Dr. Robert Fortino: The Philly Diet Doc
Medical Weight Loss Doctor
A Physician Dedicated to Medical Weight Loss since 1999.
Board-Certified Internal Medicine Physician | Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) | Obesity Medicine Association (OMA) Member | 30 Years of Medical Experience | Lt. Col. & Flight Surgeon, 177th Fighter Wing, NJ Air National Guard
Medical Weight Loss | Metabolic Health | Men’s Health
Dr. Robert Fortino, DO, is a board-certified internal medicine physician and medical weight loss doctor caring for patients throughout Philadelphia and South Jersey.
A graduate of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), Dr. Fortino has focused on medical weight management since 1999—long before today’s GLP-1 medications became part of mainstream healthcare.
His osteopathic medical training has also influenced the way he approaches patient care, emphasizing the importance of understanding the whole person and the many factors that can influence health.
Over the course of his career, he’s helped thousands of patients, giving him experience that spans decades of change in physician-led weight loss, nutrition, metabolic health, medications, and preventive medicine.
Treatments change, but his approach hasn’t: individualized care built on the doctor-patient relationship.
Since 2001, he has served with the 177th Fighter Wing of the NJ Air National Guard, where he is a Lt. Colonel and Flight Surgeon. His experience in military and aerospace medicine has reinforced the importance of physical readiness, prevention, strength, performance and long-term health.
He is a member of the Obesity Medicine Association (OMA), and continues to follow the evolving science of obesity, weight management and metabolic health.
In 2026, Dr. Fortino and his team were named the Philly Favorites Gold Winner for Weight Loss Center by readers of The Philadelphia Inquirer, recognizing the practice among weight loss providers throughout the Greater Philadelphia region.
For Dr. Fortino, experience matters—but so does the relationship between a doctor and patient. He believes patients deserve to be heard, understood, and cared for as individuals.
Not every patient comes to him to lose weight. Some come to build strength, energy and a better understanding of their metabolism. Others want a personalized way to manage their weight and improve their health.
Whatever brings you in, you’ll get the full picture, individualized care and zero judgment.
“Medicine has changed tremendously, but people haven’t. Patients still want a doctor who listens, knows them, and cares about what happens to them. That relationship has always been at the center of how I practice medicine.”— Robert Fortino, D.O.
Dr. Fortino, Personalized Medical Weight Loss
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to medical weight loss. Every patient’s medical history, metabolism, lifestyle, and goals are different. —and every treatment plan should be too.
Medication is only one part of the program. Our team provides guidance, accountability and support to help patients build habits that last. We focus on helping patients:
- Reduce excess body fat while preserving lean muscle
- Improve metabolic health
- Develop healthier nutrition and exercise habits
- Better understand their body and treatment
- Feel supported, encouraged, and never judged
- Build healthy habits that can last a lifetime
Successful weight loss isn’t simply about prescribing the newest medication. We build relationships, earn trust and give patients the tools to become healthier and stronger for life.
“The goal isn’t simply to help you lose weight. It’s to help you become healthier, stronger, and better equipped to maintain your results for life.” – Robert Fortino, DO
Men’s Health & Testosterone Replacement Therapy
Dr. Fortino has decades of experience evaluating and treating low testosterone in men. His background in internal medicine, weight management and military medicine, along with a lifetime of strength training, helps him see how hormones, weight, muscle and energy are connected.
As an experienced men’s health physician serving Philadelphia and South Jersey, Dr. Fortino builds each treatment plan around your medical history, symptoms, lab results and goals.
If you’re dealing with symptoms of low testosterone, the first step is a visit and simple blood work to check your testosterone levels. If your results confirm low testosterone, testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) may be a good option.
Dr. Fortino believes men’s health should be approached comprehensively, rather than focusing on a single symptom, testosterone level, or number on the scale. Weight, metabolic health, nutrition, physical activity, strength, body composition, hormone health, lifestyle, and overall wellness can all be important parts of the bigger picture.
With decades of experience caring for men, Dr. Fortino’s goal is to provide experienced, personalized, physician-led men’s health care that helps each patient better understand his health and develop an individualized treatment plan based on his medical needs and long-term goals.
“Men’s health is about more than a testosterone number. I look at the whole patient—their symptoms, medical history, metabolic health, weight, strength, lifestyle, and goals—before determining the right course of treatment.”— Robert Fortino, DO
The Inspiration Behind Dr. Fortino’s Work
Dr. Fortino is a board-certified internal medicine physician and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) whose approach to weight management grew directly from his experience treating patients with chronic health conditions.
Early in his medical career, Dr. Fortino provided home medical visits to underserved patients throughout Philadelphia and surrounding communities. Caring for patients in their own homes gave him a firsthand understanding of how nutrition, weight, physical activity, lifestyle, access to care, and other factors can influence a person’s overall health.
Over time, he became increasingly focused on obesity, metabolic health, and weight management as important components in the prevention and management of chronic conditions associated with excess weight, including Type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Fortino’s approach goes beyond weight loss, focusing on metabolic health and the weight-related risk factors associated with Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease to support better long-term health.
Rather than focusing solely on treating individual numbers or symptoms, Dr. Fortino believes in looking at the whole patient—their medical history, metabolic health, nutrition, body composition, lifestyle, medications, and long-term health risks.
“I got into the weight loss arena because it’s a different way of approaching chronic issues like diabetes and high blood pressure. That’s the way you treat disease: at its roots.”- Robert Fortino, DO
Dr. Fortino also emphasizes that obesity is a complex chronic disease—not simply a number on the scale or a lack of willpower. His goal is to help patients better understand the factors affecting their weight and metabolic health and give them the medical care, education, and tools they need to make meaningful, sustainable changes.
GLP-1 Medications & Medical Weight Loss
GLP-1 and related medications, including semaglutide and tirzepatide, may be appropriate treatment options for certain patients as part of a medically supervised weight loss program. These medications work through pathways involved in appetite, satiety, blood sugar regulation, and energy balance, which can help reduce hunger and make it easier for some patients to follow a healthier eating plan.
At Dr. Fortino’s weight loss clinics, medication is one part of a comprehensive treatment plan, not the entire treatment plan. Each patient is medically evaluated based on their health history, current medications, weight-related health concerns, lifestyle, goals, and response to treatment.
Semaglutide and Tirzepatide are GLP-1–based medications that may be used as part of a physician-supervised weight management plan for eligible patients. These medications work through pathways involved in appetite, fullness, digestion, and blood sugar regulation, helping many patients feel satisfied with less food and experience fewer persistent thoughts about eating—often described as “food noise.”
For patients with overweight or obesity, GLP-1–based treatment may support meaningful weight loss and improvements in certain measures of metabolic health when combined with appropriate medical care, nutrition, physical activity, and lifestyle changes.
Both Semaglutide and Tirzepatide are administered through a once-weekly, subcutaneous injection at both the NJ and PA weight loss centers. Dr. Fortino carefully evaluates every aspect of a patient’s health, lifestyle, and medical history to determine the treatment plan.
“We are an overfed and undernourished nation addicted to processed food sugar” he says.“This can be a game-changer,” he says. “These medications allow patients to finally break-free from the cycle of hunger and weight gain. Seeing my patients regain energy, improve their health and feel good about themselves again is incredibly rewarding.”-Robert Fortino, DO
A Comprehensive Approach to Health & Wellness
Dr. Fortino’s philosophy about nutrition and exercise didn’t begin with today’s weight loss medications—or even with his medical practice.
For more than 40 years, he has personally practiced strength training and powerlifting while studying the relationship between nutrition, body composition, strength, and metabolic health. Long before today’s focus on insulin resistance and metabolic health became mainstream, he was an advocate for a metabolic, insulin-conscious approach to nutrition built around nutrient-dense foods, adequate protein, healthy fats, and carefully selected carbohydrates.
That philosophy continues to influence how he educates his patients today.
Dr. Fortino’s Metabolic Approach to Nutrition
Rather than focusing solely on calorie counting, restrictive diets, or highly processed “diet” foods, Dr. Fortino teaches patients to understand how the foods they eat can affect hunger, blood sugar, insulin response, body composition, and overall metabolic health.
His approach emphasizes:
- Adequate protein
- Nutrient-dense whole foods
- Healthy fats
- Fiber-rich foods
- Thoughtfully selected carbohydrates
- Reducing highly processed foods and added sugars
- Eating in a way that is satisfying and sustainable
“I teach my patients to focus on fueling their bodies with the right foods rather than obsessing over calorie numbers.” — Dr. Robert Fortino
As Dr. Fortino often explains, the goal isn’t to eat less forever. It’s to learn how to eat smarter for life.
Dr. Fortino’s Strong, Not Skinny Philosophy
A longtime powerlifter and strength-training advocate, Dr. Fortino practices many of the same principles he encourages his patients to adopt.
His Strong, Not Skinny philosophy shifts the focus away from simply becoming lighter and toward preserving lean muscle, reducing excess body fat, building strength, staying active, and improving health and function as we age.
He believes the scale is only one measure of progress. Changes in body composition, strength, energy, mobility, metabolic health, and overall quality of life can tell a much more meaningful story.
“Our motto is ‘Strong, Not Skinny,’ because health isn’t about being thin—it’s about being strong, energetic, and feeling your best.” — Robert Fortino, DO
As an alternative to FDA-approved branded products, where appropriate, a provider may prescribe a compounded drug, which is prepared by a state-licensed sterile compounding pharmacy partner. Although compounded drugs are permitted to be prescribed under federal law, they are not FDA-approved and do not undergo safety, effectiveness, or manufacturing review.
