Health Matters: Keeping the Weight Off for Good

It seems like everywhere you look, there are programs and products geared to help you lose weight.
 
It’s difficult to find a balance between fueling our bodies while enjoying life’s indulgences.

Some weight loss programs seem like a quick fix, but the results don’t always last.

I spoke with one Essentia Health practitioner who is trying to change that.
 
“I struggle with that everyday making good nutrition choices,” says Essentia Health Nurse Practitioner, Leah Swenson.
 
The reason nurse practitioner Leah Swenson says her weight loss program is so successful.
 
“Even had one patient lose close to 100 pounds in less than a year,” says Swenson.
 
But if you ask Swenson, it’s not a weight loss program she’s running, it’s learning a new way of life.
 
“Some of these programs that incorporate their foods, incorporate their shakes, you get back to normal everyday eating and then the weight easily comes back,” says Swenson.
 
There’s no special food or shake, instead it’s focusing on what food you’re choosing to fuel your body.

After a while, Swenson says her patients aren’t even interested in that candy bar or bag of chips.
 
“Because they’ve cheated a time or two and they felt not as well as they do when they’re eating healthy,” says Swenson.
 
Swenson says she is retraining the way people think about food.

Starting with the myth that fat makes fat.

Instead, she says carbohydrates are the culprit.
 
“It’s the carbohydrates that are putting fat on because these carbohydrates turn into simple sugars,” says Swenson.
 
The best part, Swenson says she only meets with her patients once a month.
 
“It’s a behavior modification that I’m teaching patients to do that is sustainable for the rest of their lives,” says Swenson.
 
Swenson says another important part to keeping off the weight is meal planning.

She encourages her patients to pack their lunches the night before.