From Surviving To Thriving: Tips on Weight Loss
Why Do We Gain Weight?
Our genes and eating behaviors are shaped by the hundreds of thousands of generations before us that lived in a time of food shortage, not overabundance. The reason our bodies create fat is to store energy for later use - one pound of fat contains more energy than one pound of dynamite! We have countless biological mechanisms that protect us from starving, but very few that protect us from overeating. Complicating matters is the fact that we as a nation, gravitate toward food with very little "sustainable" energy. All of the sugary and processed foods and drinks we love so much contain little to no nutritional value, making our body believe that we are starving and thus slowing down our metabolism and creating a biological need for storing excess fat. Although we gain weight, our body is actually starving of real nutritious food.
Sometimes the thing that is making our body gain or retain weight is less obvious.
Five reasons you may not be loosing weight:
1. Blood sugar imbalances
2. Thyroid disorders
3. Cortisol imbalances
4. Adrenal fatigue
5. Eating foods that your body may be intolerant of
How does stress fit into all of this?
One of the main ways that stress contributes to weight gain, or difficult weight loss, is through a hormone called cortisol. When our body experiences stress - either psychological, physical or emotional - our adrenal glands are signaled to release an array of hormones, one of which is cortisol. When we are constantly stressed, the unrelenting release of cortisol can have devastating effects on our body. Cortisol has direct effects on the way we store fat - it tends to store fat in the abdomen and surrounding our stomach and intestines. Increased cortisol levels has also been linked to increased appetite and sugar cravings, high blood pressure, elevated lipids, and high blood sugar. Stress is simply a part of life and in some circumstances is actually good for us, however, chronic stress causes us a lot of harm - and not only when it comes to weight management. This is why it is so so so important to have ways to take a load off and relax. Your body will thank you for it!
A Foreign Prospective:
In Chinese Medicine, weight gain is seen as a result of weak or sluggish digestion. Weak digestion creates "excess dampness" which takes the form of fat. The goal of treatment is to fortify, channel and sustain energy levels to pick up one's metabolism and improve our response to stressors. If the digestion is strong, our body will be able to transform the food we eat into energy without creating dampness or fat.
Five things to help improve weight loss:
1. Eat whole, nutritious foods and cut out the highly processed foods and drinks
2. Reduce your stress
3. Eat at regular times and do not skip breakfast
4. Eat mindfully
5. Get restful sleep
Though often the focus of weight loss is on vanity, we believe the focus should be on overall health. We are so excited to be offering a program that does just that. The Surviving to Thriving Program offered by the Healing Hut will be addressing thyroid function, adrenal function, blood sugar metabolism, underlying nutritional deficiencies, food intolerances and stress levels to provide you with a holistic approach to health and weight-loss. Find out more about Surviving to Thriving here!
One of the most radical things you can do is to love your body - to love yourselves enough to take care of and love your body - it is your most priceless possession and the only place you have to live.
References:
https://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/stresscortisol.html
http://drhyman.com/blog/2015/02/19/overeating-doesnt-make-fat-2/
