With more and more people struggling with ever-burgeoning waistlines, various weight-loss programs have emerged, attempting to provide a solution to the fast-growing chronic disease: obesity. Nonetheless, only a very few of these programs truly live up to their promises.
Functional medicine – a budding healthcare discipline – is gaining considerable momentum for its unique, multifaceted, and sustainable approach to weight loss. Functional medicine takes a dramatically different approach in that it looks at the whole person and recognizes that weight gain and obesity can have deep-rooted causes, which aren’t always corrected with mere calorie restriction and regular exercise.
Below, you’ll learn about just a few of the strategies a functional medicine specialist employs to help you safely lose the paunch, keep off the unwanted pounds for good, and achieve optimal health and wellness.
Individualized Diet Plan Comprising Functional Foods
Before devising a diet plan, a functional medicine doctor makes a thorough assessment of a person’s health to identify underlying medical conditions, such as hormonal imbalance, thyroid disorders, and metabolic disorders, which could contribute to weight gain.
Your functional medicine specialist will craft an individualized plan that incorporates functional foods, which have a remarkably positive effect on your health beyond their basic nutritional value. Functional foods include grass-fed, pasture-raised, organic, and lean protein sources; fruits and vegetables; whole grains; and low-fat dairy products. These foods are not only aimed at helping you lose weight but also ridding your body of toxins, kick-starting your metabolism, naturally resetting your hormones, and optimizing your gut health – and ultimately, your overall health.
What makes the functional approach especially beneficial is that it doesn’t disregard certain foods. It even allows for occasional but reasonable indulgence by incorporating some of your favorite foods. Your functional medicine specialist is well aware that if you don’t like your diet pain or if it is too restrictive, you are less likely to adhere to it. This makes sustainable weight loss also unlikely.
Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications
Functional medicine is rooted in the premise that being unwell in one aspect of your health can affect you in all the others. Thus, beyond providing an appropriate diet plan, your functional medicine physician can teach you strategies that will improve your relationship with food as well as give you behavioral and lifestyle recommendations to optimize your weight-loss program. These can include smoking cessation; limiting your intake of sugary, salty, and processed foods; establishing a good sleep hygiene; getting more active; fostering a positive attitude; coping with stress; and enlisting the support of your friends and family.
An Exercise Program Tailored to Your Specific Health and Lifestyle Needs
The exercise program that your functional medicine specialist will craft for you is one that takes both of your lifestyle and overall health into consideration. Your routine, surprisingly, may not necessarily include exercises that gym-goers do. This might be the case if you have an underlying medical problem for which high-intensity exercises may not be recommended.
Your functional medicine specialist may recommend safe activities that can keep you on your feet and that you find enjoyable. These include hiking on your favorite trail, taking a walk instead of going for a drive, and jogging with a friend.
Pharmaceutical-Grade Supplements
Depending on the underlying cause of your weight gain, your functional medicine specialist may recommend pharmaceutical-grade supplements, such as those that contain turmeric, B complex, or something that restores your hormone levels.
Some studies suggest that restoring healthy estrogen levels can help increase a woman’s resting metabolic rate, while vitamin B complex can help facilitate weight loss by boosting your energy levels and curbing appetite. Additionally, turmeric helps with weight loss through its natural cleansing ability. When taken daily, turmeric helps flush out toxins that have accumulated in your liver. Since your liver is responsible for metabolizing fats, optimal liver function means higher chances of weight loss.
Functional Weight-Loss Program Near Me in Weatherford, TX
Here at Alpha Care Wellness Center, Dr. Catherine Oseni, our board-certified integrative and functional medicine physician, has dedicated her career to helping people achieve their desired weight and, ultimately, the best version of themselves.
Dr. Catherine offers a vast array of products and services, including medically supervised weight-loss program, nutritional counseling, Alpha Detox Protocol, and nutraceuticals, to bring one goal to fruition: to help people steer their health in the right direction.
Arrange your visit with Dr. Catherine Oseni today. Call (817) 550-6332 now or fill out our consultation request form.
