Weight Management

Weight management difficulties most commonly stem from a combination of genetic, biologic and environmental factors.   Certain individuals in our society are ‘weight prone’ and some are ‘weight resistant.’  The majority of adults in the US and a growing number of children in the US are ‘weight prone.’  For these individuals, while lifestyle changes such as exercise and nutritious eating certainly enhance health, they don’t usually result in meaningful long-term weight loss or metabolic change for those who are significantly overweight or obese.  Many patients are confused by their experience however science supports the observation that diets simply don’t ‘work’ for the vast majority of people.

At Seattle Performance Medicine we believe that weight is most often a symptom rather than a problem in itself.  In fact 50% of obese patients may be healthy in terms of blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose levels while 25% of normal weight people are affected by these same conditions.  We perform detailed evaluation of adults and children with weight imbalance to identify underlying causes that may be treatable.  We screen for metabolic impairments in the fasting, fed and exercise states as needed in individual patients to rule out conditions such as insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, leptin resistance, polycystic ovarian syndrome,  testosterone insufficiency and other metabolically significant disorders.  Once the root of the problem is ascertained, we develop an individualized strategy emphasizing medical treatment along with structured guidance in nutrition, exercise and stress management where applicable to restore metabolic function.

At our clinic we develop individualized strategies to restore insulin sensitivity in patients with insulin resistance and to improve Pre-Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes and metabolic syndrome. A result of this focus is usually long-term weight reduction because weight is a side effect of these disorders.  SPM additionally has programs for patients who have undergone bariatric surgery in the past and are still struggling with weight problems or who have uncomfortable side effects of the surgery or their underlying metabolic issues.

Dr. Cooper is Board Certified in Obesity Medicine and she does not subscribe to the typical ‘calories in, calories out’ philosophy which fails to recognize the complexity of weight issues and overlooks the current enormous body of research related to weight and metabolism.

For more information or to schedule an appointment please Contact Us.