Successful weight loss strategies understand that there are many contributing factors to the weight loss equation, including:

· Gut health

· Types of calories consumed

· Thyroid function

· Liver function

· Hormone imbalance & function

· Mood/Emotions

· Stress

· Sleep disturbances

If you are out of balance in any of these areas, weight loss will not be a primary focus for the body! So, if you’re confused about why you can’t shift those last few kilos’, why your body has those afternoon energy slumps, or why you can’t resist those sugary treats – continue reading to see how these puzzle pieces can negatively impact weight loss.

Stress

d36cde_3d6bd07b20a44f37a6809903a58e5586~mv2.jpg

Stress has been shown to be a major contributing factor for both obesity and diabetes, with research showing that chronic stress can makes it harder to lose weight.

While many people think of stress as a psychological condition, it can also be caused by physiological factors, which can cause a chronic stress reaction in the body.

· Sleep disturbances (insomnia)

· Inflammation

· Chronic infections

· Autoimmune diseases

· Excessive exercise

Chronic stress activates the release of cortisol, the stress hormone. While cortisol is normally released at specific times throughout the day, chronic stress can not only increase cortisol levels, but can disrupt the natural cortisol cycle. Which can have severe consequences for the body, including:

· Increasing blood sugar levels

· Cause sugar cravings

· Reduce fat burning and increase fat storage

· Suppress the body’s HPA-axis, causing hormone imbalance

Thyroid

d36cde_91f79400be264e708776671b62b942f2~mv2.png

Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland that sits in the lower front of your neck and plays a huge role in nearly every aspect of your health, including weight, mood, temperature regulation, heart rate, and energy levels. It is susceptible to autoimmune diseases, which can be caused by vitamin/mineral deficiencies (iron, iodine, selenium), infections, oestrogen dominance, decreased liver function and increased cortisol levels. When the gland's hormone output is out of whack (either over or under active), the consequences can be wide-ranging. Because symptoms can be so varied, and testing is often not comprehensive, it can often go undiagnosed, causing people months or even years of confusion and discomfort.

Sleep

d36cde_e4a4f003c15b424dbd7a3a4cdc8dd8c0~mv2.png

Did you know that poor quantity and quality of sleep can have a severe effect on your health and weight? Both factors can have a domino affect on your health, throwing off your internal clock and metabolism, altering satiety hormones and feelings of hunger – which can lead to you craving high-fat, high-sugar foods, increasing your risk of obesity or type 2 diabetes.

Hormones

d36cde_5c71602ed6394aa88ac22d355cb42adc~mv2.png

For many women, being overweight often has little to do with their diet or exercise regime and more about hormone balance. Hormonal imbalances can impact the whole body, including what your body does with food. If there is a hormone imbalance affecting metabolism, then weight loss is unlikely to occur. By balancing your hormones, the body can operate at an optimal level to promote weight loss.

Liver

d36cde_d465e555a2c04ff898330583054a042c~mv2.png

When trying to lose weight, we generally don’t think of supporting our liver. But did you know that your liver is one of the busiest organs in your body? Supporting numerous functions that contribute to weight loss, including removal of toxins from the blood, aiding digestion, and regulating other areas of metabolism, including glucose, blood sugar, insulin, oestrogen, testosterone, and blood cholesterol production and removal. If we overburden our liver through toxic diet and lifestyle habits, this can cause the liver to become ineffective at digestion and fat breakdown, resulting in weight gain.

Gut Microbiome

d36cde_aba1b778c25142ef8c6be16b1e93773c~mv2.png

The human body contains trillions of bacteria located in our intestines, which can influence health in many ways, including your weight. Gut bacteria are responsible for many important functions such as communicating with the immune system, producing particular vitamins, and affecting how different foods are digested, how fat is stored and whether you feel satiated or hungry. So, to help maintain a healthy weight you need to maintain a healthy gut bacterium, which can be done through eating high-fiber foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.

Food & Mood

d36cde_a9302c7e583d46449cd0b1153b6733c9~mv2.png

The relationship between food, mood and weight can be a complicated one, affecting weight in both positive and negative ways. This can be influenced by a variety of factors including emotions, food choices, hormones, and individual coping skills. Emotional hunger is different to physical hunger, being instantaneous, all consuming, and often leaving you wanting more.

Calories

d36cde_31d77a89a1424bc796bba10bafe4d4b5~mv2.png

When trying to lose weight, most people tend to focus on how many calories they can consume in a day. While this theory of weight management makes sense (calories in versus calories out), it fails to take into consideration how different foods affect our bodies, and our overall health - impacting everything from hunger, feelings of fullness, hormones, and metabolism, which can in turn influence your calorie intake. Therefore, the types of foods we choose are more important than the number of calories we are consuming!

Exercise

d36cde_03cd6db721e0422cbbcfa291f06d31c9~mv2.png

Aside from watching what you eat, exercise is one of the most common ways to help lose those extra kilos. While there are an infinite number of ways to exercise, the trick is finding something that is enjoyable, easy to maintain, suitable and supportive of your body.

While many people think high intensity exercise is the best way to lose body fat and increase strength and fitness, there is a fine line between working hard and over-training. The stress caused by intense, excessive exercise can negatively affect cortisol levels in the body, which can increase risk to a variety of health issues like weight gain, depression, digestive issues, and sleep issues.

That is why we recommend taking up exercise such as walking, swimming, pilates and yoga – as we find these are of a lower impact, improve strength, balance, flexibility, endurance, and overall fitness levels.

If any of these areas are of concern to you, contact us today to find out how our customized 12 week weight loss program can help identify which of the weight loss puzzle pieces may be affecting you, and how we can help you to boost vitality, energy and promote weight loss.