The CDC estimated 93.3 million American adults were obese in 2015-2016.
The most widely used method of measuring overweight and obesity is Body Mass Index (BMI). Overweight, or pre-obesity, is defined as a BMI of 25-29.9 kg/m2, while obesity is a BMI >30 kg/m2. Other methods of identifying overweight and obesity include waist circumference, waist to hip ratio and biometric impedance.
Overweight and obesity increase a person’s chance of developing more than 20 adverse health conditions. Furthermore, there is an increased risk of morbidity from hypertension, dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease, gallbladder disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, respiratory conditions, and endometrial, breast prostate and colon cancers in those who are overweight or obese.
Our bodies were designed to eat and digest real, whole foods—meats, vegetables, and fruits—not processed foods. When we ingest highly processed, nutrient poor foods, our systems cannot function properly and respond with a multitude of symptoms including fatigue, poor concentration, weight gain, headaches, and more. Americans are overfed and undernourished. While that may sound counterintuitive, excess calorie consumption does not mean excess nutrient absorption. The opposite is true: overeating can create nutrient deficiencies. This is due to the fact that essential vitamins and minerals are necessary to process the “empty calories” found in highly processed foods. The outcome is a body with a low nutrient status and a poorly functioning metabolism.
With a Functional Medicine approach, Dr. Marci can test for nutrient and mineral deficiencies and develop an individualized nutrition-based treatment to help reset your metabolism.
For many, switching to a clean diet free from processed and high inflammatory foods will help jumpstart the weight loss process, but may not be enough to achieve individual goals. There may be obscure underlying factors leading to weight gain. Likewise, a person who is experiencing a weight loss plateau despite seemingly doing everything right might have additional factors they need to consider. For example, an underactive thyroid may lead to a slowed metabolism, decreased energy production and, in turn, interfere with weight management. Treatment of thyroid imbalance will mitigate this obstacle in losing stubborn weight. Another factor that may be impeding weight loss is chronic stress. When a person experiences stress, the body releases a flood of cortisol hormone and levels remain elevated with continuous stress. This can bring about progressive weight gain or a weight loss plateau. Incorporating stress reduction techniques in your weight loss program is an essential step to achieve progress. Finally, there are many triggers for inflammation that promote weight gain and create insulin resistance, including infections, environmental toxins and food allergens.
Dr. Marci will develop a personalized health plan that works for you by evaluating common reasons for resistance to weight loss and help you address those barriers to overcome weight gain and achieve effective results. If you suffer from overweight or obesity and would like individualized means to overcome this condition, please schedule an initial consultation.
Haff, Greg. Triplett, Travis. Essentials of Strength and Conditioning. Fourth edition. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2016. Print.