Every January, millions of Americans take a look in the mirror and vow to lose weight. If you’re one of those folks, you have the best intentions. You buy a gym membership and faithfully exercise for a month or two. You cut back on desserts and try sticking to a low-fat diet. You may even hire a personal trainer or join a fitness class.

But as the days tick by, your resolve fades. The gym visits get less frequent because you’re tired, the gym is too far away or you just don’t have time. The diet is restrictive and not much fun. Finally, you give up.

This year, however, you have a choice: You can boost your chances of getting rid of excess pounds by using fat-burning supplements and a structured, medically supervised plan.

Accurate Diagnostics offers three methods to help you lose pounds: The HCG Weight Loss Program, B-12 injections and Lipo-MIC injections. The HCG program is for people who want to lose 25 pounds or more. HCG is a natural hormone produced by pregnant women and in the 1950s, Dr. A.T.W. Simeons observed that patients treated with HCG lost weight. From there he began treating overweight patients using small doses of HCG, along with a low-calorie diet.

Clients at Accurate Diagnostics begin their weight loss journey by providing their medical history, completing lab work and undergoing a physical to ensure that they are good candidates. A doctor and nurse will review the program with you in detail. The program includes a low-calorie meal plan plus virtually pain-free HCG injections, which the patient administers weekly. While 99 percent of patients use the injectable version, HCG can be taken orally.

“You’re eating differently, going on a very healthy diet, and because HCG is a natural appetite suppressant, you don’t feel tired or hungry,” explains Doug Roder, president of Accurate Diagnostics, in Columbia. “When you eat healthy for those six weeks, it changes what the body craves, like the fatty foods you may have been eating before.”

Once the six-week program is done, clients follow a three-week maintenance program that gradually introduces more foods. The average patient can expect to lose 25 to 45 pounds on the diet, which consists of two to three small portions of protein a day (chicken, beef or fish), lots of fresh veggies and some fruits, plus green tea and water.

For clients who want to lose just 10 pounds or so, Accurate Diagnostics offers two options: B12 injections or Lipo MIC injections, which include B vitamins and an essential amino acid. Both help the body metabolize and burn fat.

However, it’s important to remember that no treatment is magic; Roder says clients should eat sensibly and exercise moderately to enjoy great results from either method.

Whatever program you choose, having a plan and professional advice is key to losing weight and keeping it off this New Year.

For advice on losing pounds and inches, visit TestForThat.com or call Accurate Diagnostics at 803-216-8410.