DR. DEBORAH ABELES

Photograph of Dr. Deborah Abeles standing in a natural surrounding with a hand-drawn title The Chief overlaying the image

Founder / Chief Obesity Specialist

Dr. Deborah Abeles grew up on the North Shore of Long Island, New York. She is a bariatric surgeon with over a decade’s experience in surgical and medical weight loss. Dr. Abeles is board-certified in general surgery and is an obesity medicine specialist. 

Dr. Abeles completed both her general surgery residency, metabolic and bariatric surgery fellowship at Tufts Medical Center. She attended SUNY Downstate Medical School and graduated Summa Cum Laude, as well as, graduated Washington University in St Louis, with Honors. Over the span of her medical career, Dr. Deborah Abeles has been inducted into numerous medical honor societies.

As Medical Director of Signature Healthcare’s Weight and Wellness Center in Brockton, Massachusetts, her leadership steered the program from a newly accredited bariatric surgery practice into a community based comprehensive weight loss center with surgical and medical options.

Photograph of Dr. Deborah Abeles standing in a natural surrounding with a hand-drawn title The Chief overlaying the image

Deborah's personal weight-loss story

For Dr. Abeles, her weight loss journey started after residency and fellowship. She wanted to lose the weight she gained from a demanding surgical training. As they say, “practice what you preach”, so she applied all that she learned about weight loss to herself. The label reading, protein-first policy, cardio and strength exercises, followed by intermittent fasting and the 5:2 diet. Initially, the weight came off quite easily. Then two consecutive pregnancies, with 60-pound weight gain each time, threw everything off-kilter. Losing the weight after both pregnancies was not as easy as she thought. With a demanding job, two young children and not much time to exercise, her brain could not commit to reinstituting the 5:2 diet. Weight loss was slow and frustrating with long plateaus, but then came the game changer… weight loss medications. The medication jump-started weight loss again, decreasing her appetite and reducing the inclination to snack. It was this layering of different treatment plans at this stage of her life that was the solution for her.

Dr. Abeles knows the genetics of obesity and the real concern for childhood obesity. For her and her family, there is no good or bad food. There is everything in moderation; some foods will make you hungrier and some will fill you up, know your portion sizes and listen to your body’s cues on feeling full. Then, of course, there are days when her children will ask “where’s the protein, mom?”

Accreditation

MD
FACS: Fellow of The American College of Surgeons
FASMS: Fellow American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery
DABOM: Diplomat of The American Board of Obesity Medicine

Emblem from the American Board of Obesity Medicine declaring Dr. Deborah Abeles as a Certified Diplomate

Wendy
abeles

Photograph of Wendy Abeles standing in a natural surrounding with a hand-drawn title Wonder Wendy overlaying the image

Director of Practice Operations

Ms. Abeles, a New York licensed Certified Public Accountant, brings close to 30 years of accounting, business, and financial expertise to building and managing strategic business initiatives and client relationships. Her professional accounting experience, corporate goal setting and implementation of operations policies and procedures, is integral to the management of Abeles Wellness Experience.

Ms. Abeles was employed at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Goldman Sachs and Geller Advisors. Wendy received a BS in Accounting as well as a Master’s in Business Administration (Finance) from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

 
Photograph of Wendy Abeles standing in a natural surrounding with a hand-drawn title Wonder Wendy overlaying the image

Wendy’s personal weight-loss story

For Ms. Abeles, her five-year weight loss journey began with the first courageous step of asking for help. Deep down, she knew one more cup of water or one more hour at the gym was not going to work given the long hours and increased stress at work. Ms. Abeles did not know if she qualified for bariatric surgery but knew she did not feel comfortable proceeding with surgery. She first consulted a hospital-based program and discovered their philosophy on obesity and weight-loss was akin to addiction and focused solely on behavioral lifestyle changes. Intuitively she knew this program was not a good match. With more research, another hospital-based program was identified and there Ms. Abeles found what she was looking for. The physicians knew that obesity is a chronic medical condition, insulin resistance hinders weight loss, and most importantly that she was not to blame. She was able to start losing weight with proper nutrition education, lifestyle modifications, exercise and weight loss medications. Unfortunately, as with all chronic medical conditions, weight regain did occur thanks to the stress of the Covid-19 pandemic, stress from work and a lack of focus on the quality of food and exercise. Ms. Abeles has since reestablished care with her team and is following regularly scheduled appointments to help keep her on-track. The journey continues.

Accreditation

CPA
MBA from New York University Stern School of Business