Most of us have been here before - no matter what you do - weight loss is stagnant, or you've hit a plateau that you just can't get past. Here are the main reasons behind weight loss resistance and how to get moving on your goal.
1) The most common reasoning is all about WHAT you eat, WHEN you eat and HOW you eat.
Check in on what you are eating. Do you consume a lot of processed and/or fast foods that contain ingredients that are foreign to the body (additives, pesticides, GMOs)? Are white flour, white pastas and white breads a huge part of your diet? It's time to reevaluate your meal plan to include a variety of the clean, nutrient dense, whole foods your body is yearning for.
Is your meal schedule chaotic? The body loves cycles - eating breakfast, lunch and dinner around the same time everyday allows your body to prepare for digestion. When your body knows when it will be consuming nutrition, it will begin to prepare digestive juices - optimizing digestion overall while supporting blood sugar balance.
We know that when we consume too much (of the wrong foods mostly) and are living a more sedentary lifestyle - weight loss is difficult. However, eating too little sets the stage for 'starvation mode' where your body does not feel safe enough to let go of reserves. Find a healthy medium.
Don't rush meals. The body needs a relaxed environment to properly digest food. Make the time for meals, eat while in a relaxed state and sitting, enjoy each and every bite and chew, chew, chew.
2) Does your thyroid need support? When the thyroid is sluggish, metabolism naturally slows down. Iodine, selenium and the amino acid tyrosine are essential for thyroid function. Other nutrients include zinc, copper, vitamins A, C and E, and vitamins B2, B3 and B6. Read more about Thyroid Support HERE.
3) Hormone balance includes both sex hormones and stress hormones. Fat storage and breakdown are strictly regulated by certain hormones in the body. Hormones support our ability to maintain muscle, influence energy expenditure (or the number of calories your body burns on a daily basis) and balance satiety and hunger cues.
So, fluctuations in hormone levels may lead to weight gain, weight loss resistance and body fat accumulation. Chronic stress and hormone imbalance plays a huge role in healthy weight loss. Do your adrenals need support?
4) Optimal digestion not only supports the breakdown of food but also plays a role in absorption of essential nutrients as well as overall gut health and balance. When you are not digesting food optimally, undigested food sits in the gut, ferments and then feeds unwanted bacteria and yeast, leading to an imbalance in gut flora. Read more about optimizing digestion HERE.
5) Dysbiosis or an imbalance in gut flora affects how you digest your food, causes increased appetite and cravings for high sugar/starchy foods (because that's what they feed on) and causes inflammation as your body activates the immune system to fight infection. In fact, an overgrowth of certain species can even cause increased caloric extraction from food. When you have overgrowth of 'bad bacteria' in the gut - you will most likely be weight loss resistant. Read more about probiotics and gut health HERE.
6) Increased gut permeability or 'leaky gut' is when the tight junctions in the lining of the intestinal wall lose integrity, allowing material from the digestive tract into the blood stream. This can cause IgG immune responses, chronic systemic inflammation, food sensitivities and even autoimmune disorders. Read more on how to heal the gut.
7) Chronic inflammation is the leading cause of all illness and disease. Inflammation is caused by a poor diet of processed and fast foods, exposure to toxins (environmental, in foods/water, home and beauty products), reduced ability to detox optimally, pathogens and imbalanced gut flora, autoimmune disorders - leaky gut, chronic stress, hormone imbalance, poor sleep and so on. HERE are healthier options for anti-inflammatories and pain relievers.
8) Sluggish detoxification greatly slows down metabolism. When the liver is sluggish, ridding the body of waste is decreased causing it to recirculate and store in fat cells. Many symptoms can arise including skin rashes, headaches, fatigue and of course, weight loss resistance. Read more about toxic burden HERE.
9) Blood sugar balance is huge for healthy weight loss. When we eat too many high carbohydrate foods or sugars at one sitting OR if we wait too long to eat in general, insulin spikes. When insulin spikes, we store fat, period. Eating quality proteins, healthy fats and fiber (from veggies, low sugar fruits, nuts/seeds) supports blood sugar balance throughout the day. Read about the blood sugar - weight loss connection HERE.
10) Nutrient Deficiency! They call them essential nutrients for a reason - they are essential for our bodies and minds to function optimally every single day. They support metabolism and energy production, detoxification, constant healing, the immune system, gut health, brain function, hormone balance, and so on. Eating a variety of whole foods, optimizing your digestion and changing the mindset from 'dieting' to a healthy lifestyle will assure optimal wellness and successful weight loss. There is a big difference between living and thriving!
A great way to check in on your nutrient intake is utilizing tools like Cronometer. You can also check for specific nutrient deficiencies by looking in the mirror HERE.
11) Poor sleep is a huge weight loss buster. We actually lose the most weight while we sleep! Going to bed around the same time every night, waking up around the same time every day, and getting 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night is amazingly supportive of natural weight loss and overall health and longevity.
At the end of the day, when your life is in balance and your body feels 'loved up' or nourished, weight loss will naturally occur. If your body is in a state of fight or flight, stressed and nutrient depleted - it will hold on to weight, because it does not feel safe enough to let it go.
If you need more personalized support, reach out for a Free 15 Minute Consult with us to learn about functional testing and/or how Purely Rooted Nutrition can support you!
Breathe in, breathe out - when your life is balanced - weight loss will come.
