Season of Change
Dr. Janine Darby, the dual-board-certified physician at the helm of Lifestyle Changes LLC, transforms her patients’ lives through achievable changes in diet, exercise, and other habits.
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who adore the heat of summer, and those who prefer the comforts of cooler weather. Consider Janine Darby, M.D., firmly in the warm-weather camp, though she also appreciates the opportunities autumn brings. For example, her upcoming schedule has already begun filling up with appointments to help a raft of new patients who seek to lead healthier, more active, and more fulfilling lives.
“Summer tends to be a more relaxing time, when we’re eating more, drinking more, and just enjoying all the good things that summer brings,” says Dr. Darby, the founder of a wellness- and weight-loss-centered practice called Lifestyle Changes LLC. “With summer coming to an end, we’re all getting back to work, back to school, back to real life, and some of us need help getting back into good habits and a regular routine. That’s where I come in.”
This autumn may be busier than ever for Dr. Darby, who has introduced several new programs to help patients achieve their goals as they relate to weight loss and overall wellness. Starting Sept. 13, she will launch a 12-week group weight-loss coaching program that includes virtual one-on-one medical check-ins, complete with sample meal plans, insights from special guests, and other invaluable tools. She teaches goal setting, counteracting “emotional eating,” and creating a healthy plate, and she also dispenses a “fitness prescription” to facilitate each patient’s weight loss.
Dr. Darby, who is dual board certified in family medicine and obesity medicine, will host another group weight-loss coaching program starting on Nov. 8. The timing is purposeful, as Dr. Darby wants to help patients avoid the weight gain and bad habits that often accompany another transitional time of year—before, during, and after the winter holidays.
Whether someone comes to Dr. Darby for group sessions or more customized instruction, they can expect to benefit from the same signature approach. Each of Dr. Darby’s wellness prescriptions incorporates the “three M’s”: mindset, which involves changing the way people think about food; movement, which refers to exercise; and meal planning, in which she helps patients understand the fuel their bodies need to maintain energy, receive proper nutrition, and shed unwanted pounds.
“I look at my patients as individuals, not as cases,” she says. “I meet them where they’re at, and devise a plan to help them accomplish their goals. My take is more of a holistic look at the individual—but I spell that ‘whole-istic,’ because you help people succeed only by looking at the whole picture.”
Lifestyle Changes serves a wide range of patients, though most of her patients are women between the ages of 45 and 55. Business owners represent an increasing percentage of her patient population. Through her corporate wellness practice, Dr. Darby offers customized wellness programs to business owners who want to improve the mental and physical health of the work force, as an employee perquisite, a competitive advantage, and often both.
Dr. Darby has enriched many lives since founding Lifestyle Changes three years ago, though her efforts to create a stronger, healthier, and more diverse community extend far beyond her practice. As the leader of the nonprofit DEI Task Force, she has helped eliminate discrimination and inequity in Methacton School District and in the surrounding community.
Patients and community members aren’t the only ones taking notice. Dr. Darby recently received accolades from several respected publications: She is a Philadelphia Style “Power Player,” and was selected by the magazine as one of the top physicians in their summer 2022 “Best of Style” issue in which she won Best Concierge Medical Practice focusing on weight loss and corporate wellness; Dr. Darby is a Main Line Today Power Woman, of which only 20 women are honored in the magazine’s October issue, she is also “The Face of Medical Weight Loss” highlighted by Main Line Today; and she won Top Physician honors by Suburban Life.
“I practice the art of healing,” she says. “When I first got into medicine, it wasn’t to make money for the healthcare system or myself. What drove me from the very beginning was the opportunity to stamp out disease and make sure people are living their best lives.
“With weight loss,” she continues, “it’s not about getting skinny; it’s about improving your health and wellness, and living a more fulfilling life. When you’re young, you’re invincible, but as you get older, you have to practice a healthy lifestyle based around exercise, diet, and good habits. I’m grateful and blessed to have a business designed to help people do just that.”
To learn more about Dr. Darby, her comprehensive approach to weight management, upcoming group weight-loss coaching programs, and her corporate wellness practice, visit lifestylechangesllc.com, email info@lifestylechangesllc.com, or call (484) 685-0033.
Photo by Nina Lea Photography
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, August 2022.
