Blame themselves for gaining weight?
Practice harmful behaviours to control their weight?
Constantly focus on weight-centric goals or outcomes?
Struggling to keep up-to-date with weight science?
Looking for ways to teach weight science to clients?
In need of templates or scripts to use in practice?
In need of a step-by-step process to help clients focus on health outcomes?
The Health Not Weight program is designed specifically for healthcare providers struggling to help clients focus on health outcomes instead of weight-loss alone.
Learn up-to-date information about weight science, get resources to use in practice and tools to support your clients focus on health while using evidence-based care.
13-week program
Weekly group lessons
Live Q&A and coaching sessions
Watch replays anytime
Get counselling strategies
Assessment resources
Tools to use in your practice
Case studies
Group discussions
Private community group
Access to resource library
Access to all recorded sessions
6-month access
Certificate of completion
You have questions about hormones related to appetite or body weight changes
You are unable to explain pathways in the brain or body that affect appetite or body weight changes
You have clients that blame themselves for their weight or eating habits
You need some support with how to help clients frustrated with their weight
You can't answer some or all of these questions:
GLP-1 (Glucagon-like peptide 1)
Did you know that some people's GLP-1 levels are low or not functioning as well as they could (similar to insulin levels)?
The Health Not Weight program will help you teach this to clients.
We'll explore the evidence (from both a physiological and critical lens) and provide you tools and resources to use with your next client
Bardet-Beidl syndrome (BBS)
POMC deficiency
LEPR deficiency
Melanocortin-4-receptor deficiency
Could you explain these to clients? or identify signs/symptoms?
Is there a history of weight cycling?
Any history of trauma, abuse, neglect or food/nutrient deprivation?
What about stress levels? What type of stress? how long? how severe?
How would your client describe their hunger? Does anything reduce or improve it?
The Health Not Weight program provides you with questions to explore with clients (and the evidence behind 'the why') plus assessment tools you can use right away.
Module 1: Weight Bias & Stigma:
Why assessing bias and stigma can improve client-provider outcomes
How to assess your own bias/stigma about weight or working with clients of higher body weights.
How to assess clients internalized weight bias (negative self-thoughts)
Which resources to use with clients and/or colleagues to help reduce weight bias/stigma
Module 2: Weight Science - What's New:
Why knowing about weight science is going to help your practice.
How to think about factors affecting someone's appetite or weight.
In-depth review of updated evidence on topics that impact eating/food intake:
Energy expenditure including metabolic adaptation (body weight set-point)
Neurohormonal pathways affecting appetite
Gut-brain axis (Central and peripheral nervous system effect on food intake)
Melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) pathway
Mesolimbic reward system
Gastrointestinal tract (gut hormones - GLP-1, GIP, CCK, PPY, Ghrelin)
Gastrointestinal microbiota
Adipose tissue/metabolism (leptin)
Genetic conditions that affect appetite
Bardet-Beidl syndrome (BBS)
POMC, LEPR deficiency
Melanocortin-4-receptor (MC4R) deficiency
What is allostasis; how does stress affect it and how is this related to appetite/weight?
What to look for, questions to ask and/or tests/referrals to consider
Module 3: Weight Science - Impact of Weight Changes:
What happens to the body if/when it gains or loses weight (what happens to the brain and gut)
What happens if someone's weight changes (gain and/or loss) from:
"Dieting" (energy restriction/expenditure)
Pharmacotherapy
Metabolic/bariatric surgery
Module 4: Assessing Health Not Weight:
Various strategies to assess patients/clients expectations, values and barriers
When to use a self-reflection tool (called the Health Not Weight Iceberg Tool) with clients/patients fixated on weight loss or unrealistic weight expectations.
How to use the HNW Iceberg Tool in-person, virtually or on the telephone with clients/patients
Module 5: Reframing Health Not Weight:
How to reframe expectations, reduce shame and blame and rebuild client-focused values
Knowing when and how to use a weight storyboard with clients (using the Health Not Weight Weight Storyboard Tool)
How to calculate weight trajectories
How to explain weight trajectory to clients
How to interpret findings, counsel patients/clients and develop client-centred plans that bridge together expectations, values and barriers.
Module 6: Turn knowledge into practice
Put together all the information in the LEARN and TRANSLATE sections into practice
What to include in your documentation/chart notes
Join live sessions (or watch recorded sessions) where we will practice examples, case studies, and help you apply the course content into group teaching and/or one-to-one appointments.
BONUS: bring your own cases or specific examples to walk through it together
Use this step-by-step guide in clinical practice to fine-tune your individual counselling skills
Use this tool to help you and your clients visualize barriers, values and goals
This step-by-step process includes calculations and scripts to support your clients that fear weight gain, have self-blame, or unrealistic weight-related goals, etc. Using this tool in combination with the HNW Iceberg tool can help nurture a positive relationship with weight, health behaviours and setting realistic expectations
At this time, the Health Not Weight program is only available for healthcare providers.
What to do next:
Sign up to be added to the waitlist
You will receive a confirmation email that you are ON the waitlist (check your spam or trash)
Check your emails for updates and START DATES for the Health Not Weight Program
How much is the Health Not Weight Program?
For a limited time, the cost of the Health Not Weight program is $899 CAD.
For group rates or payment options, please email [email protected]
I also offer live 2-part webinars for Family Health Teams or Primary Care Networks. Contact me for pricing information.
6 months access! You'll have a secure sign-in to the program portal to access weekly content, Q&As, recorded sessions, a resource library, cheat sheets, handouts, assessment tools, and more. Plus, providers wanting more support or access to all the resources can join our membership program after completing the Health Not Weight Program.
That totally depends on how much you want to geek-out! I'm a proud geek! Once I started learning about weight science and the interplay between appetite hormones, areas of the brain that control food/eating behaviours and all the external factors that affect why and how we eat (including the harmful effects of dieting and weight stigma), I was hooked. BUT most people just set aside 1-2 hours per week!