Integrative Weight
Our body is more than just body fat.
When we step on the scale the number that most of us commercially use to identify our weight is actually the total sum of the body mass, aka everything we are made out of in just one number.
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We are more than just body fat.
The breakdown of what our weight is made up of is called, body composition, and gives us a comprehensive picture of our metabolic health.
Water
40-60% of body mass is water fluid. The human body requires intracellular (inside cells) and extracellular (outside cells) in order to biochemically function. There are large variations in the amount of fluid in the body due to, water losses through urine, sweat and breathing, hydration status based on alcohol consumption, inflammation or menstruation, environmental factors and dietary components.
Body Fat
Adipose tissue is what is known as body fat. It is considered an endocrine organ and is essential for regulating energy through the storage of fuel, proper brain, nerve tissue, bone marrow, and cellular membrane development, hormone production, and internal protection and insulation. The location of stored body fat in the viscera (deep in between abdominal organs) when in excess is what is associated with metabolic dysfunction and obesity.
Muscle
Skeletal and smooth muscle (organs such as, heart, gastrointestinal, kidneys, lungs, etc.). Muscles are made up of water and protein. The more muscles you have the rate at which you burn energy increases, you are better able to utilize glucose uptake (blood sugar balance), and for aging they are important to mobility/balance, which is a good indicator of longevity.
Bone Mineral
Bones are living tissue that are vital to overall body health, as well as the body's structural framework. Bone contains nerves, blood vessels, and marrow (red-blood cells), and is the storage site for minerals (calcium, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium). Our body relies on these mineral "banks" for functioning. If we do not consume enough through our diets, the minerals are removed from it's storage and over time, this leads to our bones growing weaker.
Our metabolism is one of our body's central factors in regulating our weight and ability to burn body fat.
Integrative medicine is the practice of medicine that reaffirms the importance of the relationship between practitioner and patient. This approach focuses on the whole person, is informed by scientific evidence and makes use of all therapeutic approaches, healthcare professionals, and disciplines to achieve optimal health and healing.
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I use the term integrative weight to essentially describe our unique approach to weight loss. We take a look at your weight in context of your total metabolic health, and focus on achieving fat loss with long term, sustainable weight management practices.​
Sometimes when we can't successfully lose weight, the "weight" we need to lose or understand is something beyond body fat.
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The weight of our misunderstandings
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The weight of our strained relationship with ourselves
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The weight of hormonal imbalances and body function dysregulation
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The weight of not setting boundaries for your health
This is where we go deeper by treating fat loss and weight management from the perspective of the whole self. We focus on evidence-based science for nutrition, diet and exercise, along with use of functional lab testing and other diagnostic techniques, therapeutic diets, supplements, detoxification programs, and mind/body stress management. At Integrative Weight and Wellness we integrate whole person-first care and personalized treatment approaches that tailor to the individual's unique areas of struggle within the context of their fat loss and weight management journey.
Biology
Wellness
Nutrition
Biology trumps everything.
If you are chronically stressed,
working at a job you hate, are in a relationship or surround yourself with people who rip the soul out of you, etc.... your health will deteriorate.
This takes precedence in our food decisions.
Our food behaviors are rooted in our holistic wellness/well-being and the nutrients we give (or don't) our body reflects either optimal or suboptimal biological functioning.
Learn more about eating for metabolic health and food decisions with our free Metabolic Health + Fat Loss Eating Guide.
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The best example of this is a pregnant female - her biology will literally take from it's own self to preserve the health of the baby. Regardless if what she is eating is full of all the antioxidants, grass-fed, pasture raised, from God himself... it does not matter. Our cells, our biology will do what they are designed to do.