I don’t know about you, but sometimes as the years go on those pesky pounds seem to sneak their way on to my body. Whether it was a stressful year due to work, a happy year that brought babies or one where you experienced great sadness, the pounds just seem to appear out of nowhere. It often feels like the pounds do not come off as easily as they have in the past. If these things resonate with you, you are not alone!
What if weight loss was associated with more than just eating 1200 calories a day and working out as much as possible? Our bodies do not know that we have a grocery store down the street and a fridge full of food. Eating the smallest number of calories possible could actually be doing more harm than good to our weight loss journey.
When we look at fat gain as a symptom of imbalance, rather than the whole story - we start to change the game. Some root causes of fat gain are:
Dysregulated hormones
Poor gut health
Systemic inflammation
But what does this mean?
It means we were all done a disservice when we were taught that weight loss is as simple as calories in equals calories out. Our bodies are a lot more complex than that. Hormones, gut health and inflammation play a big role in how our body is capable and willing to lose weight.
Hormones
Cortisol and insulin are most likely driving the crazy train when it comes to our hormones. Cortisol is the body’s major stress hormone, it helps us wake up in the morning and multitask throughout the day. It is needed for our everyday life! If you are a multitasking maven who demands high cortisol production to do all of the things, your body never has a chance to shut off. This could lead to things like low libido, thyroid complications and irregular menstrual cycles.
Insulin is the hormone that is in charge of lowering our blood sugar. If cortisol is elevated, then the body is keeping extra energy, or sugar, in the bloodstream so that it can keep us moving. This can leave your body with high blood sugar as often as you have high cortisol. Constant high blood sugar can lead to things like insulin resistance, which in turn can lead to fat gain.
Poor Gut Health
When we are under constant stress our bodies are using our energy to keep us going, not to help with digestion. This can lead to dysbiosis, inflammation and leaky gut. These three generally occur when there is not enough time or energy to repair the damage that is done from that day. Day after day, the damage builds. Eventually, you begin to see symptoms like food intolerances, diarrhea and constipation.
Inflammation
What happens in your gut impacts the rest of your body! If you are experiencing inflammation in your gut, it won’t be long before the rest of your body begins to experience inflammation. Increased inflammation can lead to insulin resistance and fat gain.
Bottom Line
Most people experience weight gain, so if this is you, you are not alone. The most successful method to weight loss might not be cutting calories and working out 7 days a week. At The Functional Kitchen, we have created a free resource specifically addressing these symptoms of imbalance. Six Steps to Fat Loss for Multitasking Mavens is a guide designed for healthy and sustained fat loss. It shows the importance of stress management, supporting gut health and shifting between weight loss and weight maintenance. If this sounds right up your alley, pop on over to our free resource to learn more about how to support your body and achieve your goals!
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