What does healthy mean to you?
Are you the person who gets on the scale every morning? The one who counts every last calorie, logs all of your workouts like clockwork and still can’t lose the weight or break the most recent plateau? Are you the person who works really hard to lose weight and be healthy, but you get discouraged because it feels like your body has a mind of its own? That’s because it DOES!
Weight has become synonymous with health. Yet losing weight can feel impossible for many of us because our bodies have a “setpoint” – a normal range that our bodies try to maintain on a PHYSIOLOGICAL level. This is a protective mechanism to keep you alive! But it also means that every cell in your body is aimed at keeping you at your current weight.
And if you are rummaging through the vast internet nutrition stacks, there’s a good chance you’re acting on advice to lose weight or risk potential health consequences. Turns out, excess weight isn’t just a cause – it’s a SYMPTOM – one of the metabolic and hormonal imbalances that must be resolved if you’re going to achieve YOUR FULL HEALTHY!
The key to understanding your excess weight or underlying health issues – the ROOT CAUSE. Wouldn’t you like to understand the real reason that your body thinks your set point is 20, 30, or even 40+ pounds more than is healthy? Why you follow all the “best” diet guidelines and gain weight while you blood pressure/glucose/cholesterol continue to rise? While your individual differences are yours alone, here are some of the most common causes of weight gain and/or weight loss resistance:
Genetics
Genetics account for 40-60% percent of your propensity to gain weight, but this is not a death sentence. Except in rare cases, these obesity genes must be “turned on” by diet and lifestyle decisions.
Insulin Resistance
There are many contributing factors to insulin resistance, but they all lead to the same destination – health problems. The good news? It is absolutely possible to reverse insulin resistance with proper diet and lifestyle modifications.
Hormone imbalances & Hypothyroidism
I often say that hormones run our lives, and the hormones that help determine our weight are no exception that statement. Insulin, Leptin and Ghrelin are probably best known for their association with obesity, but there are a host of other hormones all working together
Gut dysbiosis & Leaky Gut
Over the last two decades, we have learned an enormous amount about how our gut microbiota impact our immune system, digestion, hormones, and yes, even our weight! Diet and exercise both play a large role in the diversity and health of our gut, and imbalances can wreak havoc.
Poor sleep habits & Excessive cortisol
One of the most overlooked contributors to weight loss resistance is poor sleep habits.
Environmental toxins & Medications
No matter how careful we are, we are all exposed to chemicals and toxins. Environmental experts estimate that each of us have about 62 TOXIC CHEMICALS in our homes. And there are many chemicals .
Age
There is no way around the fact that our metabolism slows as we age. The exact amount and age of decrease depends on many factors, but super charging your metabolism in middle age may be easier than you think!
So what do you do?
Notice that I didn’t say anything about eating too many calories or sitting on the couch too much? That is because over 99% of the eat less/move more diets fail, and in fact, most people who don’t address the full range of factors affecting their body mass end up gaining back more than they lost. This is NOT YOUR FAULT! And there is a way through.
While calories aren’t the king of the scale that popular diets would have us believe – nutrition, lifestyle and exercise DO matter. Food is medicine. Exercise is medicine. Meditation is medicine. The bottom line – the only way to break the vicious cycling is to find YOUR individual root cause and reset your metabolism.
Because when you get the inside balanced, your weight, your skin, your muscles – every cell in your body – reflect that balance and you look (and feel!) AMAZING.