Weight Management

Part of the reason it is so difficult for us to lose weight is that we are genetically programmed to maintain our weight. In sparser times our survival depended upon our ability to obtain food to meet our immediate nutritional needs and to store excess energy as fat to meet our needs when food was not available. In our current environment we have an abundance of food but our bodies have been slow to adapt to our new situation. There are a multitude of complex neuronal and hormonal feedback mechanisms that trigger metabolic and behavioral responses designed to maintain energy balance. In addition food has pleasurable qualities that drive appetite beyond our metabolic needs.

Basically what this boils down to is that our bodies are extremely good at preventing starvation but not always good at allowing for weight loss or weight loss maintenance.

Unfortunately there is no “one diet fits all” approach that will work for everyone. Everyone’s genes, environment, and situation are different. Some people will do well with a low carbohydrate diet while others might do better watching their fat intake or portion sizes. Never has this been shown to be truer than with the emerging field of nutrigenomics. These genetic studies looking at the connection between genes, lifestyle and environment have demonstrated that broad dietary recommendations are not necessarily good for all people—and in some cases can be harmful.

At the Nutrition Solution Group we will work with you to tailor an individualized diet approach to help you achieve your weight goals. We can help you set realistic goals and we will use approaches that have been scientifically shown to help with weight loss.