HOW DO WE DETERMINE GOAL WEIGHT RANGES?

  Nutrition, Tuesday's With Tammy, Blog

Each 2nd Tuesday of the month, Tammy Beasley answers questions we receive from referral partners, potential clients and others. Our goal for Tuesday’s with Tammy is to answer any questions you might have and make you more comfortable with treatment at Alsana Treatment Centers.

How does Alsana determine a client’s goal weight range for nutritional rehabilitation?

When a client is admitted to Alsana, our dietitians will determine each individual’s goal weight range by using three forms of assessment. The most important assessment? What the client’s outpatient dietitian recommends, since it is the outpatient treatment team that knows the client best and knows what goals are most appropriate based on a working history with this client. As part of this recommendation, we will inquire about the client’s medical, genetic, and weight history, to include the client’s average weight prior to any eating disorder behaviors. The growth history of the client during childhood and adolescence will also be obtained if applicable, to compare the client’s actual growth charts with the expected growth chart range if no eating disorder behaviors were present.  Finally, we will assess a realistic body weight using the standard calculations for “ideal body weight” but adjusted for bone frame size for comparison to the actual weight history.  All three assessments guide us in determining the appropriate goal weight range for your client’s nutritional rehabilitation, with the specific goal recommendation of the outpatient dietitian taking priority.

For clients with binge eating disorder, our priority is stabilizing the eating disorder behaviors as the treatment team addresses the issues underlying the behaviors. As these behaviors stabilize, the client’s body will begin moving toward a more natural weight, although weight loss is not our primary goal. The same three-factor assessment is completed by our dietitians, but the “ideal body weight ” factor is replaced by an adjusted body weight determination based on the outpatient dietitians perspective and genetic family history when our insurance partners  request quantitative feedback.

These three assessments allow us to better understand the role that genetics and medical history have played in the client’s unique weight patterns, and support your goals for your client as our referral partner.  As the client progresses through the stages of treatment, our dietitians stay actively involved in adjusting the goal weight range, and subsequently adjusting the nutrient requirements accordingly, as the client heals and recovers. Our commitment to consistent and beneficial communication with the referral partner will keep you informed of your client’s progress, and ensure that your client receives the most benefit from our treatment partnership with you.

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