Metabolic Balance® Program Australia-Wide
A personalised metabolic health plan built around your body, not a generic diet. Via telehealth appointments.
Have you spent years trying to improve your health without lasting results?
You are not alone. Whether it shows up as stubborn weight, unbalanced blood markers, gut symptoms, menopause, fertility or an auto-immune condition, hormones, insulin and inflammation shape how your body responds, not just calories.
With the Metabolic Balance program, I take a different starting point: a 1.5 hour health history consultation and a pathology blood screen, then I translate your results into a personalised meal plan built around your body.
I'm Mechelle Palermo, a clinical nutritionist with more than 30 years in medical science and genetics, and you work one to one with me across a structured series of coaching sessions.
My aim is to help you understand what is driving these patterns and to support sustainable change alongside your existing medical care, so you are guided rather than left to work it out alone.
What the Metabolic Balance Program can support
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I help you uncover what is really driving your weight, then build a personalised plan for steady, maintainable change without extreme restriction.
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I design a food-first plan around your pathology to help support markers such as cholesterol, blood pressure, triglycerides and blood sugar, alongside your GP.
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I look for the drivers behind persistent gut symptoms and build a whole-food plan intended to support your digestion and everyday comfort.
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I account for the hormonal shifts affecting your weight, sleep, mood and energy, rather than treating this as a simple calorie problem.
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I assess your health history and blood values to address nutritional gaps and drivers such as PCOS or thyroid changes, supporting your body before conception.
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I work within your wider care team to identify possible triggers and build a plan intended to support how you feel day to day.
Hi, I’m Mechelle Palermo
I'm a certified Metabolic Balance practitioner, and I've completed the program myself, so I bring both clinical training and first-hand understanding of how it works.
My background in medical science and genetics sets me apart from most nutritionists.
More than 30 years in the field means I read your pathology results closely, which is central to a program built around your blood values.
Qualifications and memberships
Certified Metabolic Balance practitioner
Bachelor of Health Science (Clinical Nutrition)
Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science
Postgraduate Diploma in Molecular Genetics
Graduate Certificate in Human Nutrition
Functional Diagnostic Nutrition (FDN) certification
Integrative Nutrition (IIN) certification
Member of the Australian Traditional-Medicine Society (ATMS)
Why people work with me
A personalised plan, not a generic diet
I build your Metabolic Balance plan from your own blood values, health history and goals.
Clinical depth from a qualified nutritionist
I draw on degrees in clinical nutrition and medical science, with more than 30 years in medical science and genetics.
A whole-person assessment
Your first consultation with me runs around 1.5 hours, so I can take a detailed health history and review your pathology.
Works with your medical care
The approach complements your GP and any prescribed medication, including GLP-1 medications, rather than replacing them.
The mechanism explained, not just the rules
You learn why your body responds the way it does, so the changes make sense and last.
Australia-wide via telehealth
You can access the full program from anywhere in Australia, with optional functional testing when more support is needed.
Your program and further support
Your Metabolic Balance program is a structured 12-week journey, guided one-to-one from your first conversation through to long-term maintenance.
Some people need a little longer, and your plan adapts as your body responds.
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A free 15-minute discovery call to see whether the program is the right fit for you
A 90-minute initial consultation: a full health history, setup in the Metabolic Balance portal with your consent forms, and your pathology screening arranged through iScreen or your GP
A personalised Metabolic Balance meal plan, created by Metabolic Balance headquarters in Germany from your individual blood values, health history and goals
A minimum of seven structured coaching sessions that guide you through the four phases, from your metabolism reset to long-term maintenance
A welcome gift, such as a flower essence or recipes, to support you along the way
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Additional coaching bundles of three or five sessions
The option to return to your meal plan to reset, or to have a new plan created as your needs change over time
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For clients who would rather not follow the Metabolic Balance program, I offer an alternative coaching program with initial and follow-up sessions plus personalised nutrition and food guidance.
The food suggestions differ from the Metabolic Balance meal plan.
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Functional pathology testing (hair tissue mineral analysis, microbiome or genetic testing) when more investigation would help
Targeted, evidence-informed supplement recommendations where appropriate
Your six steps
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We begin with a 1.5 hour consultation, where I take your full health history and understand your goals, symptoms, medical background and any food preferences or aversions.
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A blood screen means your plan is built from your actual blood values, not assumptions, so we can target the markers that drive your metabolic health.
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I enter your results into the Metabolic Balance system, which designs a meal plan around your blood values, hormones, gut health and nutrient needs.
This is a reset, not a restriction diet: the early phases recalibrate your metabolism, and later phases settle into a flexible, long-term way of eating.
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In a coaching session, I talk you through your plan, the eight rules and four phases, and how to apply them in everyday life.
You will set up the Healthy Lifestyle Companion app, along with your scales, kitchen scales and a tape measure, so you are ready to begin.
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A set number of follow-up coaching sessions keep you supported. We record your weight, waist and hip measurements before each session to track progress, and your plan is adjusted as your body responds.
The early phases are the most structured, with phase 2A the strictest for around two weeks; from phase 3, a weekly flexi-meal is introduced as you reintroduce other healthy foods, so the plan stays realistic for everyday life.
If you ever feel hungry, we simply adjust your portions of the foods already on your plan.
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Your Metabolic Balance plan always comes first. Where your health history and goals suggest more support would help, I may add optional functional testing such as hair tissue mineral analysis, with microbiome or genetic testing in some cases.
A hair tissue mineral analysis looks at your mineral balance and can guide targeted, food-based support.
Where digestion, gut comfort or hormone balance need extra care, a G.E.M.M approach can work alongside your plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The Metabolic Balance program is a structured, personalised nutrition program that uses your health history and blood values to create a meal plan tailored to your body. It aims to improve your metabolic health markers by reducing inflammation through optimal diet and lifestyle changes, which may also support related concerns: for example, losing weight may ease heartburn or bloating, and adjusting your diet may improve bowel symptoms such as constipation or diarrhoea.
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Metabolic syndrome (also called MetS) refers to having three or more abnormal metabolic markers together: raised blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol (higher LDL, lower HDL), elevated triglycerides, increased waist circumference, and unstable blood sugar or insulin resistance. Liver markers can also be affected, and together these are linked to a higher risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. As a metabolic health nutritionist, I look at the factors driving these markers, such as insulin resistance and hormonal balance, then design a personalised nutrition plan to support them. This approach is complementary to your medical care, not a substitute for diagnosis or treatment.
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According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), around 1 in 3 Australian adults are affected, and the figure can be higher in some groups. This is part of why metabolic health is a central focus of the program.
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The program is suitable for most people, with only a few exceptions. It supports weight management and metabolic health, gut health and other chronic inflammatory conditions, along with hormonal changes and pre-conception nutrition. Suboptimal thyroid function is an inflammatory metabolic imbalance that can present as hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism or auto-immune conditions such as Hashimoto's or Grave's disease, and may be supported as part of your wider medical care. Exclusions can include a very low BMI (under 18.5), severe kidney or liver disease, and pregnancy or breastfeeding (weight management before or after this stage is fine). I review your suitability during your initial consultation.
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This is not a restricted diet, but there is structure, and after the initial reset there is flexibility too. Rather than counting calories, I build your plan around your individual blood values, health history and goals, then adapt it at each stage to maximise your success. As a coach-guided program, you have regular coaching support throughout, plus recipes, a meal plan app I help you set up and a supportive client community. Metabolic Balance began in Germany over 20 years ago and is now used in 30+ countries. The aim is sustainable, long-term change, not short-term restriction.
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The program is built on an updated understanding of metabolic syndrome risk and the role of diet and lifestyle in managing it.
I interpret your pathology results alongside your full health history to guide your plan.
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Results vary between individuals, so outcomes cannot be guaranteed.
Many people work towards steady, sustainable weight management and improvements in the markers their plan targets, supported by regular coaching.
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Yes. Consultations are online only, so you can take part from anywhere in Australia.
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Yes. The program can work alongside GLP-1 medications or as a food-first alternative.
Any changes to medication should always be made with your prescribing doctor.
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No. The program does not replace medical advice. Some clients reduce or stop medication over time with their doctor's guidance as their diet and lifestyle progress, but this is a decision for you and your doctor.
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The program is primarily whole-food based, so most people continue only the supplements already supporting them, with perhaps one or two additions depending on individual needs. Any supplements are evidence-informed, and changes to prescribed medication are always a matter for your doctor.
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You should not feel hungry. Your meal plan is built around whole foods, and if you do feel hungry, I adapt it for you.
We discuss any food intolerances or dislikes before your plan is generated.
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There is no extended fasting. The program begins with a short body and palate reset in the first phase, and the structure encourages a natural overnight gap between your evening meal and the next day.
Fasting here means spacing meals, not going without food.
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For weight-related goals, recording your weight and a few other measurements at each session helps track progress. If you would prefer not to see the numbers, a family member or friend can record them and pass them on, so you are never confronted with a figure you would rather not see.
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The program runs over a series of stages, beginning with your health history and blood screening, followed by your personalised plan and a set number of coaching follow-ups. The exact length depends on your goals.
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This varies from person to person. Because the plan is personalised and reviewed as your body responds, changes are introduced and adjusted gradually rather than all at once.
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After your health history consultation and blood screening, I use your results to generate a meal plan personalised to your body. I then talk you through the plan and how to follow it in a coaching session.
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Where more support is needed, I may add functional pathology testing such as hair tissue mineral analysis, microbiome or genetic testing to investigate underlying drivers.
This is optional and based on your individual needs.
Begin your personalised nutrition plan
Let's build an approach around your health history and blood values.