Healthy Weight Loss

Now that we are well in to the new year, many of the new years resolutions will be starting to falter. Losing weight has to be the one of the most common new years resolutions, and unfortunately the most common one to fail. Why is losing weight such a challenge for so many people? Because we approach it in completely the wrong way. The most common way to look at weight loss is through the eyes of calories in vs calories out. This is based on research and testing using a machine called a bomb calorimeter. This is a machine that operates at high pressures, and measures the heat of combustion of a particular reaction. To measure a calorie in food, it is the energy required to heat 1mL of water by 1 degree Celsius when the food is combusted inside a bomb calorimeter. Does this sound like it has any relationship to what is happening inside a human body? There are a huge range of variabilities inside the human body that effect how energy is extracted from food, and how that energy is used in our body. Various hormones, gut bacteria, inflammation, metabolism, all effect what our body does with food. Calories are also not created equal. Just because food contains potential energy that when combusted can change the temperature of water, does not mean that energy from every food acts in the same way in the body. If you had an amount of soft serve and an organic grass fed steak, in amounts where the calories were equal, do you think these will act the same in the body? Calories are a grossly incorrect way to measure the food that we eat, and we all instinctively know this. Think of that person in your life that can eat whatever they want and they just don’t seem to put on weight. Then you may also know that person who’s diet is so clean and so low in calories yet they don’t seem to lose an inch. Is it that the science works for some people and not for other? No, it is that the science on calories is wrong. So when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight, what are the things that you should be looking at?

1. Stress

Stress is the lowest hanging fruit when it comes to weight loss, as it can lead to all of the other factors listed below. Stress impacts on weight in multiple ways, as it can increase our consumption of food, particularly sweet foods, and also increase our fat storage. Stress impacts on hunger hormones, stress hormones trigger unhealthy food behaviours, stress hormones increase weight gain and trigger inflammation and fluid retention. 

2. Liver function

The liver is our most important detoxification organ, both of by-products of our bodily processes, and toxins from our environment. The liver is important for hormonal balance which is a big factor in weight management. If there is weight gain around the mid section in particular, the liver is very likely a factor. Keeping the liver detoxing well is vital for the health of our whole system, not just weight management. 

3. Detox pathways

Our other detox pathways are also very important to keep our liver happy, and the waste moving from our system. Kidneys, skin, lungs and bowels are the pathways through which our body moves waste products, so supporting all of these pathways is important. Drink plenty of water, sweat, breath work and pooping daily will all help! 

4. Inflammation

When there is inflammation in the system, this makes you more prone to weight gain. Inflammation leads to swelling and fluid retention, and also increases insulin resistance and cortisol levels, both which lead to weight gain. Inflammation can come from stress, toxic exposures, inflammatory foods and poor gut health. 

5. Gut Bacteria

The bacteria in our gut play a role in how our body extracts energy from food. There are certain bacteria that will extract higher amounts of energy from food leading to more weight gain. Gut bacteria also send hormone like signals to the brain which can impact on food choices, which can lead to poor food choices and binge eating behaviours. An imbalance in gut bacteria can also impact on hormones, and increase toxicity and inflammation in the system which can lead to weight gain. 

So as you can see the causes of weight gain are very complex and there are multiple factors to take in to consideration. When we work with clients who have weight loss as a goal, we always prioritise improving the health of how their whole system is functioning rather then just focus on weight loss, and they soon learn that weight loss is another symptom of a deeper root cause issue, and when we resolve the root cause issues, weight loss happens as a side effect of that. Healthy weight is a side effect of a healthy system.