Metabolic Reset: Balancing The Body For Effective Weight Loss

Most people you meet are either wanting to lose weight or have tried without success. They've tried different diet types such as keto diet, carnivore diet, and even calorie restrictions but someone it just doesn't seem to come off as easily as blog posts make it seem. Or they find they may lose weight on a specific diet plan but it rebounds once they stop and even more weight is put back on. So why isn't it working? Why can some people lose weight while others can't? Sometimes, we need to look a little bit deeper and do a full reset of the body.

What Affects Weight Loss?

- Hormones (especially hormone imbalances)

- Stress (cortisol has inhibitory effects)

- Diet

- Activity Level

- Digestive Issues

- Liver Function

- Thyroid Function

This seems like a lot more than just eating clean and going to the gym. Time and time again studies have shown that individuals can lose weight simply by switching to a plant based diet. Now this won't benefit muscle development and it may not be effective for those that have any issues from the list above, but its a start.

Hormones are another area that can influence weight management. A notorious hormone that causes weight gain or difficulty with weight loss is estrogen. Elevated levels of estrogen put the body into a conservation mode where extra calories are stored around the abdomen leading to the dreaded "muffin top" dilemma. This can be made worse with an increase in cortisol demand. When the body is in need of more (chronic) cortisol, it acts on the abdomen to enhance adipose storage around the belt area for quick access. It also slows the conversion of thyroid hormone from T4 to T3 (the active form) which regulates metabolism. As we can see, if hormones are out of wack, weight gain is certainly going to follow.

Of course diet plays a huge role in weight gain. Anyone eating deep fried foods day in and day out is risking a big shift in BMI. But did you know that digestive function can also play a large role? Inflammatory issues in the digestive track slows absorption of the much needed nutrients the body requires for daily function. Over time, this reduction causes stress on the body (think cortisol) and shifts the body into a "starvation" mode for metabolism. This doesn't mean you are starving, but the body is trying to protect itself for a rainy day when food isn't accessible. It does this by storing as much cholesterol in fat cells as possible.

The metabolic reset takes into consideration the full picture to determine the hurdles to weight loss. It looks at the deep underlying issues to ensure that once the weight comes off, it stays off. Just like any health journey, it takes time to get things back in balance but results are seem relatively quickly if the reset is followed. So if you are trying to find an effective way to lose weight, talk to your local naturopathic doctor about reseting your metabolism and how you can work towards your goals.

The Helix Clinic

Kelowna BC