Metabolic Weight Loss Program
Functional Medicine & Weight Loss
Functional Medicine is a systems biology–based approach that focuses on identifying and addressing the root cause of your condition. Multiple symptoms or a series of diagnoses may be one of many causes contributing to an individual’s illness. In other words, a diagnosis can be the result of more than one cause. For example, back pain can be caused by many different factors, including inflammation or an underlying immune disorder or an arthritic degenerative disease. Likewise, a cause such as inflammation may lead to a number of different diagnoses, including depression, insulin sensitivity or even obesity. The precise manifestation of each cause depends on the individual’s genetics, environment, dietary, nutrient deficiencies and lifestyle, and only treatments that address the right cause or causes will have lasting benefit beyond symptom suppression.
Essentially, Functional Medicine involves digging deeper into a patient’s condition to see if there is any underlying gut issues, immune, inflammation, infection, metabolic, hormonal and/or circulatory problems. We use specialized serum and stool testing from Genova as well as an analysis of your current medical diagnostics to assess your underlying causes of your condition.
Treatment includes proper and individualized dietary plan, supplement recommendation, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Herbal and Homeopathic approaches.
Metabolic Weight Management
Our SPINEgroup Metabolic Weight Management Program is partnered with our Clinical Director (chiropractor), Naturopath and Registered Dietitian and uses a functional medicine approach. The program is designed for weight loss and reduce your risk of diabetes & heart disease through our unique “no diet” solution. Your metabolic system will be strengthened to ensure rapid and steady weight loss while preserving and building your bone mass and muscle tone. Included in the program is: our proprietary blend of nutraceuticals to support weight management, a metabolic enhancing personal dietary plan, psychotherapy group counselling to address food focused behaviours (centered on self-care and motivation) and interval strength training with the aid of whole body vibration technology. The program combines the best of available scientific research and technology including a personalized Metabolic Enhancing Dietary Plan (based on individual biochemical markers and preferences), a personalized Exercise Plan and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to enhance motivation, compliance and ensure successful long term weight management.
Click here to read the Pros and Cons of Popular Weight Loss Programs and Diets.
Why a healthy waist? (From the Heart & Stroke Foundation)
Fat stored around your middle can put you at risk for high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, type-2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Almost 60% of Canadian adults are overweight or obese. Obese Canadians are four times as likely to have diabetes, more than 3 times as likely to have high blood pressure and more than two times more likely to have heart disease than those with a healthy weight.
A modest weight reduction of as little as 5% of body weight can reduce your high blood pressure and total blood cholesterol. For example, if you weigh 150 lbs, 5% would equal about 7.5 pounds. (5% of 68 kg equals 3.4 kg). Simply weighing yourself is not the only way to determine your health risk. Studies have shown that extra weight around the waistline is more dangerous to the heart than extra weight that is on the hips and thighs.
Assess Your Weight (BMI)
The BMI is a valid measurement of weight in relation to height. It is not recommended for use as the sole measurement of either body composition or level of fitness and should be used in conjunction with the Waist Circumference Calculator. Although the BMI is useful for creating guidelines for healthly adults (ages 18 and older), it does not apply to infants children, adolescents, pregnant or breastfeeding women.
Waist Circumference Calculator: Here’s how to take a proper waist measurement (From Heart & Stroke Foundation)
1.Clear your abdominal area of any clothing, belts or accessories. Stand upright facing a mirror with your feet shoulder-width apart and your stomach relaxed. Wrap the measuring tape around your waist.
2.Use the borders of your hands and index fingers – not your fingertips – to find the uppermost edge of your hipbones by pressing upwards and inwards along your hipbones.
Tip: Many people mistake an easily felt part of the hipbone located toward the front of their body as the top of their hips. This part of the bone is in fact not the top of the hip bones, but by following this spot upward and back toward the sides of your body, you should be able to locate the true top of your hipbones.
3.Using the mirror, align the bottom edge of the measuring tape with the top of the hipbones on both sides of your body.
Tip: Once located, it may help to mark the top of your hipbones with a pen or felt-tip marker in order to aid you in correctly placing the tape.
4.Make sure the tape is parallel to the floor and is not twisted.
5.Relax and take two normal breaths. After the second breath out, tighten the tape around your waist. The tape should fit comfortably snug around the waist without depressing the skin.
Tip: Remember to keep your stomach relaxed at this point.
6.Still breathing normally, take the reading on the tape.
