Can you believe it’s the end of 2023???
Dang, this year has flown by!
I’m getting a jump-start on this question because, yes, it’s that time of year for everyone to be asking me “How can I lose weight??”!
I really, really wish that was an easy question!
It’s no surprise that during the Holiday season people pack on the pounds because healthy eating plans are usually out of the window. And during the full-swing of the holidays most are looking at how to lose the weight for when they are over.
At the beginning of the year, all the “functional practitioners” offer their “Post-Holiday Detox Programs” where they put you on powdered drinks and limited food and lots of pills to swallow.
I’m not saying there’s not some benefit there because there is.
But it doesn’t teach YOU about YOUR specific challenges of WHY you might struggle losing weight! It does, however address the “holiday, over-indulgence” piece 😊
So how do I respond??
Well, it’s simple – I AM NOT A WEIGHT LOSS CLINIC NOR DO I FOCUS ON WEIGHT LOSS!
But, not everyone wants to hear that! Too many WANT to focus on weight loss.
But for a lot of people this is not only a holiday weight gain but a time that adds to their already challenged ability to lose weight easily.
Ladies – I’m talking to YOU! (Because most men simply say the word “Diet” and drop 10lbs!)
Do you know how many times I hear an inflamed person say that their doctor told them that they’d “feel better if they just lost weight”?!
Just losing weight does NOT make you healthier!
Focusing solely on weight loss misses the “WHY”.
Yes, I got it. Maybe you stuffed yourself with indulgences for the last month (at least) so that is certainly ONE reason for the weight gain.
But WHY can’t you lose weight?
WHY do you keep gaining?
In the past I have helped people lose weight – even using supportive modalities like HCG – but we have always focused on reducing inflammation during that process. I made sure to explain to my clients that it is crucial to take this time to address what foods their body finds inflammatory vs. what it finds supportive. Only then will the weight loss remain long-term. And we had tons of success when my clients followed those rules!
Carrying excess weight is a by-product of a cruddy lifestyle, inflammation, insulin resistance, gut dysbiosis, hormonal imbalance, poor sleep and poor detoxification.
If we address the causes then we address the symptoms.
DIET AND INFLAMMATION:
Duh, right?!
We all know this but it’s always going to be more than “calories in, calories out”.
I’ve seen too many people over the years do a liquid fast diet or basically starve themselves for weight loss only to see that the weight loss “food” they consumed was processed, soy-filled, low protein and frankly, detrimental long-term and they felt horrible – but, hey, they were “skinnier”!
This may SEEM to work initially but in long-term the weight gains are greater than the original weight loss and usually significant inflammation has taken hold.
Just because a food MAY be “low calorie” does not mean it’s good for you. Remember the “low fat” craze? Boy, has that done some long-term damage. Did rates of inflammation or disease go down? Nope – only increased!
A diet rich in fat has SO many benefits – but not “seed oil” fats! That’s only going to make you sicker and sicker.
But overall this is a huge topic and can cover many, many areas. Inflammation is unique to each person. The average American is quite inflamed and I would say 80% of it has to do with food choices. The Standard American Diet (SAD) is horrific (and purposefully recommended by governmental agencies that KNOW BETTER). It keeps us fat, weak, hurting and with very low motivation to do anything about it – in other words POWERLESS!
But there are also many people out there who think they are doing the right thing only to be causing more harm to their body. We all know that sugar tops the list of inflammatory foods but some of the top inflaming foods are more insidious – like plant proteins (see my blog HERE), gluten (see my blog HERE) and seed oils (see my blog HERE). These are found everywhere and consumed in great amounts for the average person.
INSULIN RESISTANCE:
I’d say insulin resistance is the number one reason for inability to lose weight. We have unfortunately created a monster by following any guidelines by the USDA/FDA, etc. That food pyramid has always been a joke but schools follow it, conventional doctors follow it, etc. It has been crammed down our throats, literally. So, here we are now, insulin resistant.
What does that mean?
A quick, simplistic definition of insulin first. Insulin is a hormone secreted by our pancreas to manage blood sugar levels. When we eat sugar, insulin is released to arrange transport of that sugar (glucose) into our cells for energy.
The problem is that we have consumed so much sugar in the preceding decades that the cells no longer easily recognize insulin at receptor sites to transport sugar inside. In other words the cells quit answering the door when insulin knocks.
This leaves us with both high blood insulin and blood sugar – Can you see the Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome set up here?
Insulin does all sorts of damage when it’s out of control. That’s another blog coming up in the very near future!
I’d say if you are a woman who is 40-65 years old and have ANY weight to lose or are inflamed, fatigued, etc. then you have insulin resistance.
HORMONE IMBALANCE:
Here are a few keys points in retaining excess weight that must be tested for to get the whole picture.
- Estrogen Dominance/Low Progesterone
- Poor Estrogen Detox
- Low Testosterone
- High Cortisol
- Low Thyroid Hormones
GUT DYSBIOSIS:
When the gut microbiome is not healthy, weight gain/inability to lose weight are possible outcomes.
Check out this study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-32411-z
- Specific presence of gut microbiome families/species correlates with greater obesity/obesity risk
- Specific absence of gut microbiome families/species correlates with greater obesity/obesity risk
So, this tells us the balance of gut microbiota is delicate and crucial. We can’t just be throwing any and all probiotics into the mix and expect to “fix the gut”. It is a very specialized system that requires true data to decipher the “fix”.
SLEEP:
Poor sleep habits are directly correlated with weight gain.
Not prioritizing sleep is a detrimental in more areas than weight loss including poor immune health, poor brain health and obviously fatigue.
Here’s a GREAT summary from THIS RESEARCH PAPER from 2013:
“Sleep is an important modulator of neuroendocrine function and glucose metabolism and sleep loss has been shown to result in metabolic and endocrine alterations, including decreased glucose tolerance, decreased insulin sensitivity, increased evening concentrations of cortisol, increased levels of ghrelin, decreased levels of leptin, and increased hunger and appetite. Recent epidemiological and laboratory evidence confirm previous findings of an association between sleep loss and increased risk of obesity.”
Proper sleep contributes to hormone balance, appropriate hunger, good metabolism, normal thyroid function, balanced stress levels, etc. If you don’t sleep well then weight loss is even more challenging.
THE ANSWERS:
I know y’all want me to write up all the answers to these dilemmas above (well, in all of my newsletters for that matter. 😊
That’s simply not possible.
I just cannot give you answers here!
Why, you ask?
Everything I do is individualized. There is not (and never will be) one size that fits all.
I offer a FREE 15-minute zoom call for new, potential clients for a reason 😉
So that I can get to know YOUR issues and YOUR goals.
We need data – we need YOUR data!
I ALWAYS run tests for my clients. Those tests differ based on presenting symptoms and goals. Those results guide my recommendations for YOU!
Don’t you want healthcare that personalized? Wouldn’t you rather have clues into what’s stopping you from achieving YOUR goals?
Well, I’m happy to help!
I will add that the beginning of the year is notoriously slammed for holistic practitioners like me. Too many want to “wait until the new year to start”. I highly recommend if you are contemplating moving forward on your health to contact us before 2024 starts as my waitlist for new clients is already getting considerably long!
❤️
Enjoy!!
Dr. K
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