Medically based weight clinics would be first for supermarket in Calif.

SAN FRANCISCO — Food and drug retailer Safeway plans to open the first medically based weight-loss clinics in supermarkets in California.

Weight management specialist Lean for Life by Lindora Clinic said Friday that five of its clinics are slated to open in Safeway stores in Danville, Dublin, Livermore, Menlo Park and San Jose, Calif., on Oct. 10.

The 400- to 500-square-foot clinics will be adjacent to Safeway’s in-store pharmacies. Along with clinicians who will work one-on-one with patients, the clinics will have Lean for Life food coaches to show customers how to make healthier food choices and establish better eating habits.

“We’re committed to becoming a health and wellness destination for our customers, and our collaboration with Lean for Life by Lindora Clinic supplies this health-conscious community a resource not previously available in the Bay Area,” Mark Panzer, senior vice president of pharmacy, health and wellness at Safeway, an Albertsons Cos. chain, said in a statement. “The Lean for Life food coaches will provide a unique, practical service, showing patients how they can apply the principles they learn in the program to make smarter, healthier shopping choices.”

During the launch week of Oct. 10 to 14, Lean for Life will offer customers at the new clinics the opportunity to win free in-clinic programs, valued at more than $1,000. Those who stop by any of the five clinics for a free consultation will be entered into the daily raffle, and one winner from each clinic in the Safeway stores will be chosen every day during launch week.

Lean for Life by Lindora Clinic currently operates 35 clinics in Southern California, and the new locations will give its clinics a footprint in Northern California.

“We’re proud to partner with Safeway and expand our clinics into its Bay Area stores to better serve this community, while furthering overall convenience and access to weight loss tools, including our team of medical providers, coaches and nurses,” stated Cynthia Stamper Graff, chief science and programs officer for Lean for Life by Lindora Clinic. “For 45 years, we’ve helped people in Southern California lose weight, reclaim their health and look and feel their best. We look forward to providing Northern California with the structure, support and personal connection that works.”

Lean for Life’s medically based, customized weight management system employs a four-stage approach — combining combines nutritional guidelines, menu plans, and moderate exercise with balance and well-being techniques — that allows for rapid weight loss; one-on-one support from a team of medical providers, nurses and coaches; and a maintenance program that provides patients with the eating and coping skills for the long term.

The program also helps patients learn healthy habits to manage risk factors of developing type 2 diabetes, and Lean for Life is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-recognized member of the National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP).

Lean for Life also sells its own nutritional products and vitamin-and-supplement line plus several weight management tools, such as ketone strips to determine the amount of fat being burned, digital tools to guide dieters and daily action plans that feature daily affirmations.