A weighty subject

Rachelle Wood can talk the talk of healthy living and weight loss because she has walked the walk of an overweight person for much of her young life.

Now at the age of 27, she has not only attained and maintained a 45-kilogram (100-pound) weight loss, she has her own company, Positive Change Nutrition, which uses a holistic approach to nutrition to achieve weight loss and a healthy lifestyle.

I found my confidence when I lost my weight and now Im full of it, laughs this outgoing entrepreneur who has helped her P.E.I. clients lose a total of more than 14,000 kilograms (32,000 pounds) to date.

Wood grew up on a fish farm in Fort Augustus so she was raised on lots of heaping platefuls of fine farm comfort food.

I was always overweight, always the biggest girl in the class and teased a lot growing up as well, she remembers.

As a teen, she worked at a fast food restaurant so this also added to her weight, which topped 114 kilograms (250 pounds) at its highest point.

Buying a plus-size prom dress really affected me a lot. The whole sensitivity about being overweight, being picked on and made fun of pushed me to go study nutrition.

She enrolled in the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition in Halifax, N.S., to learn all about the holistic approach to nutrition. This new knowledge paid off as she began to lose weight.

My family genetics was quite poor. Theres heart disease and diabetes in my family and because of my history I knew I was the next target so I decided to be proactive, she says, adding she reached her goal weight in three years.

Wood graduated with honours in 2002. She is now a registered holistic nutritionist and a member of the International Organization of Nutritional Consultants.

She worked as a grocery store nutritionist and with various weight loss companies for a few years. She was managing a local health food store when she decided to write her own healthy lifestyle program. In 2005, she made the leap and started her own company.

I think battling obesity really helps me to council my clients because I can really relate to their problems and teach them through my own examples of what I did to help battle food addiction, cravings and comfort foods and things like that.

Wood does one-on-one sessions in her Charlottetown and Souris offices with a new location opening in Summerside in the spring. She also presents out-of-office group sessions such as workplace wellness lunch and learns.

I customize meal plans to the clients, so they tell me I like eggs, I like cheese, I like salads, I like this, I like that, and I take those food choices and design a customized portion-controlled program for them, she says.

You need to be realistic about the meal planning. I think its the realistic approach that makes it so sensible. Im not telling you to eat tofu and soymilk. These are your foods. Im just basing it on what youre telling me you like. Im just portion-controlling it. And its a perfectly healthy balanced diet.

Education is also part of the holistic package so through her program Wood promotes things such as organic food and buying local and provides tips like staying away from the middle aisles of the grocery store where the processed prepackaged foods are.

Really, a holistic nutritionist is an educator for the public really to let them know the rights and wrongs of food, she says.

And its interesting to note that just as many men as women seek out her Positive Change services.

The one thing Ive noticed, especially on P.E.I., is its a chain reaction. When their sister loses weight on the program, all of a sudden their mother wants to or cousins want to. So the good thing about living in a small province is that you do have that chain reaction effect, she says.

One of those chain reactions detailed in The Guardian last year was the informal Biggest Loser Club P.E.I. created by the Morrows and extended family.

About 15 family members pledged to raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Societys Relay for Life and the food bank on their quest to lose weight.

Wood was their holistic nutritional guide.

Pam Deveau of Souris got the family club going in January of 2008. At that point, she had been a client of Woods for a year and a half and had already made some significant changes in her weight and lifestyle.

A high blood pressure scare prompted her to seek Wood out in the first place. Medication was the next step but Deveau, who was overweight at the time, thought shed try something else first.

I said, Give me a month to see if I can lose weight, she remembers.

Within one month on Woods program, as well as exercising, Deveau had lost about seven kilograms (15 pounds) and her blood pressure was in the normal range again.

I loved the program. It was so easy to do and it was just eating properly. Thats why I stuck with it, she says. I was still eating food that I liked.

Wood designed meal plans for the Biggest Loser P.E.I. challenge. She also met with the group on a regular basis, providing ongoing information, weigh-ins and motivation.

The family members lost a total of more than 227 kilograms (500 pounds) in one year and they have turned their lifestyle around for the better.

Its not a diet. When you take the diet out, it becomes a lifestyle; that makes a big difference, says Deveau, who ran a half marathon last year.

To get the word out about holistic nutrition and healthy eating, Wood also volunteers to speak to groups such as Overeaters Anonymous as a part of giving back to the community.

Its not just about the weight loss . . . . Its about preserving your quality of life.



Healthy choices

Chicken vegetable stir fry

1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

1-1/2 tbsp light soy or Braggs soy sauce alternative

1 tbsp freshly grated gingerroot

1 tsp hemp or olive oil

2 medium peppers, chopped

4 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup low sodium vegetable or chicken broth

2 cups broccoli, chopped

1 cup bean sprouts

1 tbsp cornstarch



Cut chicken breasts into cubes. Marinate in soy sauce and ginger for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. In a non-stick skillet, heat on high heat.

Add chicken and stir fry for 3 minutes. Add vegetables and stir fry for 1 minute. Dissolve cornstarch in broth. Add to stir fry. Continue cooking until chicken is cooked. Serve with 1/3 to 2/3 cup of rice.

Serves four.

For more information about Positive Change Nutrition, call 892-SLIM or visit www.rachellewood.ca.