Moving Beyond Ye Ol’ Bathroom Scale
WHY we use the technology we do!
The doctors who make the Activate Metabolic Weight Loss Program available to their patients and community use various types of technology for a very simple reason: to be as informed as possible in order to lead, guide and coach their weight loss clients the BEST way possible!
One of the first things we do when a person is interested in the Activate Metabolic Program and visits one of our centers is what is called a computerized Body Composition Analysis or “BCA”. This technology has been around for quite some time but is continually developing and advancing.
Like so many preliminary tests used in healthcare, this tool simply takes the guess work out of what we do. In literally less than a minute, we can gather an enormous amount of information about a person. Sure, you can take a person’s weight, but they can do that just about anywhere – including their bathroom! But, let’s admit it …
There is so much more to a person than just that “number on a scale”!
That weight number alone does NOT tell the whole story. In fact, it lacks so much detail that it often creates confusion and frustration to the degree that people just quit! They quit weighing. They quit dieting. They quit exercising. They quit trying. All because that little scale in their bathroom (or even at your clinic!) just doesn’t make sense!
Have you ever felt like that? Or had patients feel like that? Have you ever had patients quit trying to lose weight for reasons like those above?
Many (actually most!) of our Activate Metabolic clients have gotten more fully informed and empowered to better understand their body. We believe many of YOUR patients could too!
Here are 4 quick, easy and very important bits of information we can get as we first meet with potential weight loss clients to determine if they qualify for our program … or not:
- Get an INITIAL BREAKDOWN of exactly what makes up those pounds the person is weighing on their home scale (or on your clinic’s scale). The BCA technology allows a determination of actual pounds of bone, muscle, water and yes, FAT!
- This allows us to set realistic and healthy GOALS based on the person’s body make-up – specifically the number of fat pounds they may have. Look, if a person is the same height as another person of the same gender and who has 20 pounds less muscle yet equal pounds of fat, they certainly may not want to be aiming for the same goal weight! Details like this make us believe that the ol’ height-weight charts are quite antiquated in many cases.
- Get a read of the person’s VISCERAL FAT RATING. This kind of fat is progressively getting more and more attention – as it should. It is surely the most dangerous and damaging fat. It is different than that “pinch an inch” fat that a person may have around their belly or on their “love handles”. Rather, visceral fat is that fat that forms deep inside around one’s vital organs. You can’t necessarily see it or feel it, but it is now known to contribute to a number of serious and chronic health conditions.
- Evaluate the person’s Body’s WATER % and pounds in order to evaluate how well they are hydrating – very important in weight loss, metabolism and health overall. Remember: it’s not ALL about fat! Muscle and water weight should be kept in check, too. Normal values of each allow a person to maximize their metabolism and healthy weight management.
- TRACK progress at any stage of a weight loss journey. Tracking, evaluating and advising is critical whether we are closely observing changes during the initial intensive phases of a weight loss program or later as a client begins more fitness and may be gaining muscle mass. Measuring changes for the better in both the fat and muscle pounds helps us see that the body is, in fact, moving toward health – despite the fact that the ol’ home scale showing only total pounds may not really make sense!
BCA units like we use in the Activate Metabolic Program tell us even more than this. But this is a short list and understanding of WHY we do what we do – and WHY you, too, should consider getting more information about your patients needing to achieve weight loss. Don’t let the limited information on their bathroom scale mislead or frustrate them! To measure is to know! Don’t guess about your patients’ body or their weight loss approach! Look into the Activate Metabolic Program for your practice and patients today!
