A common question that I get asked is, "Why do I have so much difficulty losing weight?"
Apart from the typical answers (poor food choices, no calorie deficit, lack of exercise, etc.) I'd like to deal with this question on a deeper level. Specifically, I'd like to address this question with the assumption that the person asking me this question struggles with some sort of chronic disease or ongoing health issue.
First, to understand why weight loss can be difficult for someone with a chronic disease or long-standing health issue, I'd have to point out that a chronic illness means that your body is in some sort of state of chronic inflammation.
Chronic inflammation is a major contributor to weight gain and difficulty losing weight.
In fact, sometimes this weight can include what we term 'water weight' which is one of the body's ways of protecting itself from chronic inflammation.
Symptoms of chronic inflammation include bloating, brain fog, joint pain and swelling, chronic fatigue, IBS, headaches, skin issues including eczema and acne, food allergies/sensitivities, mood instability, chronic sinus congestion and more. Obviously, any type of diagnosed auto-immune illness or chronic disease are also indicative of chronic inflammatio
n.
So, if you are trying to lose weight and find yourself with a constant battle to lose weight and have any of the above mentioned symptoms, it is most likely that before you can even touch the weight loss in any effective way, you need to address the chronic inflammatory process that is happening in your body.
Where to begin?
1. Diet is one of the most effective and important ways to start managing chronic inflammation in the body. Avoid processed/refined foods, gluten, dairy, soy, corn (some of the most common allergens) and focus on nourishing your body with foods that are rich in nutrients and antioxidants. You may also need to avoid nuts, yeast, eggs, citrus and other foods that are specifically inflammatory to you. Focus on eating a wide array of fresh fruits and vegetables. Eat as organically and as naturally (unprocessed) as possible. Sugar is highly inflammatory and should be avoided.
With dietary changes that stop and/or reduce inflammation you will be surprised to find how quickly you may drop that water weight and then will be able to begin losing more weight.
Diet is also extremely important because what you eat feeds what lives in your gut...and we all know a healthy gut microbiome has an impact on our mood, emotions, our physical health and yes, our weight. Inflammation in the gut (from the inflammatory foods and the allergenic foods you eat) wreaks havoc on your digestive system which in turn wreaks inflammatory havoc on your entire body. Avoiding allergenic and inflammatory foods means your gut has a chance to heal which in turns allows your body to heal. Fiber rich foods are extremely beneficial and support a healthy gut which is essential to weight loss. In addition, ensuring that you include probiotic, fermented foods such as kimchi, pickles, sauerkraut, diary-free yogurt, kefir and kombucha is also an essential part of restoring gut health to begin your weight loss journey.
2. Exercise is another important addition to your anti-inflammatory battle. Exercise reduces inflammation in your body. Obviously, don't push too hard - you want to aim for 45-60 minutes of gentle exercise (such as walking, biking) three or four times a week.
3. Unmanaged stress is highly inflammatory. Cortisol is released by your body in response to stress which can lead to chronic inflammation and trouble sleeping. Try gentle exercise, stretching, deep breathing, meditation, journalling or some other activity to reduce inflammation.
4. Often, when faced with trouble losing weight, many women turn to sever calorie restriction. However, starving your body means that you body moves into storing absolutely everything you eat as fat. And fat unfortunately tends tp bind to all the toxins we have in our system. This means that when you start to lose weight all those toxins are released which will contribute to further inflammation.
5. Support your body with supplements such as fish oil. Fish oil is extremely anti-inflammatory. Even though it is fat, fat is NOT our enemy. Your body needs fat to function and thrive. Get yourself on a fish oil supplement that is rich in EPA and DHA.
6. Sleep is an extremely important part of managing and reducing chronic inflammation. Get yourself to bed on time thereby allowing your body to use that sleeping time to heal itself. If you have trouble sleeping try some sleep hygieneor supplement with magnesium bisglycinate.
Ok! So that's all for now! Ideally, you want to get the inflammation down as quickly as possible. With more complex health conditions working with a natural health professional can be extremely helpful. Book a free 15 minute consult today to learn how I can help you!
Sources:
https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/the-weight-gain-inflammation-connection/
https://drhyman.com/blog/2012/01/27/inflammation-how-to-cool-the-fire-inside-you-thats-making-you-fa...
