by Jillian Finker, ND
As the years have gone by in my practice, I’ve noticed that what I would have prescribed more than 15 years 
agoto help my patients normalize their weight has slowly increased in intensity over the years. I realized that the healthy diet I would prescribe has gotten stricter, and the exercise regime I would advocate has markedly increased. Also, the amount of supplements I recommend is three times the amount or more.
A study that was published in the journal Obesity Research and Clinical Practice confirms what I have seen clinically over the years. The research suggests that adults have a harder time maintaining a normal weight, even at the same levels of food intake and exercise as they did 20 to 30 years ago. In general, people are about 10% heavier than people were in the ‘80s, even with the same nutrition and exercise activity.
In my practice, I usually discover several underlying reasons why people hold onto weight. Exposure to chemicals, flame retardants, bisphenol A, etc., can cause us to hold onto weight. Hormones like estrogen or subclinical thyroid issues can contribute to weight gain. Also, the gut microbiome has been shown to contain certain beneficial bacteria that help us to lose weight. However, most of us are lacking in gut bacteria when tested. Food doesn’t have the same nutrient content that it used to have, so we always test for nutritional deficiencies that contribute to weight gain. Fortunately, after determining the underlying factors and correcting them with nutrition and supplements, weight will usually normalize.
Dr. Jillian Finker is a naturopathic doctor and owner of Finker Wellness Inc., located at 2308 Bellmore Ave., in Bellmore. For more information, call Finker at 516-765-3272 or visit DrFinker.com.
