I.M.120 Helping you to BE YOUR BEST SELF

Sometime, typically in your early 20s, it begins. You had no problems in your youth or high school maintaining a healthy weight. Little to no effort was required. Your metabolism seemed to take care of you no matter what you ate. Then things begin to change.

Some call it the "Freshman 10."  In some cases it's the natural process of "filling out," that phase when an adolescent girl becomes a woman, or a boy becomes a man.  For the fortunate few, the net result is a healthy and balanced adult height and weight. For the majority, at least in America, this phase represents the beginning of an unhealthy fat accumulation. For some the weight gain is gradual and steady. At first barely noticeable until you start to grow out of your clothing. At first you may write it off to natural maturity, but eventually it's clear something must be done. For others the change is more sudden. This is especially true for Women who have had a child. The shift in metabolism can leave them with a permanent elevation of body weight.

This type of early adult weight gain is what I call "Type 2 Obesity." It is similar in its characteristics to type 2 diabetes. It is the consequence of genetic predisposition combined with an American-style diet. If you catch it early you can treat it with simple dietary changes and exercise. However in some cases the weight gain continues. The fat  cells multiply. Hormones begin to change. The newly accumulated weight becomes semi-permanent. At this point, conventional diet and exercise interventions will often fail. That is because fat cells are the most hormonally active cells in your body. As you gain weight, you produce more of them. They quickly start to produce hormones to preserve themselves and grow more fat.  It becomes a self-perpetuating cycle. You have reached a "tipping point" where your fat almost takes over. Any change in your diet with subsequent weight-loss stimulates a vigorous hormonal response causing the weight-loss to stop and stimulating re-accumulation of fat.

Somewhere in there is your real self. All you need is some help to tip the cycle in your favor. The right combination of nutraceuticals, supplements, nutritional guidance and in some cases prescription medicine may be necessary to break the cycle. Getting down to your target weight is the first step in the process. Creating an after plan to make the new change permanent is also required.

If you're reading this and have experienced a cycle of temporary weight-loss only to see it re-accumulate, don't keep making the same circle. You will only do the "I.M.120 Method for Weight-loss" once. After this life-changing intervention, you will forevermore be a graduate of the program, capable of sustaining a healthy weight with a minimal amount of maintenance support.

To your best health,

Dr. Stephen Petteruti