Weight Loss: What No One Talks About

Why do we gain weight? 

We talk a lot about how to LOSE weight, but when was the last time you read an article or blog post on why we GAIN weight?  

Well, I think we don't talk about it much because, 1) it's not sexy and doesn't bring in money from selling you something, and 2) it's different for everyone. 

But we need to talk about it. 

The obesity epidemic isn't going anywhere. 

Have you ever been told (think back to high school health class), that achieving your ideal weight is a matter of a simple math equation? 

Weight = calories in - calories out

What if I told you that was wrong? 

Actually, I don't have to. All you have to do is look around. We are not a dumb people. People can do math. 

The reason we continue to have people struggling with their weight is because the number on the scale isn't actually dictated by that equation. 

Did I just blow your mind? Or are you irritated because everything you've ever learned has been wrong? Or maybe you don't believe me? 

I'm not going to dive into the history of a "calorie" and why it is an erroneous way to think about our metabolism--a simple Google search can give you that information. 

I want to dive into what ACTUALLY matters when it comes to how and why we gain weight. 

This is JUICY stuff that I teach in my paid program. I'm going to give you the high-level overview today (lucky you!) 

1. Calories matter, but we want to think about quality, not quantity. 

2. Sleep and stress are two of the BIGGEST drivers of weight gain. 

3. Hormones DO matter, but maybe not in the way you might think. 

4. Exercise doesn't help you lose weight in the long term. 

5. Toxic burden HAS to be considered if you cannot lose weight. 

Are you still reading or are you annoyed with me? 

Let's dissect these each briefly:

1. Calories: Yes, you can lose weight quickly but dumping calories, but how long does that weight loss last?  You've likely tried this method and found that yes, you lost some weight quickly, but over time you either stalled or the weight came back. There are two things happening here: 1) dropping calories tells your body that you no longer need that volume of food to survive, so your internal system drops your metabolism to meet the amount of calories you are giving it. This is why I have so many women coming to me eating 800 calories a day and unable to lose weight. 2) Surviving on a diet of 800 calories is AWFUL and you WILL start to eat more food at some point or you will start to show signs of malnutrition. Either way, you will need to eat more and likely gain weight in that process. 

2. Lack of sleep and stress promote rapid increases of cortisol in the body. Guess what the body can't do when it's stressed? Lose weight. Period. End of story. When cortisol is up guess what other hormone can increase? Glucose. Guess what happens when glucose is up? Your body needs to move it out of the blood via insulin. Insulin helps us gain weight. Awesome. 

Additionally, we tend to crave quick energy fixes when we are stressed or tired because our body is looking for a hit of dopamine--NOT the foods that are nourishing to our bodies. I generally don't reach for carrots and celery when I've had a tough day. You? 

3. Our hormones all play together. We often think of our sex hormones when we hear the word "hormones". But there are SO many more, including the ones mentioned above. Insulin is actually one of the hormones that SHOULD be talked about in relationship to weight loss more than it is. It definitely is not given enough credit here. 

Insulin is anabolic. When it's around, it's putting fat on the body. When it's absent or low, it allows our bodies to burn fat. When we gain weight because we've cut calories but we are eating every 2 hours because we are hungry, our insulin is elevated and therefore we physically can NOT lose weight. Insulin is tightly connected to progesterone and estrogen and can dramatically impact testosterone, fertility, and our menstrual cycles. 

4. Exercise isn't going to save you, but putting on muscle will. Skeletal muscles LOVE using glucose (it's converted to glycogen first) and the more muscle you have, the more glucose is taken up out of the bloodstream, which can keep insulin down (resulting in fat loss). Muscle activity can also help to lower an increased level of glucose in the blood after a carb-heavy meal. So exercise is helpful, but NOT because it burns more calories. In fact, it may leave you feeling more ravenous, resulting in you eating more (again, not the actual issue, but you do want to be thoughtful in what you are eating post-workout). 

5. Toxin, toxins, toxins. I've covered this well in previous posts, but if you have a toxic load, your body is going to have a hard time releasing fat, because toxins stored in that fat if released, can make you very sick. In these cases, we have to deal with the toxins AS we also work on all the other pieces to help you lose weight. 

Is it becoming clear why we are all gaining weight? Stress--check. Not enough sleep--check. Counting calories--check. Working out excessively--check. Not paying attention to what and when we are eating, causing spikes in glucose and insulin--check, check, check. 

We HAVE to change the narrative around weight loss. It is one of the main drivers behind why I created Reclaim Your Metabolism. We are not actually taught the things we need to know to not only lose weight but to not gain it in the first place. 

This is not about willpower, eating less, and exercising more. It is SO much more complicated that than. 

If this was helpful, please pass it on to a friend. We need to change the narrative on health in this country.