At a routine doctor's visit two years ago, Atlanta therapist Shane Blasko, now 37, got the news that some 1.9 million other U.S. adults hear every year. "I was devastated," she said. "I was too embarrassed to tell anyone at first." Like most diabetes sufferers, Blasko was significantly overweight-at 5-foot-4, she weighed 260 pounds. Her doctor prescribed drugs to help control her blood sugar, and said, almost flippantly, "You just need to lose some weight." The doctor suggested a class at a local hospital, but Blasko felt she needed more help. "I'd been trying to lose weight on my own without getting anywhere."

After some false starts, she found Atlanta Endocrine Associates-part of Atlanta Center for Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, and Nutrition. There, medical director Dr. Scott Isaacs, an endocrinologist and obesity specialist, offers an intensive weight-loss program designed for people with weight-related health problems, such as diabetes.