Weight Loss Without Dieting, Drugs, Packaged Meals – My New Years Resolution To Incorporate Nutrition Counseling into Your Practice During A Recession That Focuses on Whole Foods!
A Clinical Nutritionists Perspective
By: Christopher Fuzy M. S., R.D, L.D/N
Masters Degree in Clinical Nutrition/ Sports Nutrition
LIFESTYLENUTRITIONINC.COM – For Physicians
LIFESTYLENUTRITIONINC.COM – For Individuals

As a practicing clinical and sports nutritionist for 20 years I am experiencing a substantial increase of patients from varied backgrounds seeking nutritional counseling. Individuals with a very basic nutritional understanding are coming in as a result of side effects from prescribed medications or abnormal lab results from a recent blood test and are being told by their doctor to change their eating habits. Usually they are handed a generic diet sheet and require more guidance.

A significant segment of our practice also, consists of professionals, athletes and perfectionists that are working harder than ever to achieve success are also turning to food for stress reduction, comfort or reward and because of “long hours” and because they have obsessive-compulsive behavior (OCD) are looking for the “optimal” diet. Often their personal relationships or business affairs are in disarray so they turn to food and /or exercise for control.

These patients are highly motivated to learn what to eat and are spending close to $800 – $1,000 out of their pockets (credit cards) for nutritional counseling. Which is significantly less expensive than commercialized programs. Do not let these patients slip by in your practice by not having screening tools such as surveys and a program that addresses how to eat whole healthy foods that are adaptable for each patients back-ground, food preferences, and lifestyle based on their metabolic, nutritional and medical needs. By providing a program that focuses on food you can offer a less expensive counseling program that is 50% the cost for most commercialized programs that are not medically supervised.

The American Psychological Association found that more than half of America’s population actually eats a lot more whenever they are feeling stressed. Most comfort foods are high caloric items like Grandmothers apple pie, which most people remember eating during happy times.. Hershey’s and Cadbury’s sales are up and according to the industry experts candy store sales are at a record high. Clients report “sugar is comforting” because there is a small temporary increase in serotonin and dopamine which are relaxing neurotransmitters. MC Donald’s & Burger Kings’ report their sales are up. In my practice the average stress eater gains approximately 20-30 pounds and many are being told by their doctor they need counseling for high blood sugar or pre-diabetes.

Research conducted at California State University, shows that when stress levels are increased, so does their craving for carbohydrate rich food. Cortisol increases insulin and insuline resisitance which is associated with metabolic syndrome and pre-diabetes. In a stressful situation, the body does not stop producing cortisol and that is when a person starts to crave carbohydrate dense food in order to replenish their energy. A recession is a long term event and people are under stress for days, weeks and even months at a time. As a result many individuals turn to counting calories, and can become obsessed with food and are generally always hungry, regardless of whether or not they have eaten.

THE PROBLEM

You constantly advise your patients, to lose weight, lower their cholesterol, eat more fiber or cut out the unhealthy sugars or fats. But, as a busy physician, you don’t have the time to put together a personal nutritional plan or review diet sheets put together by pharmaceutical companies for each of your patients. As a result, patient compliance is poor.

THE SOLUTION

The answer is to teach your assistant how to provide a custom program that allows the patient to create their own program of food so that whether you are a Californian vegetarian or an Alabama meat eater, the patient will learn a system or program of eating to lose weight, control blood sugar, decrease insulin resistance and manage or prevent disease.   Meal Plan Examples & Info

The Lifestyle Nutrition Program® provides customized individualized nutritional programs for each patient without pushing (selling) the nutritional products and food restrictions. The customization of the program to the patient’s metabolic rate, age, height, weight, lean mass and activity level assures getting the clinical results without hunger or fatigue. The program is based on education, and long-term behavior modification techniques – It’s a Lifestyle …Not A Diet!! ® our slogan is the basis for long-term compliance, without deprivation. The patients find the program to be a positive uplifting experience and as a result client word of mouth referrals usually produce significant revenues into the practice.

Before
After Nutrition Counseling

Managing blood sugar and cravings while raising metabolism. WITH FOOD is the key to increases in lean mass, body fat reduction and increases in energy level!!! Patients and physicians are seeking an effective Non-Restrictive Food Program or system that allows a medical staff member to implement in the office without focusing on diet sheets and nutritional products.

In the past 19 years,
Lifestyle Nutrition has Trained over 700 offices nationwide.
A Turn-Key Nutrition Program Will Be Customized for Each Patient.

The Lifestyle Nutrition Program®

The answer – To teach medical assistants how to use The Lifestyle Nutrition Metabolic Analyzer to provide a custom program that allows the patient to create their own nutrition program of food so that whether you are a Californian vegetarian or an Alabama meat eater, the patient will learn a system or program of eating to lose weight, control blood sugar, decrease insulin resistance and manage or prevent disease.

With the Lifestyle Nutrition Program®, your patients will receive credible nutrition information designed by progressive registered dietitianÂ’s and physicians.

The most common nutritional disorders we train your office to handle are:

  • Weight Management & Stabilization
  • Cancer Management & Prevention
  • Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, Pre-Diabetes
  • Coronary Artery Disease
  • High Blood Pressure
  • High Cholesterol, Triglycerides
  • Metabolic & Thyroid Disorders
  • Menopause
  • Osteoporosis
  • Anti-Aging
  • Sports Nutrition
  • Digestive Problems
  • Fatty Liver Disease
  • Chronic Fatigue

Lifestyle Nutrition believes that your recommendations as a physician should become a lifestyle and not just another diet.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Eating only shakes and packaged foods, or following a rapid weight loss detoxification program without the proper systematic reintroduction of real food back into the patients routine generally causes approximately 60 % of individuals to regain the weight they lost back. Nutritional manufactures attempt to make it easier for consumers & health care providers to provide nutritional products to their patients to get the clinical results they are looking for. Often these products dilute the message to our patients that there are innumerable benefits to eating healthy functional whole foods as a source of nutrients in our daily routine. Often patients stop buying their nutritional products, they start back on “regular food,” & have not developed the skills of managing their blood sugar, appetite and cravings properly. A systematic introduction of healthy food using software based weekly-customized learning modules into the patients diet is an effective program or long-term behavior modification. It allows for the counseling sessions in chiropractors offices to individualize to the patients lifestyle therefore being a positive and effective experience. Lastly, the economic and marketing implications on a chiropractic practice by implementing a Lifestyle Nutrition Counseling Wellness Program are significant.

Here are some guidelines for fine tuning or introducing nutrition counseling for your practice:

  • Consider using surveys and questionnaires to screen your patients to find out which patients are interested in nutritional counseling, especially if implementing a new service within your practice.
  • Have the patient commit contractually & economically to a series of 4-12 nutritional visits in which they focus on different specific topics weekly. Provide an economic incentive for patients to add more nutritional sessions if necessary.
  • Utilize diagnostic equipment to measure, lean body mass and metabolic rate to more accurately determine the type and amount of food to provide a patient. Carbohydrate, fat and protein percentages should be a sliding scale – the more lean body mass, higher the metabolic rate and activity level the higher the carbohydrate intake. ACCURATE BODY COMPOSITION IS IMPERITIVE.
  • Provide Specific written outs goals & shopping lists (with name brands) each week that focuses on different foods and behaviors. i.e.) breakfasts, snacks, proteins, carbohydrates, healthy desserts, salad dressings, stress reduction, exercise etc.
  • Try not give to give out generalized food lists that omit specific foods- concentrate on the solution, not the problem to eating – this provides a more positive uplifting experience.
  • Concentrate on managing blood sugars and preventing or reversing disease with the correct food combinations rather than calorie counting or food weighing.
  • Give specific examples of meals and snacks that have a low glycemic load and that focus on higher lean protein contents with more fiber. Provide salty, crunchy sweet examples and volumetric foods that fill patients bellies up with a low caloric density. Review restaurant eating.
  • Provide a program for your patient that is 50% the cost of commercialized non-medically supervised programs.

Christopher Fuzy MS RD LD has a Masters degree in Clinical & Sports Nutrition and has offices in Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton, Florida. He has implemented & trained over 700 physicians nationwide with the Lifestyle Nutrition Counseling Program in the past 19 years. The program incorporates a metabolic analyzer & software to provide customized nutrition and exercise programs.

For More Information or a Practice Consultation For Physicians

LIFESTYLENUTRITIONINC.COM or 800-699-8106

For Individuals LIFESTYLENUTRITIONINC.COM

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