Naturopathic, Nutrition and Weight Loss Clinic

Home
Nutrition
Weight Loss
Health Conditions
Men's Health Issues
Women's Health Issues
Body Composition Analysis
Health Care Plan
Special Offers
Appointments
Magazine Articles
Contact Us
Health Funds
Site Map

Affordable, natural health care for everyone.

Follow the link to read my articles in

Finally at 40 Life Begins

Magazine.

Naturopathic Weight Loss

Everyone likes to talk about ‘weight loss’ but what type of ‘weight’ are people actually losing? In this article, readers discover the truth about the term collectively known as ‘weight loss’.

 

 Is weight loss a misnomer and do bathroom scales lie?

 In 2003 I attended a seminar entitled ‘Fat Loss not Weight Loss’ as part of my Naturopathic training. Early in the day the lecturer made a comment that I have never forgotten.

 “You can lose weight just by going to the toilet!”  Although Mr. Eddy ND was stating the obvious; it wasn’t until that moment that it dawned on me just how misleading the term ‘weight loss’ can be.

Losing excess fat, fluid, waste or toxins, should be the goal of any healthy weight reduction program. However, for most people, the success of a weight loss program is measured simply by a decrease in kilograms on the scales.

So when ‘Anita’ weighs herself on the scales and she’s 2 kg lighter, she assumes that this is healthy and what she is doing is working. And of course this is understandable given that the generalized notion of weight loss, is all anybody ever talks about!

But what if that 2 kg weight loss came at the expense of a reduction in muscle and bone mass? Muscle mass is heavier than fat mass so when it is lost it has a dramatic effect on the scales. The irony is that muscle mass drives metabolism and enables you to burn fat more effectively. So while losing muscle mass might look good on the scales, it actually weakens your overall physique and body structure, decreases your immunity and slows fat loss.

Therefore, as any of my clients can attest, it is essential that you know what type of ‘weight’ you are actually losing. There have been instances among my male clientele where their overall weight has increased but their physique has improved substantially. This is because their increased weight came from muscle mass which enabled them to burn more fat.

It should also be remembered that muscle mass also adds tone to the body and improves its overall appearance. It also produces increased stamina, strength and energy.

Overall physique is a very important consideration when attempting to reduce body weight. Many people have large frames with a high degree of muscle and bone mass. This can weigh quite heavily on the scales but it is very important for the body to have a strong structural framework.

The body’s bone mass peaks at 20 years of age but according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, 5 to 7 years after menopause bone mass declines by a whopping 20%.This is because women lose the protective effects of estrogen after menopause which predisposes them to developing Osteoporosis (porous bones) which fracture and break easily. Therefore, maintaining a healthy amount of bone mass is essential to offset this hormonal change.

My advice to anyone undertaking a weight reduction program is to make sure that they monitor and manage their progress with regular Body Composition Assessments (BCA) to ensure that muscle and bone mass is not being sacrificed in an effort to weigh less on the scales. Ideally BCA’s need to be done every three weeks as bone and muscle loss can occur with surprising speed.

On a final note I believe it’s unrealistic to compare one person’s weight loss success with another because there are so many variables. Among my clients there are examples of people who weigh lighter simply because they have a smaller frame.

There are also examples of people who are heavier yet healthier than others, simply because they have more muscle and less fat mass overall.

Having conducted countless Body Composition Assessments, I can assure you that there are definitely risks associated with weight loss if it is not monitored and managed correctly. Bathroom scales are next to useless because they do not give you the full picture. Be fully informed about the type of weight you are losing to avoid serious health issues down the track.

 

"The Key to Weight Loss is understanding

what caused the weight gain in

the first place"

 

Australia is in the grip of an obesity epidemic, with over 50% of the

population now officially overweight. Below is just a partial list of

diseases which Australians can expect to develop in the future;
 
Heart Disease
 
Type II Diabetes
 
Cancer
 
Depression
 
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome & Infertility
 
High Cholesterol
 
Atherosclerosis
 
Deep Vein Thrombosis

 

And all the complications that accompany them.  Not to mention

the prescription cascade which at best ‘manages your symptoms’

but fails to get you well.
 

  Prescription medication provides ‘acute care’ to get you out

of a potentially dangerous situation.  However, compliance

with these drugs is often poor due to side-effects such as

lowered energy, vitality and libido.


Making dietary and lifestyle changes in conjunction with

taking the prescribed medication, produces a win-win

situation for everyone.  By simply learning how to achieve

weight loss and take off extra kilos has a significant

impact on preventing and reversing

chronic health conditions.

 

Waist circumference is now recognized as a good predictor of

a person developing a combination of the above diseases,

which is referred to as Metabolic Syndrome.  The main

driver of this syndrome is insulin resistance.

 

So how do I to go about achieving permanent
weight loss? 
 
 
 Naturopathic Weight Loss is all about understanding
what caused the weight gain in the first place.
 
 
    Everyday we see women and men who are ‘doing everything right’.
They’re exercising and eating a balanced diet and yet they cannot
lose weight. Some women even gain weight while on this new
‘healthy’ regime. At Getting Well Naturally we understand that weight gain
can be driven by many things... not just a bad diet and a lack of exercise.
Weight gain is often the result of hormonal imbalances within the body
and many women also have conditions such as underactive thyroids
and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome which make it very difficult to achieve
weight loss through diet and exercise alone. In fact, recent research
indicates that 75% of women have hormonal imbalances which
contribute to their weight gain.  Numerous other factors also contribute
to weight gain. They include undiagnosed food allergies, infection,
inflammation, stress, emotional issues, depression & anxiety.
 
 
 

There has never been a better time to start on

your weight loss goal.
 
Be quick to take advantage of our special offer. 

 
Naturopathic Health Care

SPECIAL OFFER

for a limited time to the first 50 callers, 

  5 consultations valued at $297.

yours today for just $160.

Save $137.

Because we'd like to support you to achieve your lifestyle goals.
On your first visit (approx 1 hr) you will do a Comprehensive Health Assessment
and a Body Composition Analysis and you will also receive
dietary and lifestyle advice on how to achieve your lifestyle goals.
On follow-up visits (approx 30 min) you will be given more
Body Composition Assessments to track your progress
and ongoing support to keep you motivated.
(5 consultations to be taken over a 6 month period).
 
 
 
Good health is not static, it changes daily.
However, with the right information and support
you can achieve optimal results and feel great day in, day out!
 


 

   

7 Reasons to choose GETTING WELL NATURALLY

to achieve outstanding natural health:
 
 
1.    As a Getting Well Naturally client you will be privy to dietary and lifestyle advice which can make a phenomenal difference to your overall health. You will be given a variety of different dietary recommendations tailored exclusively to you.
 
 
2.    You will also benefit from the highest quality, prescription only,  natural medicine. These supplements cannot be found on supermarket or chemist shelves. The supplements we prescribe are based on cutting edge research and are clinically proven to get you results.  Best of all your supplements are ordered on the day of your consultation and are sent to your door the very next day. They come directly from the manufacturer so you can be assured that they are fresh from the factory and are not over their used by dates from sitting on our dispensary shelf!
 
 
3.    The health of your body will also be tracked from the inside out using specialized Body Composition Testing. That’s right, we can test your muscle, fat and bone mass, hydration levels, basal metabolic rate, physique rating and much more. This service is especially useful for clients who seek to lose weight as bathroom scales can be completely misleading when used to evaluate weight loss.
 
 
4.    As a client of GWN you will also be given a Comprehensive Health Assessments to assess the root(s) cause of your ill health. This information reveals which areas of the body require immediate nutritional, dietary and herbal support for optimal health and wellbeing. 
 
5.    GWN clients are also be given the option of using integrative testing procedures to assess things such as bowel and liver toxicity, nutritional deficiencies, hormone levels and acidity levels.  Such information can be priceless in determining the root cause of your heath problems.  Some of these tests are done via blood or saliva and are sent to Pathlab for analysis.
 
6.    As a GWN client you will also benefit from some the best value natural healthcare anywhere courtesy of our extremely popular Naturopathic Healthcare Wellness Plans.
 
7.    Finally we guarantee that you will feel healthier than you could ever have imagined if  you follow the diet, nutrients and other treatments recommended for you or your consultation fee will be refunded.

 


I am a fully accredited member of the
Australian
Traditional
Medicine Society
which is Australia's largest professional association of complementary medicine practitioners, which includes, Homeopathy, Naturopathic Nutrition, Naturopathy and Western Herbal Medicine. As a member I am required to regularly update my skills and knowledge so that my clients can benefit from the latest developments in Naturopathic and Nutritional Medicine.
Merril Bowater, Naturopath and Nutritionist.
Adv. Dip. Nat.,  Adv. Dip. West. Herb. Med.,  Adv. Dip. Comp. Med. Func. Nut. A.T.M.S.
 
At Getting Well Naturally we treat a large array of health conditions including ADD/ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, Fatigue and Weight Loss as well as Men's and Women's Health Conditions. Although if your condition does not appear here please feel free to contact us as there is no limit to the conditions that can be treated with Naturopathy.
The
Getting Well
Naturally
Naturopathic Blog
is full of lots
of helpful





Copyright © Getting Well Naturally, Caroline Springs, Victoria.