Category: Weight Loss

  • We’re celebrating Your Body Evolution’s success with a great new promotion!

    We’re celebrating Your Body Evolution’s success with a great new promotion!

    What a half-year this has been. With your help, we’ve enjoyed the most successful period of growth and expansion in our history.

    Our patient community has grown steadily in number and we’ve been able to connect with more people than ever to help them change their bodies, and their lives. In fact, we estimate that the program has helped patients shed about 30,000 lbs of total body weight in the past six months alone. That’s not even taking into account the number of people who can now walk without assistance, have been able to stop taking medications such as insulin due to their astounding weight-loss, or who simply feel better about themselves and the opportunities they can now seize thanks to their renewed (or entirely new) pursuit of health and wellness.

    As many of you have noticed, there have been major developments on the marketing side. We not only launched our new brand, Your Body Evolution, but have also introduced our new website, have been active on social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter, and we have a new mobile app in the works—more on that in a later blog.

    We also launched a successful summer promotion where patients already on the Your Body Evolution program were offered a special ‘thank you’—namely, the chance to buy two months of the program and receive one free. Needless to say, the promotion has proven to be an overwhelming success with hundreds of patients taking advantage of the opportunity to lose weight and feel great for less than any other weight-loss program on the market—and with far superior success rates.

    Now that the promo has wrapped up for fall—and because we’ve been listening to patient feedback and have such strong faith in our program—we’re making some subtle changes to our fee and commitment structure with the introduction of a new, limited-time offer. Here’s how it’s going to work: Clients  can now join on a month-to-month basis. Or, if they decide to purchase two months of the program, they can enjoy their third free of charge. Why the change in policy? Our goal is to make the Your Body Evolution program as affordable and accessible as possible, so we’re making this change to ensure that our promise of weight-loss through wellness is available to everyone at any time.

    So, that’s the big news for fall. But there’s one more thing I’d like to add.

    All the business success in the world can’t describe the sheer joy I and my staff feel each and every day that we have the chance to help patients like you transform their bodies and see life through a new, reinvigorated lens. Growth in our patient base is great, but I’m truly committed to helping people live longer and better, not to mention helping them engage in daily activities that were only a dream before they took the initiative to re-claim their health with our help. As a doctor, I can say that each and every one of you helps me live out my professional passion every time you step into our clinic. For that, I offer a heartfelt ‘thanks.’

    In my next blog I’ll be offering up a little more news on our new mobile app. Until then, stay well and keep enjoying your body evolution.

    Dr. Jeffrey Brown, Medical Director
    Your Body Evolution

  • Despite what some say, obesity isn’t a disease. Here’s why

    Despite what some say, obesity isn’t a disease. Here’s why

    A year ago, millions of North Americans contracted a brand new disease they already had—obesity.

    You may be a bit confused, so let me explain.

    In June 2013, the American Medical Association officially declared obesity a disease. Seeing as how my last blog drew attention to the bias and prejudice that over-weight individuals face on a daily basis, you can imagine that my initial reaction to the news was one of total elation. Finally, a well-respected medical organization was labelling obesity exactly what it is. At least that was how I felt back then.

    A year later, I’m revising my original position and asking myself whether obesity really should be considered a disease?

    On the one hand there is no denying the American Medical Association’s declaration has helped create awareness and made advocacy easier. I’m hopeful this will translate into increased research, as well as funding for the development of innovative approaches for the treatment of obesity. A University of Minnesota study has already confirmed that the obesity-as-disease message has helped remove some of the shame associated with being overweight. On the other hand, the same study cemented the perception that an individual’s weight is a fixed state—any attempt at weight-loss is futile—with the consequences being continued poor food choices, weight gain and declining health.

    I believe that if we’re ever going to win the war against obesity, we must re-align the internal compass of the dieter to focus it on self-determinism. That means helping them navigate from a vicious cycle of negativity to a self-fulfilling state of limitless development.

    The challenge for the physician is that there are almost unlimited ways the body can say ‘ouch.’ Traditionally, doctors have organized and grouped signs and symptoms, then given names to the common diseases. In medical school we were taught how to match the treatment (usually medications) to the disease. This approach is only somewhat satisfying, at best. Our diagnoses (since we defined the disease) have almost 100% sensitivity—in other words, when you’re looking for illness, you always find it—however when it comes to what’s really troubling our patients, those diagnoses generally lack specificity or validity customized to that specific individual.

    Herein lies part of the problem with the obesity-as-disease model. The usual treatment regimen is: eat less and move around a little more! This approach, as we know all too well, isn’t working. Medications for weight-loss have proven to be ineffective and often dangerous. I believe that when the body says ‘ouch,’ it’s simply saying that something is wrong.

    With that in mind, I’m asserting that obesity isn’t a disease. It’s just another way the body has to tell us that something’s wrong. I believe as physicians we must first identify the individual metabolic processes that have caused the weight gain, and then correct them. The American Medical Association states—and I agree—that “obesity is a multi-metabolic and hormonal state.” The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has declared obesity “public enemy number one!” We must continue to pursue forward-thinking remedies for obesity and its significant medical, psychological and socio-economic consequences.

    The obesity-as-disease message might be a little like a Trojan horse. On the surface it’s an unexpected gift. But to those of us treating obesity on a daily basis, it seems to be pulling up lame.

    In my next blog I’ll tackle the question of whether food should be considered an addiction. Until then, stay well and keep enjoying your body evolution.

    Dr. Jeffrey Brown, Medical Director
    Your Body Evolution
    Weight Loss Through Wellness

  • The weight-gain double standard—and why it needs to change

    The weight-gain double standard—and why it needs to change

    Ever wonder why, when a person loses weight rapidly, they’re sent for a battery of tests by their doctor, but when they gain weight they’re told to eat less and exercise more?

    So did I. In fact, the decision to wind down my family practice and found Your Body Evolution—a clinic devoted solely to helping patients lose weight and achieve overall wellness—was prompted by a couple of key observations around that common physician reaction.

    The first was that more of my patients were showing symptoms of weight-related conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. The second was that many of my colleagues—indeed, the medical community in general—seemed to be laying the blame for that weight gain strictly on the lifestyle habits of overweight individuals. These patients weren’t unhealthy or didn’t have underlying medical issues that needed examining, many of my colleagues argued. They ate too much and didn’t exercise enough. They were lazy and slovenly. Want to know why our annual health care expenditure is increasing dramatically? Look no further than these folks, so many of them claimed.

    But I knew that wasn’t the full story. We acknowledge that almost everyone can use our guidance and help on the nutrition and exercise front, but that doesn’t explain why, when a patient loses weight unexpectedly, a physician investigates it aggressively—rapid weight-loss could be a sign of the onset of a disease such as cancer, for example. When they gain weight, however, it’s usually written off as a result of poor lifestyle choices. I recognized this was a complete double standard and that obesity really is a socially-condoned prejudice.

    Empirical studies support my view. According to a 2012 report by the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity citing previous U.S.-based studies, the prevalence of weight-related discrimination increased to 12 per cent of American adults in 2004-06, up from 7 per cent a decade earlier. Furthermore, the report notes a trend I’ve seen emerge anecdotally through interaction with my patients over the years: over-weight people not only to bear the burden of their condition in the form of physical challenges and lower self-esteem, but also in career limitations. That means lower maximum incomes compared to non-overweight people over the course of their careers, fewer promotions and a general perception of laziness and lacklustre self-discipline on the part of their colleagues and managers. Citing a 1982 study of 400 doctors in the U.S., the report notes that a whopping one-third of physician respondents admitted that obesity was ‘a condition to which they respond negatively.’ If even doctors carry a clear prejudice towards their overweight patients, it’s no wonder the entire medical community has spent decades pursuing non-solutions to this growing epidemic.

    So, what does cause obesity?

    Let’s be clear: overweight people don’t necessarily eat more. Obesity is not only about indulgence and a lack of willpower. It emerges from a combination of factors including genetics, lifestyle, environment and nutrition. There is no single magic causal factor that makes a person overweight. I learned over time and through clinical research that obesity is a sign that something is wrong with the body, which is a highly-complex piece of machinery with unlimited ways to say ‘ouch.’ Weight gain is just one of them.

    The focus need not be on laying blame, but on finding out why these patients gain weight in the first place.

    Perhaps more importantly, I found that as patients become healthier, they lose weight quicker—which is the basis for the Your Body Evolution system and the reason why we’ve managed to help thousands of Canadians lose weight and keep it off for good. Another important lesson I learned: weight-loss needs to be managed by a doctor who understands the metabolic processes that lead to weight gain. Otherwise, that complex process is left to the patient to manage on their own—and as we know from the poor success rates of most diets, weight-loss results typically fall far short of expectations.

    This is the time to overcome our societal double standards regarding weight gain, and finally treat it as a curable medical condition. Only then will we start putting the brakes on the obesity epidemic and reverse years of inefficient and ineffective weight-loss advice.

    In my next post, I’ll offer five simple diet preparation tips to help maximize your weight-loss results. Until then, stay well and keep enjoying your body evolution.

    Dr. Jeffrey Brown, Medical Director
    Your Body Evolution
    Weight Loss Through Wellness

  • New year. New you: Your survival guide for dining out (part 1)

    New year. New you: Your survival guide for dining out (part 1)

    How to lose weight faster.

    Most people love dining at restaurants. It’s always fun to try new foods, socialize with friends, family or business contacts while dining out. Of course, it also saves the time and effort of cooking a meal, especially for those who regard cooking as more chore than hobby. But for anyone hoping to lose weight faster this year, I’ll repeat a mantra that I share with my patients here at Your Body Evolution virtually every day. The one word that embodies success on our diet is: COOK! Dining out too often is a sure-fire way to pack on unwanted fat and pounds. That’s because most restaurants cook with taste in mind, not proper nutrition—and certainly not in a way that suits the needs of the average person trying to lose weight.

    There are a couple of caveats to that rule, however. First, a meal or two once in a while at your favourite restaurant is not going to derail your weight-loss success. On the contrary, the right restaurant food might fit perfectly into your weight-loss regimen. The key word there is right—which brings us to my second point: Not all restaurants are created equally. Some serve healthier fare than others, and almost no fast food chains that I’ve ever seen provide more than one or two semi-healthy options. In other words, they’re best avoided altogether when trying to lose weight. The troubling trend is that many people continue to opt for high-fat, high-sugar, high-sodium fast-food when dining out. A recent survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that on average, American adults consumer more than 11 per cent of their daily calories from fast food. The numbers are similar here in Canada.

    That said, it doesn’t require a pilgrimage to the Golden Arches to order nutrionally-challenging restaurant food. Even dining in finer establishments can be a diet buster. Consider the chicken parmesan with pasta or the Caesar salad that you simply have to have when you visit your favourite eatery. The former is fried and full of fat and less-healthy carbohydrates, while the latter, seemingly healthy option, can serve up more fat and calories than a Big Mac. It’s important to remember that restaurants aren’t on a mission to make people fat. But most love to cook with ingredients such as cream, fat, salt and sugar—not to mention using cooking methods such as deep frying to ensure quick service—because those methods and ingredients tend to make food taste better and send diners’ brains into a veritable state of chemically-driven euphoria. The food industry uses the same tactics to hook people on their processed or pre-packaged foods. If you’re interested in learning how, I recommend Michael Moss’ best-selling book Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us. For both restaurateurs and food conglomerates, the happier and more satisfied their customers, the greater the odds they’ll pay a return visit. Salt, fat and sugar are also popular additives not just because we’re hooked on them and they make food taste better, but because they’re incredibly cheap substitutes for better-quality ingredients.

    In other words, it’s not the restaurants themselves that are necessarily the problem. The problem is what you eat at those restaurants, not to mention how often. We see patients virtually every day who, for various reasons from business commitments to family outings, eat at restaurants more than five times per week. That’s far too much.
    If you love eating out, allow yourself a treat once a week, and when you do indulge, follow these rules to pick the right restaurant:

    Be wary of most chain restaurants—I’m not just talking about burger joints. Even many fine dining chain eateries use pre-packaged and processed food, or rely on deep frying when cooking. Opt instead for independent restaurants where there’s greater chance that meals will be prepared on-request and with fresh, unprocessed ingredients.

    Do your research—Let’s say a client has invited you to a lunch meeting, but you aren’t sure about the menu options and don’t want to draw attention to yourself by spending 30 minutes choosing a diet-friendly entrée. Don’t panic. Whenever possible, think proactively and suggest a couple of diet-friendly restaurant options, or book the reservation yourself. To paraphrase Sun Tzu’s Art of War, the war is often won before the battle. The restaurant choice is out of your hands? Simply visit their website in advance and find options that suit your nutrition needs. If you can’t find the perfect, choose the healthiest possible option and request modifications to suit the Your Body Evolution food groups and intuitive portion sizes. If necessary, call the restaurant in advance and explain that you have food sensitivities or allergies and need special dietary accommodations (whether it’s the truth or not). The point is to use whatever tactic necessary—even slightly sneaky ones—to avoid derailing your weight-loss objectives.

    Avoid stubborn chefs—A little advance restaurant reconnaissance is also useful because some restaurants have a no-modification policy. That means they’re run by chefs who feel their recipes will be compromised by any kind of modification. What you see on the menu is what you get. This can be a problem for dieters, especially if the eatery is known for deliciously creamy sauces and other scale-busting culinary indulgences. Whenever possible, try to choose restaurants that will be happy to accommodate your dietary needs. But there are very few chefs who won’t accommodate a food allergy. Remember my aforementioned advice and don’t be afraid to use a little fib now and then to keep your diet on track.

    In my next post, I’ll delve into a few of the finer points of restaurant meal selection. Until then, stay well and keep enjoying your body evolution.

    Dr. Jeffrey Brown, Medical Director
    Your Body Evolution
    Weight Loss Through Wellness