By Nutrition Network | Featuring Dr Brian Lenzkes, MD
Reviewed by Tamzyn Murphy, RD, MSc
Why Most Weight-Loss Resolutions Don’t Last
Every January, millions of people resolve to “lose weight,” “eat better,” or “finally get healthy.” Gyms fill, diet plans trend, and the first few weeks feel full of promise. Then life gets in the way.
Dr Brian Lenzkes, a physician from San Diego and lecturer in Nutrition Network’s Obesity: A Metabolic Disease training, understands this cycle better than most.
“I’ve struggled with obesity my entire life,” he admits. “I was following the standard of care, doing what I was taught, and still getting heavier every year.”
After decades in conventional medicine, Dr Lenzkes realised that the problem wasn’t his patients or himself it was the system.
“Weight loss isn’t a moral issue; it’s a metabolic one. When we focus on fixing metabolic health, the weight problem takes care of itself.”
The New Way to Lose Weight—and Keep It Off
For Dr Lenzkes, true transformation isn’t about punishing diets or impossible gym schedules. It’s about learning how the body really works and addressing the metabolic dysfunction that drives weight gain in the first place.
Here’s his step-by-step guide to lasting, healthy weight loss—one that works with your metabolism, not against it.
Step 1: Heal the Metabolism Before the Scale
Most diets aim to shrink the body by restricting calories. Dr Lenzkes flips the script: start by restoring metabolic health, and the weight loss follows.
“If you’re drinking eight sodas a day, start there. Once you’re fat-adapted—able to burn fat efficiently instead of sugar—the transformation is incredible.”
Lowering sugar and refined carbohydrates calms insulin, the hormone that controls fat storage. When insulin levels drop, the body naturally shifts from storing fat to burning it.
The result? Less hunger, steadier energy, clearer thinking—and yes, gradual, sustainable fat loss.
Step 2: See What Your Body Is Telling You
Dr Lenzkes encourages his patients to track their progress using continuous glucose monitors (CGMs)—small devices that show how food, sleep, stress, and movement affect blood sugar.
“They don’t have to take my word for it—they can see what spikes their sugar and what keeps it stable.”
Patients quickly discover that blood sugar doesn’t just rise after dessert. Stressful meetings, poor sleep, and even late-night emails can cause spikes too.
When people see their data, they begin to understand their bodies—and make smarter choices. Awareness becomes accountability.
Step 3: Measure Progress That Matters
Forget daily weigh-ins and calorie-tracking apps. For Dr Lenzkes, the most meaningful weight-loss data come from inside the body:
- Fasting insulin (a measure of metabolic health)
- Triglycerides (fat in the blood)
- HDL cholesterol (the “good” kind)
- Blood pressure and energy levels
“Weight can fluctuate with fluid or exercise,” he says. “I’m more interested in fasting insulin, triglycerides, and how people feel.”
In his clinic, triglycerides often drop dramatically and HDL rises within months of starting a low-carb or ketogenic diet—signs the metabolism is healing.
Step 4: Build Muscle—Your Metabolic Engine
One of the most overlooked parts of sustainable weight loss is muscle mass.
“The more muscle you have, the more insulin-sensitive you are,” explains Dr Lenzkes. “People in the top third of muscle mass live longer and have lower cancer risk.”
Strength training, body-weight exercise, or even brisk walking with resistance bands can boost metabolism, increase energy, and protect against future weight regain.
Muscle isn’t vanity—it’s metabolic insurance.
Step 5: Prioritise Sleep, Stress & Emotional Health
You can eat perfectly and still struggle to lose weight if you’re exhausted or stressed.
“You can eat perfectly and still have metabolic disease if you’re not sleeping, if you’re stressed, if you hate the world,” says Dr Lenzkes.
He sees stress management and good sleep as non-negotiables for weight loss. Poor rest and chronic anxiety raise cortisol, which drives insulin resistance and cravings.
Simple steps like turning off screens earlier, spending time outdoors, connecting with supportive people, can stabilise hormones and accelerate progress.
Step 6: Simplify Food Choices and Reduce Temptation
When cravings and emotional eating sabotage progress, simplicity helps.
“Some patients keep reaching for keto brownies or snacks that mimic sugar foods. For them, a carnivore-style reset can be powerful—it removes trigger foods and resets the brain.”
The goal isn’t rigid perfection but clarity: fewer decisions, fewer temptations, more stability.
Step 7: Build Community and Find Hope
Lasting change rarely happens alone. Dr Lenzkes regularly walks with his patients, helping them learn, share, and encourage one another.
“When patients start to believe they can change, you can see it in their eyes. Hope transforms everything.”
One of his favourite stories involves an 85-year-old woman who lost 17 pounds.
“She came in with two candy bars from bingo and said, ‘I didn’t eat them. I don’t need them anymore.’ That’s victory.”
Supportive communities, positive accountability, and small wins build momentum that lasts far beyond January.
Step 8: Rethink Health, Not Just Weight
Dr Lenzkes believes medicine needs a total paradigm shift—from managing disease to creating health.
“Now I have fewer patients, more time, and real results,” he says of his new clinic model. “I go home knowing I helped someone stop a medication, not start another one.”
This approach doesn’t just transform bodies; it transforms lives—for both patients and doctors.
Your Metabolic Reset Starts Here
If your goal this year is to lose weight, start by healing your metabolism. When you address insulin resistance, rebuild muscle, sleep deeply, and manage stress, your body naturally sheds excess fat—and keeps it off.
“Weight loss shouldn’t be your goal,” says Dr Lenzkes. “Health should. When your metabolism heals, the weight takes care of itself.”
Learn from the Experts
Nutrition Network’s Obesity: A Metabolic Disease training teaches practitioners and health enthusiasts how to identify and reverse the true drivers of weight gain—insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and poor metabolic health.
Led by world-class experts including Dr Brian Lenzkes, Professor Tim Noakes, and Dr Hassina Kajee, the training offers evidence-based tools for sustainable results and real clinical impact.
Make this the year you stop dieting and start healing.
New Year, new metabolism—lasting weight loss starts here.
Find out more at www.nutrition-network.org
