4 Factors That May Be Involved in Your Weight Loss Troubles
I have my own story with regard to weight, and I hear daily from clients, friends, and colleagues – other over-50 women – about their trials and tribulations with slowed metabolism, weight gain, difficulty with weight loss, etc.
So, after some research, and a long talk with a nutritionist colleague, Diane Solomon DipI.O.N, here are some powerful factors involved in the whole weight issue. DARE to approach this with new eyes!
Why on earth can’t I lose weight and keep it off?
Are you having a hard time keeping weight off? Or losing weight in the first place? Do you eat like a bird but can’t drop any pounds? Is your energy low, and you crave food, sugar, chocolate, carbs, or coffee to get you going?
There are several key issues that may be in play. These may be factors your doctor does not know, or does not think of, that can explain your problem. A good nutritionist can help! And there may be a fix as simple as a blood test, followed by a nutrient supplement or a diet change.
For now, let me give you a few of the factors that may be creating a cog in the wheel of your determination to lose weight.
1) INSULIN ISSUE: Do you crave food? Do you crave sugar especially? Seems the more weight you gain, the hungrier you are? This could be an insulin problem. You’ve heard of insulin with regard to diabetes, but many Americans are in some stage of pre-diabetes with its fluctuating blood sugar and resulting fatigue, hunger, and weight gain. Researchers have found that people who secrete high insulin levels have a far more difficult time losing weight than those secreting lower levels of insulin.
If this is true for you, what does this mean? Your insulin receptors have stopped working effectively. You have begun to secrete too much insulin, which lowers blood sugar. When your blood sugar is low you feel hungry and tired. So you reach for sugar, or caffeine (which raises blood sugar and wakes you up), and more insulin pours out to deal with this spike of blood sugar, and you are in vicious cycle – downward!
Solution? Keep your insulin levels low, by reducing sugar intake, processed carbs, and keep up your exercise – walk, cycle, jog, sweep out the garage! Park a long way from the grocery store and walk! You can test your insulin levels by asking your doctor for a simple blood test.
Also, an important tip: take Chromium, preferably in the Glucose Tolerance Factor version (GTF), or chelated Chromium. Many people with insulin issues are deficient in Chromium, an essential mineral for the entire blood sugar/insulin process. It comes in 200mcg capsules/tablets, and Diane suggests her clients take one, three times a day, with food, for three months, then two a day with food, for three months, then one a day long term.
2) ALLERGIES: If someone asked you what your favorite comfort is, you might say, with stars in your eyes and a yearning in your voice, “Bread, cereal, pasta…” Oddly enough, if you have weight issues that will not resolve, and you crave a certain food (in this example, wheat) you may be allergic or sensitive to that food. Wheat, corn, and dairy are among the highest allergy foods in the USA. And many people do not know it.
When people complain of migraines, IBS, depression, skin rashes or eczema, bloating, etc., it is important to eliminate food allergies as a possible cause. The same applies to weight gain or weight that is hard to lose. When they come off a food to which they are allergic, they very often drop a few pounds without doing anything else, and their food cravings diminish rapidly. Funny, though, for the first four days off the offending food, they wander down food aisles in the store drooling and sighing over the foods they can’t have!
We should not crave a food – it is a sign of potential allergy. If you crave a food, you may be addicted to it. Just as an addict suffers symptoms when the substance they crave is withdrawn, allergic people experience symptoms or discomfort when they stop eating the suspect food.
If you think this may apply, ask a Nutritionist or a Registered Dietician (R.D.) about trying an elimination diet to pin down the offending food. Or research the method online and give it a try. There is no down-side except a few days without a food that you believe is your friend. It may not be!!
In PART TWO:
Do you have a hard time losing weight, feel tired, have low blood pressure, feel dizzy if you stand up to fast, have cold hands and feet? You may have an adrenal exhaustion issue, check back for Part Two of this article, where we’ll look at Adrenal Fatigue, and Leptin Resistance/sleep factor, two other major issues that can be involved in weight loss issues.
Check back for PART TWO:
1) Adrenal Exhaustion, and
2) Leptin Resistance and the sleep factor.
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