Functional Medicine and Weight Loss: A Detailed Guide
Have you tried any of the fad diets that are popular these days? How many have you given up on?
The American weight-loss and dieting market is worth over $70 billion. And there’s no telling how many billions of dollars were finagled by people selling junk science. Not only can it be a waste of time and money, but it can also be dangerous.
Functional medicine is a biology-based approach. We help people lose weight by addressing the root causes. Keep reading for our guide to learn more.
How Can My Doctor Help Me Lose Weight?
Everyone has different fitness and health goals. Some people want to get bigger and some want to get slimmer. Some of us do it for health while others just want to look better.
For many of us, this means learning how to lose weight. Unfortunately, too many people fall for whatever crash diet they happen to hear about from a friend or coworker.
Can obesity be cured? It’s not that quite that simple. There is no medicine to help lose weight fast that is effective, long-lasting, and safe.
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Take Your First Step Today on
Your Journey Back to Health
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Benefits of Weight Loss
Weight loss isn’t for everyone. Certainly, there are many factors that determine how a given person might want to manage their weight.
For many people, however, losing weight and reducing their body fat can provide significant medical benefits.
Cardiovascular Health
A healthy heart and functional blood vessels are vital for good circulation. Literally, every organ in the body needs it to receive oxygen and work properly.
Medical conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and abnormal clotting, seriously affects your CV health.
For many people, losing weight has a positive impact on their risk factors.
Joint Health
Everyone gets sore or hurt at some point. Plus, more than 30 million Americans live with osteoarthritis (OA).
OA is mostly caused by the continuous ‘wear-and-tear’ of bones and joints. as they rub against each other during movement. Obesity is a significant risk factor.
Losing weight helps reduce the stress on your bones, ligaments, and tendons.
The Functional Medicine Approach
It seems like everyone who has trouble losing weight has the same anecdote.
They tried a new diet and it seemed to be working at first. They probably even lost a few pounds. But they just couldn’t keep it up over months and years.
It’s likely that they tried a ‘crash diet’ without really addressing the underlying cause. It’s like putting a bandaid over a broken bone.
Getting to Know Your Body
No two people are the same. There are literally millions of things that make each person unique. One such thing is the makeup of the microorganisms that live in your digestive tract.
Science has discovered they affect your overall health and even your behavior.
When someone comes to us wanting to lose weight, the first thing we do is get to know them a little bit. A base analysis test tells more about your body composition and helps us know what regimen will work best for you.
Burning Fat to Lose Weight
In most cases, the negative health effects of obesity are the result of excess body fat.
This is why we put such an emphasis on fat burning. You can do situps to strengthen your abdominal muscles, you still might trouble to burn the fat that covers them.
The secret is to train your body to continuously burn fat for energy.
Your Fuel Source
As a society, we’ve become too accustomed to using processed sugars and carbohydrates for energy.
Glucose, a simple sugar, is vital in many physiological processes in the body. However, having too many carbs in your diet is bad for two main reasons.
It’s well known that sustained high blood sugar leads to insulin resistance and diabetes. What you might not know it can impede your ability to burn fat. Instead, your body gets used to burning sugar that you keep available to it.
Flipping the Switch
There are several metabolic pathways your body can use for energy. How do you get your body to use the ones that burn fat?
It doesn’t just happen overnight. Depending on your habits, this could require important lifestyle changes.
It’s just about avoiding certain foods. We create a diet plan individualized for each person. We recommend you to consider not just what but also when, how much, and why you eat certain things.
What to Eat
What’s best for you will depend on the results of our analysis. Generally, we’ll have you start your day with a nutritious shake. However, there are certain approaches in functional medicine that apply to most people who desire to lose weight.
You’re going to want to cut out overly processed foods as much as possible. Try to consume real food.
This means fruits and vegetables, wild-caught seafood, quinoa, legumes, and other delicious food. Just as importantly, this also means avoiding fast food and junk food.
Water Weight?
The average adult is 60% percent water. Your hydration level affects every aspect of your health.
Proper hydration allows your body to easily flush out the toxins and dissolve fat. No diet is good for you if it leaves you dehydrated.
Lifestyle
The most effective ways to lose weight are those that lead to a new you.
Apart from diet and exercise, be sure to sleep well and strive to reduce stress. This helps control cortisol release and inflammation.
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Weight Loss
Our Weight Loss Clinic is
Serving Walnut Creek & The San Francisco Bay Area
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Functional Medicine for Health
Are you ready for a change? We’re not talking about losing five pounds for a summer body.
Functional medicine for weight loss requires dedication and lifestyle change.
But it doesn’t end there. Visit this page to learn about functional medicine and the services we offer.
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