Why Can't I Lose Weight?
SO.MANY.PEOPLE struggle with weight loss and maintaining a weight that feels right for their body. Realistically, weight loss and metabolism can be complex, but definitely not figure-out-able. There are a multitude of factors that contribute to metabolic flexibility. Metabolic flexibility is a relatively new term that means your metabolism is essentially happy and balanced and able to toggle between burning different energy sources, depending on what is available. For instance, if there is glucose around in the blood, cells will burn glucose to give you energy. If glucose stores are low, then your body may burn fatty acids, by releasing fat stores from cells, and so on. This is essentially the money-spot of metabolism: It keeps you energized, your brain is happy and your weight stays where it should. This is what we ALL want. The journey to get here is different for everyone which is why there are no short cuts or one-pill-cures-all approach to weight loss.
Here are some factors that will contribute to imbalanced metabolism and difficulty losing weight:
Sleep: Deep, restorative sleep helps to regulate appetite, satiety and your ability to burn fat. As you can imagine, long term lack of restful sleep will make you feel hungry, increase intensity of food cravings, and promote more fat storage.
Emotional imbalance: Mood swings, anxiety, depression are largely effected by imbalanced neurotransmitters which can then effect food cravings and appetite, making it a vicious cycle. Additionally, blood sugar regulation, or lack thereof, can negatively impact emotional/mental states.
Hormones: This is a big one. Sex hormones directly impact metabolism. For example, patients with PCOS are likely to have increased insulin to store fat and more difficulty regulating glucose in general. As we age, particularly in women, estrogen levels decline. This actually makes the brain less sensitive to insulin and it has a difficulty time maintaining balanced blood sugar levels.
Toxins: Toxins are everywhere in our environment and will put a wrench in our hormonal pathways. This can make it easy to pack on the pounds and difficult to lose weight. This is also why people tend to lose weight and feel better on detox and cleanse programs.
Luckily, all of these factors can be addressed with naturopathic medicine and diet/lifestyle changes. If you feel like you are stagnant on your weight loss journey feel free to schedule an appointment with Dr. Jenna Zampiello. Dr. Zampiello specializes in Paleo/Keto diets and intermittent fasting. Her therapeutic approach includes evaluating for underlying causes of metabolic dysfunction, hormone balancing, addressing behavioral and neurotransmitter contributors to unhealthy food choices, and strategizing a sustainable way of eating for each individual. Call the front desk at 206-629-5180 to take your first step to success today.