once they progress to the transition and maintenance stages of HIIP, at which time intense exercise is permitted.