12 Things To Consider When It Comes To Weight Loss

Weight loss isn’t as black and white as you think it may be. If you’re struggling to shift weight there is a lot you need to consider, such as:

1. Food intake
2. Nutrient deficiencies
3. Thyroid health
4. Physical & emotional stress
5. Toxin exposure
6. Hormonal health
7. Adrenal health
8. Gut health
9. Sleep habits
10. Exercise levels
11. Inflammation levels
12. Irregular blood sugar levels

A common trend I see in clinic when people are trying to lose weight is to exercise more & eat less, restrict food, go from diet to diet, fast too much or skip meals frequently, this is not the answer. You NEED to get the balance right, it’s not about pushing your body to its limit with exercise and eating small morsels of food, or constantly restricting and/or skipping meals.

Our bodies NEED fuel and nutrients from food to function optimally, you can’t drive a car without gas can you? Eating less may work for a short period of time, but then you hit your bodies set point. This is why it’s often hard to shift those last few kilos.

If you’ve been struggling to lose weight start you need to look at your health holistically. Consider other factors that they may be preventing you from losing weight. Maybe you need to get some blood tests to look at your thyroid levels (TSH, T4, T3, thyroid antibodies), maybe you need to address stress and look at ways to lower your cortisol levels (which is a fat storing hormone), maybe you need to sleep more (lack of sleep increase stress and inflammation the body and increases our hunger hormone which can lead to overeating and cravings the following day) or do less intensive exercise (to reduce stress on your adrenals) and actually eat more of the right foods to give your body more nutrition so it can function at its best.

Have you ever considered looking at your inflammation levels? If there is inflammation present in the body, the body wants to attend to that inflammation as that is problematic and could have a big impact on your health, so it would rather address that instead of breaking down fat cells. It’s so very important to make sure you’re not sending your blood sugar on roller coaster ride throughout the day. Eating diets high in carbs (whether that is bread, pasta, fruit, rice, dried fruits, quinoa, sweet potato) or high in sugar and caffeine, this spike and drops your blood sugar levels and causes a big insulin release. Did you know that insulin can stop your body from burning fat for 6-8 hours?

If you can’t figure it out how to lose weight on your own it’s worth reaching out for help from a professional like myself or any qualified health practitioner that’s going to look at the whole picture, not just calories in, calories out. A little guidance can go a long way, then you’ll also have the tools, a personalized plan & education about how to move forward with your weight loss journey and understand your why.