Obesity: A Client Profile

Wednesday, 31 August 2011 12:13

There have recently been a lot of media reports on the rising obesity levels in the UK and whether government intervention is necessary.  We have been working with an obese client since May 2011 and have been given her permission to explain how we’ve implemented healthy lifestyle choices and a corrective exercise programme.

Here is a brief client profile:

• · Female, 45: Mother of 4, Overweight then obese for many years, uncomfortable going to a gym environment/fitness classes etc.
• · Starting weight (3 May 2011): 20st 10lbs (131.8 kg)
• · Current weight (30 August 2011): 17st 0lbs (108.2 kg)
• · Total weight loss to date: 3st 10lbs (23.6 kg)

Since starting at Boddy Language, she has consistently lost an average of 3 lbs per week.  This small but regular change has been important for two reasons:

1. 1. It will allow the body to readjust and adapt, especially the location and function of the internal organs
   
2. 2. It allows the skin elasticity to adapt to the physical changes. When people lose weight very quickly, they tend to have excess skin which can only be addressed with surgery.

So how did we do this?

Sometimes with obese clients suffering from many health problems, it is difficult to know where to start: diet or exercise.  Having examined the client’s food diary, it was clear that she needed to start detoxing the body and eliminating known allergens such as gluten, caffeine, dairy and refined sugar.  The first and most important task was to introduce regular water consumption.  It was clear that her body was dehydrated just by looking at her diet (i.e. there was no water intake!).  Water facilitates detoxification and allows the body to function optimally.

Here is a summary of how we approached this client month by month:

May 2011:

• · Nutrition: Drink water; Elimination diet (no gluten, refined sugar, dairy, caffeine & junk food)
• · Exercise: Occasional walking; Tai chi based exercises in studio
• · Weight loss: 1 stone.

June 2011:

• · Nutrition: as above
• · Exercise: 2 x 1 hour studio exercise programme per week; daily stretching; regular walking
• · Weight loss: 1 stone
• · First Colonic Hydrotherapy treatment at Cleanse

July 2011:

• · Nutrition: as above
• · Exercise:  1 x 1 hour studio exercise programme per week;  2 x 30 min home exercise programme per week; 2 x week walking programme
• · Weight loss: 10 lbs
• · Second Colonic Hydrotherapy treatment at Cleanse

August 2011:

• · Nutrition: follow Metabolic Typing Diet (protein type)
• · Exercise: 1 x 1 hour studio exercise programme per week;  2 x 30 min home exercise programme per week; 2 x week interval walking programme; 1 x week long walk
• · Weight loss: 1 stone
• · Third (and final) Colonic Hydrotherapy treatment at Cleanse

The programme followed has been to gradually introduce movement and healthy lifestyle choices into her current life and schedule.  She has made the choice to undertake all of the movement programme and lifestyle changes which is an important step because it gives the client ownership of the whole process and ownership of her body and destiny.

The goals for the next 6 months to 1 year are as follows:

Short term (mid-September 2011): weigh 17 stone – ALREADY ACHIEVED

Medium term (Christmas 2011): weigh 15 stone and arrange a holiday

Long term (May/June 2011): weigh 10 stone and travel to New Zealand

While weight is a great nominal indicator, the most important impact of the exercise and lifestyle changes is the health changes and confidence boost.  Some of her health improvements include:

- improved sleep (no night terrors or heart palpitations)

- regulated menstrual cycle

- healthy bowel movements

- greatly reduced skin irritations

- growth in eyelashes (!?!)

- increased confidence

The current plan to achieve the future goals is to continue with a corrective exercise programme, most of which will be completed in the client’s home, and to continue improving her diet, noting reactions to known allergens with their gradual reintroduction.  There is no plan to introduce high impact cardiovascular exercise such as jogging, running or aerobics classes.  Cardiovascular exercise creates stress in the body and our aim with obesity is to reduce all kinds of stress on the body, not increase it!

In summary:

The Boddy Language approach to this obese client, following the CHEK principles, has been:

1. Drink filtered water every day and learn to breathe correctly.
2. Change diet from junk food to wholefoods.
3. Following a corrective exercise programme involving daily stretching, primal movement patterns (such as squatting, lunging, bending, pulling, pushing, twisting and walking).
4. A series of three colonic hydrotherapy treatments at Cleanse.

Every step of the process has been the client’s choice.  She has chosen to implement all of these changes and done them all herself, they have not been forced upon her and she can work out how to fit it into her lifestyle, not someone else’s.

We’ll keep you up to date with her progress in the next few months.