Weight Loss… Let’s Talk!
Weight loss can be tricky! That's kind of an understatement.
It can be the source of shame, guilt, frustration and self flagellation. Do ya feel me? While I've come to understand that weight loss is often a symptom of underlying imbalances in the body, I also know that vanity has a way of moving it to the top of the priority list when it comes to nutrition and seeking guidance.
When it comes to weight loss and a sustainable way of healthy eating, it's about way more than counting calories and over exercising. Cause who can sustain that? While weight may come off, it’s typically only temporary. And let’s all say no to the yo yo!
My approach to weight loss is a much kinder and root cause approach that leaves you not only losing weight, but feeling better in the long run.
Here are some blocking factors to weight loss you may want to consider if this is something you’re struggling with.
Why We Eat. It can be challenging to create a consistent and sustainable way of eating that supports health and weight loss when we eat for reasons other than hunger and satiety. Some people are stress eaters while others are emotional eaters - sadness, anger, shame, excitement, time to celebrate… lets have some cake! Can you relate?. While there isn’t a simple answer/quick fix to this, it’s an important piece to the puzzle that deserves attention. When we can put down the chocolate and start to find other ways to nurture and feed ourselves it becomes easier to make empowered choices that support our health goals.
Food Sensitivities can be tricky to figure out but the most common culprits are sugar, dairy, soy, corn, eggs, gluten (glyphosate on wheat irritates the gut), grains and alcohol. If you haven’t tried a basic elimination diet, it’s a great place to start.
Digestion is a top healing priority in the body. If we aren’t breaking down and absorbing our nutrients it will have an impact on many parts of our health including our ability to properly manage blood sugar, convert inactive thyroid hormone into its active form and impact our ability to feel satiated… all of which can impact our ability to manage our weight.
Sleep is necessary to all aspects of health. Are you getting enough sleep (7 - 8 hours/night)? Getting less than 6 hours of sleep can inhibit your ability to balance blood sugar, decrease the satiety hormone Leptin while increasing the hunger hormone Ghrelin. I know it’s now always easy, but prioritizing and troubleshooting sleep is huge.
Toxins - In our body, toxins get stored in our fat. Toxins come in from our food, water, environment and personal care products. Estrogen mimicking chemicals hide out in many of our personal care and household products (soap, shampoo, lotions, detergents, perfumes, scented candles, etc). If our toxic load is high and the pathways of elimination aren’t open, the body will hold onto weight. Your body is smart! If it’s not safe to lose weight, it won’t let you. No matter how much you try. So stop punishing yourself with diets and over exercising, start addressing your overall toxic load and help open your body’s elimination pathways. My 21 Day Purification Program is a great way to do this (get on the waitlist for my next group).
Stress increases cortisol. Not a bad thing when this happens in acute situations and then we come back in balance. But when we experience stress as a chronic state it puts us into fight or flight mode where we’re fearing for our life. This makes the body want to hold onto everything - nutrients, fat tissue, excess weight because it perceives that we are being chased by the saber tooth tiger. So if you’re on the go all the time and not getting enough sleep and you are having a difficult time losing weight, taking a look at your relationship to stress is key.
Overexercising is easy to do when we are conditioned to think more and harder are better. You know, the no pain no gain mentality. We’re also told if we can’t lose weight we should reduce calories and increase exercise. If what your body needs is rest but you’re pushing yourself harder to exercise, you may be working against your goals.
Hormones - estrogen dominance (the relationship between progesterone and estrogen) and poor estrogen metabolism, excess cortisol, low thyroid hormone can all impact your body’s ability to lose weight. If you struggle with irregular cycles, pms or heavy bleeding these are signs you’re needing some hormone love. When things come back into balance, weight often falls into place as well.
As you can see there are many things that can contribute to stubborn weight loss. The good news is, there is a lot that can be uncovered to help, including testing (hormones, digestion, food sensitivities) to see what’s going on. This gives you an idea of some of the detective work that can be done to help get to the root to what’s getting in your way.
No matter where you are in regards to your weight, can we all agree to let go of the shame and negative self talk? Loving ourselves and the amazing miracle of a body we are all gifted with is step number one, no matter what that scale says.
Are you looking for guidance in your weight loss journey? Get on the waitlist for the next group 21 Day Purification Program or schedule a discovery call to see how we can work together.