Metabolism Research

Human Metabolism (also called cellular respiration) is defined as the production and subsequent utilization of energy at the cell level. Under normal metabolic conditions, cellular work is driven by the utilization of either a type of fat (fatty acids) or a type of sugar (glucose). By measuring the by-products of cellular respiration, we are able to determine what fuels cellular work. People who have difficulty losing weight often have an enzyme problem within their fat cells. The enzyme hormone sensitive lipase determines whether fat cells are creating fat and getting larger or mobilizing fatty acids and getting smaller. The interdisciplinary method of The Plourdé Institute teaches people how to control that enzyme and subsequently control their fat cells and body fat weight. As a result, fat cell weight and body fat weight are reduced at mathematically linear rates of 10-20% per month until a natural biological plateau is achieved. This is further discussed in the Success Statistics section of the website.

Nutrition Science

If your goal is weight loss and you’ve often wondered - what and how should I eat to lose body fat? Should I be on a high fat or low fat diet? High protein? No protein? How much carbohydrate is appropriate? Our Laboratory tests identify the accumulative impact of the chemical basis of food and the precise details of eating and drinking behavior on human metabolism. Understanding this process is the key to unlocking the mechanism that controls your fat cells and allows for clinically significant fat loss.

Exercise Physiology

Have you ever been confused about exercise? What type is best for weight loss? How hard? How long? How frequent? And found yourself preoccupied? The Plourdé method of Exercise Prescription answers all these questions with complete specificity.

The Plourdé Method of metabolically controlled exercise prescription, maximizes fat utilization while sparing muscle glucose stores. Therefore, significant body fat weight loss occurs without sugar cravings.

Human Body Composition

Body Composition Science may be defined as the measurement and differentiation of all fat and all lean tissue in the human body. As a laboratory determination, Human Body Composition may be the greatest single indicator of the accumulative impact your lifestyle is having on your overall health.

Simply put, too much fat poses risks to pulmonary function (lungs) and Cardio Vascular health (blood pressure). It is an indicator of potential Metabolic Disorder (diabetes –high blood sugar and insulin) as well as vascular plaque accumulation.

Knowing the precise make up of your Body Composition could make all the difference.

Weight loss doesn’t always equal fat loss. Weight loss could be an indication of dehydration or perhaps muscle atrophy (loss). There are many ways to grossly estimate fat and lean tissue but they are often unreliable or inaccurate. This can be confusing and make the process of trying to lose weight frustrating and unsuccessful.

The Plourdé Institute pioneered a new era in Scientific Weight Management being the first in the world to acquire the BOD POD – the most accurate instrument for differentiating how much of the body is Fat vs. Lean Tissue. The technology allows for:

Laboratory Determination of the weight of all Lean Tissue:
Muscle, Bones, Connective Tissue and Organs

Laboratory Determination of the weight of all Fat Tissue:
Subcutaneous Fat (fat just beneath the skin)
Intra-Abdominal Fat (fat within abdominal cavity)
Intra-Thoracic Fat (fat within chest cavity)
Intra-Muscular Fat (fat within muscle tissue)
Intra-Cranial Fat (fat within the head)

Exact measurement of your body composition verifies the efficacy of decisions made regarding diet and exercise. The result: Certainty.

Psychology of Eating Behavior

Have you ever found yourself eating at night when you’re not hungry or eating well past the signals of fullness - and wondered why am I doing this? At The Plourdé Institute, we call this self-medicating behavior.

Understanding the dynamics of self-medicating behavior will help you identify your triggers (physical exhaustion, anger, frustration, loneliness, sadness, shame, loss, fear, anxiety etc.) and exchange unhealthy habits with new and productive patterns resulting in long term weight loss success.

Culinary Art & Science

Entering a weight loss program and following a meal plan for many people means boredom, monotony, and an excuse to relapse back into unhealthy habits. Not so at Plourdé. We’ve combined the precision of Metabolic Research with mastery in the Culinary Arts. The extremely talented Executive Chef Sonny Weiss has created an expansive and ever-growing library of recipes that are both appetizing and metabolically tested for optimum fat loss. Good recipes can be found anywhere. Superb recipes that are backed by the metabolic research of The Plourdé Institute are priceless. Finally, great results can be achieved while being completely satisfied with mouthwatering food.

Food Addiction Recovery

Are you preoccupied by obsessive-compulsive eating behavior? Do You find yourself at times plagued with self-anger or shame related to your food choices or weight gain? Does your body weight cycle up and down through the course of the year resulting in painful frustration? Have you lacked the ability to change your eating behavior in spite of significant health risks or warning signs such as elevated blood pressure, diabetes or high levels of cholesterol? Do your family members or friends comment or show concern for your lack of self-control with eating? If you answered yes to one or more of the previous questions, you may be suffering from food addiction. The weight-loss counselors of The Plourdé Institute are experts in food addiction recovery and can teach you the principles that can liberate you from lifelong food addiction patterns that can bring you to a place of better health, joy and self-respect.

Anti-Aging

Did you know that the metabolic and hormonal conditions that lead to fat synthesis and weight gain are the same conditions that accelerate aging and inflammation? The secret is found in the underlying chemistry of the foods and fluids that we select on a daily basis and their impact on brain function, the endocrine system & hormones as well as mechanisms at the cell level. The scientists of The Plourdé Institute have identified these relationships very clearly and as a result, help our clients slow and perhaps in some cases even reverse the aging process.