Farmington Small Business Spotlight: Ideal Weight Loss

Every local business has a story worth sharing with the community. And that’s the belief behind this exciting series — to shine the spotlight on all our favorite local businesses, and to learn a little about the ones we may not know that well.

Business: Ideal Weight Loss of Farmington, Simsbury and Southington
Owners: Denise Horen
Website: idealweightlossoffarmington.com
Address: 5 Melrose Drive

How did you come up with the name?

The name is an offshoot of Ideal Protein, which is a doctor supervised weight loss program that was developed in Canada over 25 years ago, and has more recently been gaining popularity in the United States. It is primarily plant based and lower carb, with sufficient protein to minimize muscle loss. Dr. Horen goes over the details at our weekly workshops.

Why start a business in this town?

My husband has been a chiropractor in Farmington for over 25 years and he was concerned about the increasing number of low back problems and joint replacements associated with weight gain and obesity, which has been on the rise.

What business are you in?

I am a weight loss coach at the clinic, however, we like to place the emphasis on gaining health rather than losing weight.

What’s the most difficult challenge you’ve faced as a business owner?

Although 2/3 of Americans are overweight, there are many diet programs out there. Truthfully, all will work if you follow them, but keeping the weight off is the greater challenge. By attacking our sugar addiction, we feel that we are getting at the underlying cause of the problem.

What’s been your proudest achievement since opening?

We have quite a few clients come in who are on multiple medications related to metabolic syndrome. We keep their PCP’s and specialists in the loop regarding their progress. Our proudest achievement has been seeing people reduce and even get taken off of these meds.. The impact that the program can have on people’s lives is amazing.

How does your business give back to the community?

We like to feel that we give back to the community on an individual basis by helping people take back control of their lives. There is nothing more gratifying, than to see an entirely different person standing in front of you, in many cases, in the space of a few months.

Would you like to see your small business showcased in this series? Email wendy.mitchell@patch.com.