Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is an integral part of overall wellness, but how do we actually implement this? Being constantly bombarded with the newest dietary craze, exercise regimen or waist-trimming supplement, makes it challenging to navigate how to implement healthy weight loss.
Unfortunately there is no magic diet or “one-size-fits-all” approach to losing weight, but as with all medicine, weight loss should be highly personalized to you as an individual.
People who are overweight or obese, are at a higher risk of developing serious health issues, including heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, sleep apnea, and certain types of cancers. This is why achieving and maintaining one’s healthiest weight (which is going to look and feel different for everybody!), is a critical factor in life-long health, energy, confidence and overall risk reduction for numerous chronic conditions.
Some of the symptoms & co-morbidities associated with carrying excess weight:
- Lack of energy
- Trouble sleeping (can be accompanied by sleep apnea & snoring at night)
- Shortness of breath
- Central weight accumulation (specifically around waistline)
- Metabolic syndrome: type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high-cholesterol or an increased waist:hip ratio
- Pain and stiffness in joints (commonly knees and hips)
- Recurrent gallstone formation
- Increased risk for certain type of cancers
- Negative self-esteem, poor body image and higher risk for depression
Naturopathic Treatment
Naturopathic therapies to support your healthiest weight journey are always going to be specific to you. Your Naturopathic Doctor will dive into your unique health history, and uncover all the factors that may be impacting your weight, including the more intuitive determinants like nutrition and exercise, but also factors you may not have thought of – like sleep, stress and hormonal regulation. This may involve more in-depth lab testing, looking closely at markers that could be impacting weight loss, such as thyroid, cholesterol, liver function, sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone), and cortisol (the “stress” hormone).
Are you exhausted by the “move-more, eat-less” directive, and looking for an individualized plan for sustainable, long-term success? Work with your Naturopathic Doctor to uncover the barriers to your healthiest weight, and start implementing strategies to support your personal journey.
Examples of Naturopathic Treatments:
- Nutritional recommendations tailored to your health needs
- Exercise plans to safely increase movement
- Laboratory testing to uncover and monitor cholesterol, blood sugars, hormonal irregularities
- Bioimpedenace analysis (BIA) – body composition analysis technology to assess changes in internal markers of weight and cellular vitality – lean body mass %, fat mass % and measurements of total body water
- Vitamin and mineral supplementation to correct nutritional and metabolic deficiencies
- Sleep hygiene & nutraceutical sleep aids to support healthy circadian rhythm
- Stress management techniques & acupuncture
