KBW | You’ve Tried Everything, But You Can't Lose Weight. This Is Why That Extra Weight Just Won't Come Off…..

“I’ve tried everything, and the extra weight I’m carrying just won’t come off”

 I’ve heard this hundreds of times. Some women tell me their healthcare providers don’t believe them. These providers sometimes even shame them by telling these women surely they just haven’t tried hard enough and all they really need to do is just cut calories even lower or work out even longer. 

But oftentimes, these women come to me on a mere 1,000 calories a day, aka starvation level. And you know what? I always believe them. I believe them because I know the truth. 

The truth is:  

You can do all the diet and exercise programs in the world, but if something is out of balance in your body, that weight will not come off. No matter what. What DOES happen when you slash your calories to ridiculously low levels, however, is your thyroid hormone production drops, your hair starts to thin and fall out, your hands and feet get cold, you become extremely fatigued, irritable, anxious, constipated, and more. 

 Why it won’t come off: 

The body is an incredibly complex machine that needs to be in perfect balance to function properly. When we see resistant weight loss, we can pretty much guarantee there is an imbalance in one of the body’s systems:

Micronutrients

Micronutrients are a fairly broad category of nutrients, including fat-soluble vitamins, water-soluble vitamins, major minerals, and trace minerals. Each specific micronutrient has a wide range of important functions in the body.

Imbalances in micronutrients mean your cells and systems won’t function the way they should. When we have imbalances in the micronutrients required for proper thyroid function, thyroid hormone production may slow, which can result in a slower metabolism, making weight gain inevitable and weight loss all but impossible. 

Fixing a micronutrient imbalance is easier said than done, and it’s the reason why I have two Registered Dietitians that work with my clients! It’s also why I have an entire module in my program the KB Code dedicated to increasing your nutrient density to improve micronutrient status in the body.

One way you can get started small today is to start eating more fruits and vegetables and lean meats and less processed foods. If you’re ready for step two, you know where to find us ;) Hint: click HERE

Cortisol  

You may have heard of cortisol as the “stress” hormone or the “belly fat” hormone, and both are correct!

Cortisol needs to be in perfect balance for the body to function properly. Too much and we feel “wired but tired”, anxious, overwhelmed, can’t sleep, and feel like we’re spinning in circles all day. This also leads to stubborn weight loss because the body does not feel safe. It is on high alert and thinks those fat stores should be held onto lest a tiger chase ensues or a famine kicks up in the area.

But too little cortisol has a negative effect as well. With too little cortisol, we feel burned out, exhausted, barely functional, and apathetic. We don’t have the energy we need to eat right or work out, but sadly, even if we did, the weight wouldn’t budge either. Everything in the body has come to a grinding halt when cortisol is too low. 

Balancing cortisol can take a lot of time and effort. Step one, work on reducing your stress levels (try gratitude journaling, deep breathing, or a meditation app to get started). To learn more about cortisol and its delicate balance, head over to my blog on cortisol HERE→ 

Blood Sugar

Our body works incredibly hard to keep our blood sugar balanced. Too much glucose (sugar) in the bloodstream for too long is incredibly dangerous. This is why diabetics that can’t make their own insulin (insulin shuttles glucose OUT of the bloodstream and into its storage compartments as glycogen in the liver, muscles, and fat) need to inject themselves with insulin after eating to allow for swift removal of glucose from the blood, or they could die. Blood sugar balance is THAT important.

Yet the rates of type II diabetes (this type of diabetes is related to diet and lifestyle) have been on the exponential rise in recent years. Type II diabetes is a result of long-term blood sugar imbalance that causes the body to become resistant to its own insulin. This necessitates more and more to be pumped out, causing even more insulin resistance in the process.

The muscle and liver cells of the body have a finite amount of glycogen that they will accept; once they are full, the only other place to store this excess glucose to keep us safe is in fat cells. Fat cells can expand infinitely to store more and more glucose, and once we are resistant to insulin, and full of glucose, with expanded fat cells, this weight becomes incredibly difficult to lose. 

Balancing blood sugar is key to weight loss. The sensitivity to insulin must be resolved, and metabolic flexibility must be restored so the body can tap into its fat stores and begin to break them down (using the excess glycogen in the fat cells for fuel). Balancing blood sugar is another entire module inside the KB Code! 

Step one, start to cut back on sugar and complex carbohydrates by crowding out these foods with healthy lean proteins and green leafy veggies. If you’re ready for step two, you can find us HERE!

Detoxification 

Similar to excess glucose in the bloodstream, excess toxins and chemicals in the bloodstream are very dangerous. As such, the body wants to protect us from this danger, so it will store the excess toxins and chemicals in those fat cells again! If your detoxification pathways are overburdened, the body will not release these toxins from your fat into circulation because it knows that rather than being excreted, they will circulate and cause damage.  

You will not be able to lose this fat until your detoxification pathways are unburdened and fully functional. This means step one: start to remove toxins from your life, and step two: focus on a healthy liver, healthy kidneys, proper respiration, and no constipation! For more information about toxins and where they are hiding (you’ll be SHOCKED at some of these!), head over to my blog post on detox HERE →

I have an entire module on toxins inside the KB Code too, so if you’re ready… here's the link!

Inflammation 

Ever feel like no matter what you do, you just feel “puffy”... like everywhere? It’s not just the “stubborn belly fat” like with cortisol, either. It’s this overall sense of walking around feeling like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, and it’s not fun. And just like with all of the other imbalances we’ve discussed, it’s not only not fun, it’s not healthy.

Inflammation has been said to be the root of many chronic diseases today, so inflammation can be downright dangerous. Our body has a delicate balance it tries to maintain between a state of anti-inflammation and inflammation. Too little inflammation and healing processes are turned off in the body! Too much inflammation, and it’s like a smoldering fire that just won’t go out.

What you want is a short burst of inflammation in an acute setting (a swollen ankle when sprained is the body’s attempt to bring healing factors to the injured area), but you want that short burst to quickly dissipate once the danger is gone and not turn into a chronic state of inflammation. One of the ways I check this in many of my clients is with hs-CRP (high sensitivity C-Reactive Protein). 

Fixing inflammation is a complex process, depending on what the underlying cause of the inflammation is. It could be food-related, pathogen-related, toxin-related, and more. To get you started, I wrote a blog post on ways to decrease inflammation simply by adjusting what you eat! Head over here to read up on some of my top anti inflammatory foods →

I Believe You

By now, you can see how many complex processes must be in balance to be able to maintain a healthy weight and metabolism. And this is why I always believe you when you tell me that you can't lose weight no matter what. You are seen. You are heard. And there’s always hope that you can feel good in your own skin again! 

I NEVER see weight loss as a goal in my practice, I always see a healthy weight as a natural symptom and byproduct of a healthy body. Once you start to improve your health by working on inflammation, blood sugar, detox, and more, your weight will naturally begin to self-regulate to a healthy level too. 

Feeling overwhelmed by how to do all of these on your own? And in what order to tackle them?! I’ve got you. I created a program to do just that. The KB Code will help you restore all of your body systems to balance and create the foundation for lasting health and healthy weight for a lifetime to come. Come join me inside the KB Code today. Stop waiting. This weight isn’t about looks. This excess “stuck” weight is a sign that something is off in your body. Let’s fix it. Together. To learn more, click→ HERE