Being overweight not only increases our risk for developing other chronic diseases. It also impacts our quality of life, mental health, productivity and energy levels. Obesity and excess weight also drives up overall healthcare costs.

How to tell if you are obese or overweight

There are a few criteria that we use to assess the degree of excess weight. Each of these has merits and limitations.

1. Waist circumference: 
   1. Men – greater than 40 inches
   2. Women – greater than 35 inches
2. Waist-to-hip ratio: Women: > 0.85, Men: > 0.9
3. Body Mass Index (BMI) – the ratio of your weight to your height squared. Here is a BMI chart you can review
   1. the healthy range for BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9
   2. Overweight is defined as a body mass index of 25 to 29.9,
   3. Obesity is defined as a body mass index of 30 or higher.

There are many reasons people carry excess weight. The old model of simply looking at calories in vs calories is outdated and inadequate. Crash diets and calorie restriction might work in the short term but they rarely work to resolve the underlying causes of weight gain.

Some common factors that contribute to excess weight

• Diet high in processed foods, sugar, refined carbohydrates and bad fats
• Imbalance of carbohydrates, fats and protein in the diet
• Blood sugar imbalances
• Stress and adrenal fatigue (abdominal obesity and visceral fat)
• Thyroid problems – hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s disease
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Excess toxins – many of these contribute to hormone imbalances
• Sedentary lifestyle with lack of exercise
• Lack of sleep or poor sleep quality
• Smoking
• Excessive alcohol consumption

The Harmonic Health approach to weight loss

Our approach is to do a full dietary and lifestyle analysis to identify which of the above factors are likely driving your weight problems. From there we can run a number of functional lab tests to dive deeper (see below). Once we have done a thorough assessment and get lab test results back, we create a personally-tailored nutrition, lifestyle and supplement program that works to resolve the root causes.

Useful functional lab tests

• Organic Acids Test (OAT)
• Micronutrient Test (evaluates nutrient levels inside cells vs blood)
• Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis (CDSA)
• GI Map stool test
• Adrenal stress testing
• DUTCH hormone test
• Thyroid testing

If you are having trouble losing excess weight and are looking for a long-term solution to weight loss, schedule a FREE discovery appointment with us today!