Weight Loss Resistance
Weight loss, or more the inability to lose weight is about so much more than calories in vs calories out. Chasing the holy grail of optimum weight & weight loss is a multi million £ business but NO one diet model (gut friendly, keto, fasting, blood sugar diet, metabolic balance, detox) is going to be your answer, especially if you have been struggling with losing weight or plateaued.
Why? because our bodies are not a machine that operates in a linear way. It is made of cells, tissues, organs & systems that ALL communicate with each other. Negatively impact enough of these & chaos ensues - starting as inflammation & if not addressed - hypothyroidism. Insulin resistance, pain, fatigue, weight loss resistance.... depending on where your genetic vulnerability is, combined with this perfect storm, any number of conditions or symptoms WILL occur.
Over the years I have grouped 10 factors that influence whether the body gets the message to store fat rather than burn it. All need to be looked at, to allow your body to run properly:
Optimal DetoxificationL ensure liver, gall bladder and gut health to clear oestrogens and prevent storage problematic substances fat cells
Nervous system support: danger signals (mental or infectious) message to burn predominantly glucose rather than fat
Microbiome diversity: "good" bacteria make short chain fatty acids which decrease inflammation, boost brain function, help the immune system (remember inflammation = weight gain)
Optimise the thyroid: the master metabolic regulator
Support sex hormones: across cycle or through peri- and post-menopause to reduce troubling symptoms and the flow on effects this has on body fat storage
Maintain healthy blood glucose levels: and lower insulin / leptin resistance
Nutritional status: vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbs and fats are all required to support the nervous, immune and endocrine systems
Toxic burden: what chemicals, pollutions, medications are in your environmentL triggering inflammation / inhibiting detoxification pathways
Pathogen burden: viruses, bacteria, parasites - all generate an immune response > inflammation depleting metabolic reserve
Establishing metabolic flexibility: being able to switch between burning carbs and burning fat
For example, you can follow any “diet” to the letter, yet if your thyroid is struggling or your gut bacteria is mis-populated, sustainable weight loss will be an uphill struggle.
When we start to look at the body as interconnected, it becomes clear that weight loss is about SO much more than just what you eat, it’s actually more about being in optimal health! In other words you need to be in optimal health to lose weight.
Of course food plays a part, it has to. Because food is information! How we nourish our body & feed all of these incredible processes that happen inside of us every day.
Yet, when you begin to look at all the other contributing factors that affect whether we store or burn body fat, it changes your relationship with food and your body—forever.
Food is no longer solely about weight loss (or gain), it’s about nourishment, properly fuelling these cells, tissues & organs that facilitates optimal metabolism. And trust me, it becomes easier when you understand (which is why I always work with my clients through programmes to inform) exactly what you need to do to support your body and all of its extraordinary systems.