Do you suffer with weight loss resistance AKA Weight Gain?

Of the 65 percent of the population who is overweight, there is a large group of people who are weight-loss resistant. If you suspect that you are in this situation, you should know there are natural ways to correct them. Simply cutting calories, starving yourself and more exercise is not going to correct it and in fact will make it worse in the long run.

Burning more calories than you eat is just one part of the equation when it comes to losing weight. That seems simple enough right ?, but if were really that simple, none of us would have a weight problem. Too often we take drastic and often unhealthy measures to see results – Fad diets, diet pills or those weird fitness gadgets on infomercials that promise instant success. Maybe you lose some weight but what happens when you go off that fad diet or stop that intense crazy workout program? You gain it all back and more.

Janine 45 years old, came to my office after having been a member of Weight Watchers for two years. Like most men and women she drove herself crazy measuring and weighing every morsel and block of food she put in her body. She was extremely dedicated and committed to losing weight and getting healthy. She worked out 5 days a week, never missed a workout, never cheated with food, and every time she stepped on the scale, you could imagine…. She was disappointed with herself.

I’m sure Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Seattle Sutton and many other program work well for some people, but for many it never seems to get the results they were desperately hoping for. How does this happen and why.

It’s called weight loss resistance.

The real secret to weight loss is to make small, lasting and realistic changes. The key is to forget about instant results and settle in for the long run.

“Every time you eat your body releases hormonal signaling molecules that will determine whether you burn fat or store it, feel hungry or full, have cravings for junk food, or feel more or less motivated to exercise.”

I talk to Men and women every day who spend hours at the gym, starve themselves regularly, and just can’t figure out why they aren’t losing weight. Weight loss resistance is extremely frustrating, and often depressing. The reality is, You may be suffering with a metabolic-hormone imbalance blocking you from weight loss, and once you resolve it, the weight will melt away, stay away, and allow you to maintain a healthy weight.

Hormone imbalances are far more influential than diet and exercise.

Wondering why you Cant Lose Weight?

1. Low Thyroid Function

Low thyroid function aka Hypothyroidism or Autoimmune Thyroid disease is a common reason for stubborn weight gain. No matter how many hours you spend on the treadmills, or counting calories, fasting and detoxing, you continue to struggle with those stubborn love handles and belly fat.

Consider these facts

• An estimated 20 million Americans havesome form of thyroid disease.

• Womenare five to eight timesmore likely than men to have thyroid problems.

• One womanin eight will develop thyroid disease during her lifetime

These are scary statistics, but even more worrisome is that up to 60 percent of those with thyroid disease are unaware of their condition despite having all the typical low thyroid symptoms.

This misdiagnosis occurs because the most common test used to determine if a thyroid problem exists (TSH) is a poor measurement of thyroid function and misses many people with sub-clinical low thyroid.

Click to find out more about the Thyroid Testing.

2. Adrenal dysfunction

For many men and women struggling with weight gain, another common hormonal imbalance often detected as a culprit is Cortisol.

Cortisol plays an important role in glucose metabolism and your insulin levels. Cortisol is affected by stress, poor sleep, diet, inflammation, chronic injuries and fluctuating blood sugar levels. One of the main reasons many struggle with weight loss resistance is due to cortisol.

Cortisol imbalances can make it challenging to lose weight, but it can make it very easy to gain weight especially in the belly, thighs and arms.

Who is at risk for problems with Adrenal gland imbalances? Fitness models, weight trainers, long distance runners, and anyone who puts their body through physical, chemical and emotional stress.

Just like your Thyroid, your adrenal glands are involved in more than just weight gain.

Common symptoms of Adrenal gland imbalances include chronic joint pain and inflammation, blood sugar problems, trouble staying asleep, trouble falling asleep, mood disorders such as depression and anxiety and multiple sensitivities to food and chemicals.

Click to learn more about Testing adrenals

3. Sex Hormones

An imbalance in your sex hormones, particularly an excess of estrogen can make it hard to lose weight in both men and women. For men it can be excess weight around the chest and stomach, which is the most unhealthy area to accumulate body fat.

For women, an excess of estrogen can also make it hard to lose weight, and increase cravings for food, particularly if accompanied by a deficiency in progesterone.

Adrenal dysfunction can cause an imbalance in the sex hormones to so it is a good idea to test both.

Click to learn more about Testing Male Hormone Imbalances

Click to learn more about Testing Sex Hormone imbalances in Cycling woman

Click to learn more about Testing Sex Hormone imbalances in Peri-menopause and Menopause

4. Nutritional Deficiencies and Problems with Macronutrient Metabolism (proteins, fats, carbs)

While nutritional deficiencies are often overlooked as a cause of weight gain and weight loss resistance, deficiencies in vitamins and minerals such as B vitamins, magnesium, iron, zinc, lipoid acid, co-enzyme Q10 and amino acids can all affect your ability to convert carbohydrates and fats into energy.

Not only can they prevent carbs from being converted into energy, many vitamins and minerals serve as catalysts for various hormones.

For example deficiencies in zinc can cause problems with the hormone testosterone, problems with Copper can cause problems with estrogen levels.

There are certain lab markers we use in our clinic that will help identify functional nutritional deficiencies, as well as problems with macronutrient metabolism. Macronutrients are carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Problems with breaking these macronutrients down can lead to a host of problems one of which is stubborn weight gain.

Learn more about our Optimal Nutritional Programand testing

5. Digestion Problems and SIBO

You have probably heard the saying, “You are what you eat” that is a bit of misconception. You are what you “extract” from the nutrients you eat and this is dependent on the kind of bacteria populating your gut microbiome.

Problems within the Digestive tract especially IBS and SIBO often affect our caloric utilization. As mentioned earlier, certain Gut bugs cause weight gain while other cause weight loss. Firmicutes and Bacteroides are some of the bacteria that have now been implicated in stubborn weight gain and alteration in our caloric utilization.

If you have signs of Bloating, gas, heartburn, constipation, diarrhea, etc all of these are signs of gut dysbiosis and potentially inflammation. Even if you diet is perfect,

As a result of the bacteria populating your gut microbiome you can become nutrient deficient. This can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog, depression/ anxiety, headaches, skin issues and many other symptoms.

Click to learn more about SIBO Testing here.

If you have one or more of these hormonal imbalances, you will never lose weight long term until these are corrected.