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You'd never know by looking at him that he once struggled with his weight. Or that his mother did. But Dr. Christopher Mosunic's early life experiences helped shape his destiny as a doctor of clinical psychology, masters-level registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator. And he is about to preside over Greenwich Hospital's Weight Loss and Diabetes Center, set to open its doors in January 2011.
It was genetics, says Dr. Mosuinc, that sparked his early interest in eating, or more accurately, in overeating. He says of his mother, "Growing up, I watched this intelligent, successful woman fight the weight loss battle day after day [to no avail]. She didn't eat much and was constantly walking, yet she continued to gain weight. Now I look back and realize she had the early stages of Type 2 diabetes, which made losing weight nearly impossible for her."
But Dr. Mosuinc's mother wasn't the only one in the family who struggled to keep off the extra pounds. He fought weight gain as an adolescent, only to realize in college -- after sleeping one night for 12 hours, waking up to a tortellini breakfast, and promptly falling back to sleep for another five -- that something was wrong. He learned his body "wasn't dealing with the high blood sugar levels resulting from the high carbohydrate diet." So he began researching energy metabolism and diabetes and continued his studies, completing a graduate degree from Tufts University. "But I never thought I'd make a career out of it," he says.
His unforeseen career path is clearly his passion. Dr. Mosunic, who lives in Easton with his wife and two young daughters, speaks with urgency about the obesity epidemic in the United States.He says it affects two thirds of the population and will affect three quarters in the near future. "A one-factor solution is never going to reverse the epidemic. It's going to take interventions at the policy, community, familial and individual levels," Dr. Mosunic says. And while his weight loss center alone cannot stem the obesity tide, clients treated there will receive the support they need to fight that particular battle, which he says, is difficult to do alone.
Over the years Dr. Mosunic has helped countless patients, and he remains gratified with each success he orchestrates and witnesses. "It's a phenomenal thing," he says, "to see the happiness of a person who's obtained the long-term goal of losing and keeping off weight."
Click here for more information about Greenwich Hospital's Weight Loss and Diabetes Center.
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