Don't just Lose Weight... Gain Health!
With the 'Nourish' Healthy Weight Loss and Metabolic Health Program
BACKGROUND
Obesity Canada, one of the leading national organizations in primary health care calls for an increase in “comprehensive, evidence based, and people centered strategies to combat this public health concern including private, public, and non governmental initiatives.”
The Nourish Healthy Weight Loss Program aims to answer this call!
Program Overview:
The Nourish Healthy Weight Loss Program is not just another weight loss program. The reason it is different from other commercial programs and fad diets is that it is personalized, holistic, and objective. This means that instead of a one size fits all approach, it takes into account your individual goals, your health history, your dietary habits and your lifestyle. It is not just a weight loss or diet program; it is a complete lifestyle program. Our focus is not only on weight loss, but more importantly it is on gaining health!
It is personalized, in that you are evaluated and treated like an individual. Stock programs only work for a small percentage of the population. For most, they work well at the beginning, but are not sustainable and eventually result in weight re-gain. By working together, we get to know your dietary habits, your lifestyle, and are able to work with you to create a nutrition and exercise plan that fits YOU. Unlike other stock programs that are one size fits all, we can constantly modify your program based on your individual results and goals.
It is holistic, in that we assess your full health, not just your weight. We fully realize that your health is much more than numbers on a scale. We evaluate for any factors that may be holding you back, and we aim break down these barriers while giving you the support you need to rise above any obstacles that may be in your way. Our aim is to see you healthy, fit and happy.
It is objective, in that we meticulously track your progress, so that we can understand best how to help you. This involves some effort on your part, but it also helps you keep motivated by seeing small, consistent changes that add up to big results. We also help you set reasonable goals and expectations so that you are not disappointed.
A Basic Outline of the Program:
1. An individual health assessment, nutritional consultation, and requisition for lab testing if necessary.
2. Nutritional education so that you will be informed and empowered to make healthy choices that work for you.
3. Identification of key eating and nutrition habits that will allow you to make lasting progress, followed by an implementation strategy that works for you.
4. Identification of key barriers and obstacles that are preventing you from seeing results and keep you spinning your wheels, followed by a plan to overcome them.
5. Regular weekly follow up visits to re-assess your progress and results. Individualized modification and adjustments of your diet and nutrition plan based on your results to ensure you are reaching your goals.
Following your initial health assessment, we will have identified the major barriers to your particular weight loss. Using this information, in addition to your particular strengths, we will put in place a starting dietary and lifestyle plan for you to implement on a daily basis.
Each week you will have a follow-up visit with Dr. Sheldon in order to assess your progress. If you aren’t seeing changes on the scale right away, that’s okay! We know that body composition can change independently of changes on the scale, and also that by focusing on implementing health promoting behaviors into your daily routine will result in BIG changes over the long term. Slow and steady wins the race!
While we will assess changes in your weight, we will also track how well you are feeling (energy, appetite, mood, etc.). Based on this and other factors, adjustments may be made to help optimize your progress going forward. It is likely that over time, as your body adjusts, your plan may have to be modified to reflect the changes in your body composition.
You will also be given an activity recommendation to try for the first few weeks. It will likely be very easy to follow, just to ease you into exercise routine that you can stick to for the long term. It may consist of as little as walking 5 minutes per day, doing simple bodyweight exercises, or a sport or other activity that you enjoy.
You will also be given tracking forms to start tracking your progress! This is a very important part of the program as objective outcomes are very useful pieces of information that we can use to optimize your results. Instead of tracking your weight constantly, which can lead to frustration and reactive behaviors, we will be tracking several key behaviors that naturally lead to weight loss, so that instead of focusing on the outcome, we will keep focused on the process.
Core Tenets of the Program:
We embrace the evidence-based principles and approaches to weight loss and weight management, as outlined by Canada’s Obesity Network and Health Canada.
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Weight management and obesity is a complex health condition that requires long term solutions and ongoing care. Therefore “quick fixes” are not ideal for long term health and wellness.
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Long term weight loss solutions are best managed by a team approach, including doctors, family, and other support networks.
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Any good weight loss program takes into account individual health and lifestyle factors. A “one size fits all” approach is not ideal.
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Health is more than numbers on a scale. While weight loss is one aim, our real goal is improved health and reduced risk for chronic disease. By focusing on “gaining health” weight loss will happen naturally.
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Teaching the principles of nutritional balance empowers patients to take control of their health and wellbeing, and make healthy decisions.
More about the Nourish Healthy Weight Loss Program:
Who is this program for?
The best candidates for this approach are more health focused than weight focused and want to get out of the cycle of fad dieting followed by weight regain, guilt, and more restrictive dieting. These people are motivated to establish a healthy, balanced relationship with food and implement sustainable healthy habits rather than following arbitrary food rules. Long term thinking is a must! Short term weight loss can be easily achieved with any restrictive diet, but it doesn’t last, and weight “yo-yo’ing” may even make your health worse in the long term. People who are organized and willing to consistently track their progress are ideal, since I can’t help you if I have no objective data to evaluate. The ideal client is willing to communicate openly and honestly about barriers that may be holding them back, and is willing (and wanting!) to make a life-long change to their lifestyle in order to become the healthiest, fittest version of themselves and a positive example for their friends and family!
What makes this program different?
This program is different from other commercial weight loss programs in that it is individualized (tailored to your individual goals and lifestyle), holistic (taking into account your whole health and not just your weight) and objective (uses multiple objective outcome markers to track your progress and individual response to dietary intervention). By working regularly with a Naturopathic doctor who will teach you the basic tenets of nutrition and energy balance and together with you come up with a plan that works for you. With this program we are looking for consistent short term changes that add up to BIG long term results.
What exactly does the program include?
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A full health assessment and necessary bloodwork to assess your health status
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Regular weekly follow up visits (either in-office or virtual) with Dr. Sheldon to assess your progress and make any necessary changes or modifications based on your progress.
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Regular body composition analysis and tracking to ensure continued improvements
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Recommendations for supplements or medication to support you and help you reach your goals in the most efficient manner possible.
Initial Consultation (60-75min)
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Full health assessment
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Dietary and nutritional assessment
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Explanation of program details
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Baseline metrics (Weight, Body composition analysis)
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Starting nutrition plan
Follow up Visits (20-30 min)
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Diet and nutrition review
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Tracking form review
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Assessment of progress and results
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Follow up body composition analysis
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Answering and addressing any questions or concerns
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B Vitamin shot (optional)
What kind of results can I expect with this program?
While we can’t make any promises, it is reasonable based on our experience to expect anywhere from 0.5-1.5 lbs per week of healthy weight loss (this largely depends on your individual factors such as your height, weight, and the amount of excess weight you have to lose). This enables us to target fat storage without the loss of muscle mass, which can happen with very rapid weight loss.
Because this program is focused on dietary and lifestyle change through the implementation of healthy habits that naturally result in weight loss, your results don’t stop once the program is over. As long as you continue to practice key healthy habits (that get easier the more you do!) and continually foster a healthy relationship with food, you can lose weight as long as you want! In terms of practical numbers, it is entirely possible to see 35-65 pounds of healthy weight loss per year. Because we advocate for a slow and steady weight loss approach, you will be much more likely to maintain or continue losing weight over the months and years following the program, as compared to rapid weight loss with short term restrictive dieting. We encourage keeping the big picture in mind. It is much more important for your health where you are at in 6-12 months that where you are at in 6 weeks.
What does the program cost?
What you get:
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Weekly follow up visits (either in-office or virtual), 30 minutes each
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A binder containing handouts, assessments, and tracking forms
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Body-composition analysis using Bio-electrical impedance (BIA)
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Unlimited email access to Dr. Sheldon
What is the cost:
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$1053
This is an investment in your long term health which will also have a big impact on those around you. When factoring in the health care, personal, and non-monetary costs of living with overweight or obesity, the actual cost of a comprehensive, personalized program changes. For more information about the real cost of weight loss, click here.