Weight Loss Is A Journey, Not A Destination

Weight loss is much more than just counting calories and exercising. We have to look at the broader picture: nutritional imbalances, inflammation and immune function, environmental toxins, gut microbiome imbalances, our genes, hormonal imbalances, social connections, and stress. Below you will find a summary I created from Dr. Mark Hyman's post about the most common reasons for resistance to weight loss.

Enjoy the article below!

- MK

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Nutritional Imbalances

You can eat too many calories and too few nutrients. Americans have been overfed and undernourished for a very long time. In fact, most obese children and adults are actually malnourished.

You need vitamins and minerals to process all those empty calories.

Low nutritional status = a poorly functioning metabolism

Gut Microbiome Imbalances

The microbiome is the place where all these beneficial bacteria live and work within us to maintain a healthy gut. From both animal and human models, we know that the bacteria in our gut have profound effects on weight and metabolism.

Some bacteria extract more energy from food = weight gain Some bacteria extract less energy from food = weight loss

Some bacteria trigger inflammation leading to leaky gut, while others are anti-inflammatory. Inflammation triggers insulin resistance and diabetes, independent of your caloric intake. So, clearly, it's important to heal your gut if it is damaged by imbalances.

Contact me to start working together using a Functional Medicine approach, or try these things on your own to cultivate a healthy microbiome:

1. Eat whole, unprocessed, unrefined foods.

2. 75% of your plate should be vegetables and plant based foods.

3. Eat good fats and get an oil change (like omega-3 fats and monosaturated fats, such as extra-virgin olive oil).

4. Supplement smartly.

5. Add more coconut.

6. Remove inflammatory fats.

7. Add fiber-rich foods. Nuts and seeds.

8. Add fermented foods.

Inflammation and Immune Function

We know that diabetes and obesity are inflammatory problems, as are heart disease, cancer, depression, autism and dementia.

Other triggers for inflammation that also promote weight gain include:

• infections (such as viruses)

• mold toxins

• environmental toxins

• food allergens (such as gluten and dairy)

• a poor-quality processed diet that is high in sugar and omega-6 refined oils, and low in fiber.

All of these trigger inflammation, which then creates insulin resistance and promotes weight gain.

Environmental Toxins

Environmental toxins are called obesogens. There is a lot you can do to cut your exposure to toxins and help your body eliminate the ones it may already contain:

• Eat organic.

• Stop eating mercury. Avoid big fish with lots of mercury – such as tuna and swordfish.

• Eat clean, organic animal products by choosing grass-fed or pasture-raised animals that haven’t been exposed to hormones or antibiotics.

• Filter your water. Use a carbon or reverse osmosis filter to get rid of hidden contaminants in your water supply. Drink 8 glasses of filtered water every single day.

• Eat lots of high fiber. Poop at least once a day – this a very important part of the detoxification process!

• Add 1 to 2 cups of cruciferous vegetables daily to assist with detoxification.

• Don’t forget to sweat.

• Take special glutathione boosting compounds such as n-acetyl-cysteine, alpha lipoic acid, and milk thistle, which also support your liver.

Metabolism

Each of us were born with trillions of tiny energy factories, called mitochondria. Every cell in our body has hundreds to thousands of mitochondria, and they convert the oxygen you breathe and the food you eat into energy that is used as fuel for your body. When scientists talk about “metabolism”, they are often referring to mitochondria.

Effective mitochondria = burning calories, fast metabolism Ineffective mitochondria= not burning calories, slow metabolism

The greatest damage to our energy system comes from our diet.

• When we eat lots of sugary, processed, inflammatory foods like refined oils, or we simply consume too much food, we overload our energy factories and they become damaged.

• Environmental toxins like pesticides and mercury, along with hidden infections and stress, also harm our energy systems.

• Even your gut microbiome can be a problem if the unhealthy inflammatory bugs outweigh the good bugs. Essentially, anything that causes inflammation (also known as oxidative stress) damages the mitochondria.

• The natural act of ageing and most chronic diseases– including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and dementia – are related to mitochondrial dysfunction.

To boost your mitochondria and fire up your metabolism: eat real whole foods, avoid flour, move more often and faster, reduce toxic exposure, keep a healthy gut, and take energy boosting nutrients.

Hormonal Imbalances

The hormone that has the greatest connection to weight gain and disease is insulin – specifically too much of it. The hormones most likely to affect your weight are:

1. The thyroid

2. Cortisol

3. Sex hormones

1. Thyroid

Hyperthyroidism = low thyroid function A common cause of hypothyroidism is gluten intolerance. Also; pesticides, heavy metals, nutrient deficiencies can slow things down.

Your thyroid needs specific nutrients to run optimally including:

• selenium

• zinc

• iodine

• omega-3 fats

These four strategies can optimize thyroid function and weight loss:

1. Get the right tests. Ask your doctor to check your thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH and free T3 and T4, as well as thyroid antibodies including thyroid peroxidase (TPO) and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (TGAb). Some people may need to dig deeper and get a special test called reverse T3 to learn if something like heavy metals (mercury), pesticides, yeast, or nutritional deficiencies like selenium, vitamin D, zinc, or even iodine could block thyroid hormone function.

2. Eat right for your thyroid. Limit soybeans, raw kale, and other raw cruciferous veggies.

3. Use quality supplements for thyroid health. A good multivitamin that contains the above nutrients, plus fish oil and vitamin D.

4. Replace the right thyroid hormones. Most doctors will only prescribe T4 (such as Synthroid), the inactive form of thyroid hormone your body must convert to its active form, T3. Most people do better on bioidentical hormones (like Armour, Westhroid or Nature Throid) or a combination of T4 and T3.

2. Cortisol

Cortisol is an adrenal hormone that helps you to run faster, see further, hear better, and pump fuel into your bloodstream for quick energy. It is the hormone that helps us survive in the face of true danger.It also shuts down digestion and slows your metabolism.

Stressful thoughts activate metabolic pathways that cause weight gain and insulin resistance.

Prolonged stress and high levels of cortisol cause high blood sugar, increased belly fat, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and muscle loss.

3. Sex Hormone Imbalances

Sex hormone imbalances, such as estrogen and testosterone, can also cause weight problems. Sugar, refined carbs, alcohol spikes estrogen. Environmental toxins (xenoestrogens) act like estrogen.

Eat a hormone balance diet:

1. Bulk up on fiber

2. Foster daily elimination: magnesium citrate, probiotics, flax seeds

3. Limit alcohol

4. Exercise

Genetic Connections

There are definitely some genes that can cause obesity. Though some of us may have the genes that predispose us to obesity and type 2 diabetes, predisposition does not mean pre-destiny.

Social Connections

Statistics show that we are 171 percent more likely to be overweight if our friends are overweight, but only 40 percent more likely to be overweight if our parents are overweight.

Those are Mark Hyman's top tips for addressing a weight loss plateau. There is always something you can do. We can always dig a little deeper. And, if you feel like you’re doing everything right and still not losing the desired weight, I highly encourage working with a Functional Medicine practitioner.