Alberta Obesity Centre
Real medical treatment. Real support. Real change.
A Different Kind of Obesity Care
All of our services are delivered 100% virtually and are completely free to anyone living anywhere in Alberta with a valid health card.
At AOC, obesity is recognized and treated as a chronic, complex medical condition — never a reflection of character or willpower. The approach brings together physicians, nurses, psychologists, and registered dietitians who work as one team to support long-term well-being. Here, progress isn’t measured only by weight. It’s seen in energy, mobility, confidence, and quality of life — the outcomes that truly matter.
Your Journey Begins with One Step
This is a guided partnership, not a one-time program. You must be referred to our program by a general practitioner. If you don’t have a doctor, don’t worry – you can go to a walk-in clinic and ask for a referral from the physician you see. Your journey with us will guide you from your intake assessment to long-term followup. Each step is private, virtual, medically guided, and tailored just for you:
Comprehensive Assessment
We look at your whole health picture, including:
- Medical history & current conditions
- Eating behaviour, sleep, stress, activity
- Mental health and emotional wellbeing
Personalized Treatment Plan
A coordinated care plan that may include:
- Nutrition therapy
- Psychological support
- Medical monitoring & medications
Long-Term Partnership
Because obesity is chronic, we never leave you to figure it out alone. Follow-ups, maintenance care, and relapse-prevention strategies are always available. Our goal isn’t short-term weight loss — it’s long-term health, confidence, and wellbeing.
Active Virtual Care & Ongoing Support
Regular video appointments, check-ins, and programs make support accessible anywhere you are in Alberta.
How Our Services Work Together
Each component of care strengthens the others. Medical treatments support nutrition goals, behavioural support boosts mindset and resilience, and bariatric coordination ensures safe, informed decisions when surgery is part of the path. This is whole-person care — physical, emotional, and social health moving forward together.
Medical Obesity Management
Obesity is complex. It’s not simply the result of overeating or a lack of willpower. It’s influenced by multiple factors, including biology, genetics, environment, medications, trauma history, metabolism, and so much more. Medical obesity management acknowledges this complexity and ensures that individuals are no longer left trying to “fix” their weight alone.
We provide evidence-informed treatment that is guided by the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines, ensuring each person receives care that supports both immediate needs and long-term success. Medication therapy, whether temporary or ongoing, can be a valuable tool for many people when excess weight contributes to chronic health conditions or reduces quality of life. Our goal is always to improve metabolic health, protect your future, and help you feel better in your everyday life.
Medical treatments may include:
- Medications such as GLP-1 receptor agonists (like Ozempic) and combination therapies prescribed and monitored by our medical team
- Ongoing clinical follow-up to track metabolic health markers, side effects, and dose adjustments
- Collaborative care with our dietitian and behavioural medicine team to support sustainable change and healthy coping patterns
Some people stay on medication long-term, and others do not. What matters most is that you have support, a plan that evolves with you, and a healthcare team that recognizes obesity as a chronic health condition — not a personal failing.
We meet you where you are, support your goals, and work to reduce the stigma and burden that individuals living with obesity often carry alone. Every step is guided by your values, your life, and your readiness for change.
Nutrition & Dietitian Services
Nutrition isn’t just about calories or avoiding certain foods. It’s also about rebuilding a healthy relationship with eating, supporting metabolism and hormones, improving energy, and feeling satisfied without guilt or restriction. Many people living with obesity have been pushed into countless diets that over-focus on willpower and short-term results. Our approach is the opposite: practical, supportive, and aligned with how your body actually works.
You’ll work with a registered dietitian who specializes in medical obesity care and understands the way hunger cues, cravings, blood sugar, gut hormones, and emotional attachment to food can shift over time. If you are using anti-obesity medications, nutrition guidance is adjusted to make sure you are fueling your body properly while minimizing side effects like nausea or reflux. If you are not using medication, the focus is still on increasing satisfaction, decreasing hunger swings, and supporting your individual health goals.
Nutritional support often includes:
- Meal structure and planning that feels realistic for your lifestyle
- Strategies for cravings, grazing, emotional eating, and binge-restrict cycles
- Nutrition for metabolic health, including managing insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, PCOS, or fatty liver disease
- Protein targets for muscle preservation during weight loss
- Education on grocery choices, dining out, and navigating family or cultural food expectations
There are no “bad foods” here. We remove shame from the table and replace it with confidence, flexibility, and a deeper understanding of what your body needs, not what diet culture demands. Food should support your life, not control it.
Behavioural Medicine
Weight is influenced by biology and environment but behaviour is where change becomes sustainable. This is where the mental and emotional side of health is acknowledged, validated, and supported with real tools. Many people have experienced trauma, stressors, and weight stigma that affect their coping patterns, their ability to trust healthcare, and their belief in themselves. Our behavioural medicine team is here to help you rewrite those experiences into new pathways that support your health long-term.
We focus on skills that make healthy choices easier and more automatic over time rather than perfection or pressure. We also recognize that neurodivergence, sleep disturbances, anxiety, depression, ADHD, and other mental health conditions can significantly shape appetite, motivation, and executive functioning. You’re not expected to “just try harder”. You are supported with care that adapts to how your brain works.
Together, we’ll work on:
- Cognitive and emotional strategies to reduce shame-based thinking and build self-trust
- Skills to notice hunger and fullness cues and respond without judgement
- Sleep improvement techniques to support metabolism and appetite regulation
- Tools to manage stress eating, boredom eating, and reward-driven patterns
- Values-based goal setting that removes all-or-nothing expectations
You are a whole person, not a BMI, not a number on a scale, and not a diagnosis. Changing behaviour isn’t about willpower, but about understanding what your body and mind have been doing to protect you and learning new tools when those old patterns no longer serve your wellbeing.
Bariatric Surgery Support Services
For some individuals, bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment to improve metabolic health, reduce the burden of obesity-related conditions, and restore mobility and quality of life. It’s a powerful medical intervention but it requires comprehensive care before and after surgery to ensure the best long-term outcomes.
Our clinic provides medical, nutritional, and behavioural support throughout the surgical journey, whether you are considering surgery through a publicly funded pathway or a private program. If you are exploring your options, we help you determine whether surgery is appropriate for your needs and walk with you through preparation, referral, and recovery. If you have already had surgery and need more support, we ensure your ongoing health needs are met without judgment or dismissal.
We often help patients with:
- Pre-surgical optimization of nutrition, medication, and mental health
- Coordination with bariatric surgical teams and program requirements
- Long-term follow-up for nutritional deficiencies, metabolic monitoring, and medication management
- Guidance for changes in appetite, digestion, taste, and food tolerance
- Tools to support identity changes, body image, and life after significant weight loss
Surgery is not “the easy way out”. It is a major medical decision that requires courage, commitment, and a knowledgeable team who understands the complexity of living with obesity. We are here to ensure you have the safety net, expertise, and compassion needed at every stage – before, during, and long after surgery.
Real Treatment. Real Support. Real Change.
If you’ve tried everything — you haven’t tried this. Let’s build a plan guided by science, supported by a team who understands obesity for the medical condition it is. We’re looking forward to meeting you.