RTB Health Associates | Theresa Matthews | 727-336-0660 | Sustainable Weight Management

What is the philosophy of RTB Health?

Evidence suggests that the 80/20 rule applies in health and wellness. For approximately 80% of people, 80% of their choices are neutral or good when it comes to health and wellness. The not-so-great choices, roughly 20%, have a disproportionate impact. My program celebrates and builds on the aspects of employees’ lifestyles that are healthy and identifies the 1, 2, or 3 things that, if tweaked in a manner that fits with their preferences, can result in big changes to their overall health. Because the focus is to work within the parameters of each employee’s existing lifestyle, their core competencies, my program makes healthy weight management and vibrant wellness intuitively obvious and virtually effortless! The only prerequisite for participants is a willingness to reimagine what it takes to achieve vibrant health and wellness.

Not a Diet Program

Is this a diet program?

As a philosophy, RTB Health does not recommend any particular diet. A “diet” often requires a strict change in how one normally eats. The more radical the departure from one’s typical dietary habits, the less sustainable it tends to be. We are creatures of habit and we like what we like. With this program, employees are taught how Nature set up the food chain to teach and help us eat properly. Within that framework, individuals are encouraged to then choose the items they like. The goal is to identify small dietary changes that are easy for each person to make that has the potential to dramatically affect their weight and overall health.

Program Focus

Is the focus of your program just on food and diet?

Absolutely not. Vibrant health requires physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual wellness, all aspects of health that have been demonstrated to contribute to the energy, creativity, and productivity of employees and their impact on the bottom line. Since two thirds of U.S. adults are overweight, it is likely a majority of clients’ employees will have sustainable weight management as a personal goal. But vibrant health goes well beyond weight management and this program and philosophy address the full range of factors that can chip away at employees’ health and wellness.

RTB Health Clients

Is your program appropriate for my company?

In general, it is well past time for a paradigm shift in how we deal with health and wellness in the US. Decades of experience demonstrate that the approaches we have taken thus far are not effective nor sustainable. Any company could benefit from the training that RTB Health Associates provides. Having said that, the firm is small and practically speaking, is better suited for servicing mid-size, forward-thinking, early-adopter companies. The program is customized for the needs of each client and each employee emerges with their own, customized plan that will grow with them. Ideally, an initial workshop with include 18-24 participants.

Importantly, unlike some programs that want to pick your wallet for many months and years to come, we’ll likely only work together for 6-12 months. With insights from my program, your employees will gain inspiration and enormous personal power in their health and wellness practices that will be sustainable for years to come.

Exercise

Can our employees succeed with your program if we do not subsidize an exercise program?

I love this question. First and foremost, data are clear that exercise, which is great for so many reasons, is not great for weight loss. Second, I am not a fan of the word “exercise”. Our bodies are designed to move and participate actively in our lives. The more active one’s lifestyle, the more “exercise” you are already getting. To succeed with this program, one is encouraged to engage physically in their life. This is an important shift in perspective. Does one employee take their dog for a 30 minute walk most days? That counts. Is another walking business aisles all day and then playing soccer with their kids on weekends? That’s terrific. Activity comes in all sorts of forms and it all counts.

Pre-Existing Conditions

Is your program appropriate for someone with pre-existing conditions that make infection with Covid more dangerous?

With Covid, many have come to understand at a deeper, more intense level how very important it is to have vibrant health that is as free from pre-existing conditions as is possible. Pre-existing conditions are indicators that our bodies are under considerable stress, often from personal choices that are injurious to good health. Indeed, data published in Lancet suggest that fully 50% of our nation’s healthcare expenditures are from preventable causes. Our country and companies like yours are well aware of this fact and spend large sums trying to help their employees adopt preventative practices. The good news is that the RTB Health approach tackles this issue head on and that it’s never too late for individuals to make changes that can positively improve their health and lower their risks and healthcare expenditures.

Wellness and Major Life Changes

Are there any types of employees that are especially appropriate for the RTB Health program?

Experience has taught me that people have many opinions about what is and is not healthy, whether they can lose weight or not, what kind of exercise is best, and any number of other topics that fall within the vast arena of health and wellness. So, it’s not a trivial matter to introduce a radical new approach to health and wellness that shifts the paradigm and narrative. Companies with employees who are more open to new ideas and thinking out-of-the box are ideal, and these often include individuals who are at the interface of a major life transition and want to put their best selves forward, such as individuals with new jobs, new teams, or new hires.

What is Taught

What exactly do you teach?

First and foremost, I start by informing participants that for most of them, 80% of the choices they make that affect health and wellness are already good. They do not need to turn their life upside down to achieve results. They begin the program knowing they are already winning. I then provide information and insights around a broad range of topics including how your body is designed, Nature's clear direction regarding how and what to eat, how to change habits, emotional health, and more. Importantly, I provide a broad tent of ideas and invite each participant to listen carefully for those particular tips and ideas that resonate personally, allowing each to identify the few health thieves that are having a disproportionate effect on their long-term health and wellness. With my full attention trained on employees’ specific needs, together we identify specific areas for improvement, allowing each employee to create a customized solution that fits their immediate needs and goals.

I worked with one person who hit the pavement running, lost weight quickly, and maintained beautifully. Another thought it sounded way too easy and that it would not work for her. Literally a year and a half later, frustrated, she finally tried one thing I taught her and lost 15 pounds! This program plants seeds...sooner or later it will have a positive impact on how your employees sustainably manage their health and wellness.

Role of Nutrition

Is this a nutritional program?

Well, yes and no. This program does NOT get into the science of nutrition. Nature knows far more about what we need nutritionally than we will ever figure out experimentally. Over the course of the program, and depending on participants’ particular interests and needs, we may delve into a large variety of topics related to physical, mental, and emotional health, and of course this includes how to eat in a healthy manner.

Specific Topics Covered

Can you give me a better idea of what topics you might cover?

I cover a variety of overarching principles regarding sustainable weight management and vibrant health, which, depending on employees - Interests and questions, will include:

The limits of willpower
How we are designed
The 80/20 rule
The fallacy of calorie counting

Exercise vs. activity
Why sleep affects weight
Why stress matters
Emotional Wellness

Happiness
How to change habits
Nature's advice on how to eat
New insights about longevity

Genetically modified wheat
When mild hypertension is good
...and more!

Novel 3D Health Approach

What is unique to your program that differs from others?

The diets, fads, and trends that you hear about every day make weight loss seem like a confusing and overwhelming maze requiring supplements, unappetizing food restrictions, routines, and mathematics. It's not supposed to be hard! Here’s what the RTB Health approach to weight management and vibrant healthy does NOT require:

No calorie counting
No fasting
No hunger
No supplements to buy
No groups you need to join

No complicated meal plans
No specific gym or exercise mandates
No requirement to eat foods you dislike
No reliance on willpower
No need to prepare all your own food

Frequently Asked Questions