CAREGIVER BURNOUT

GAIN, GAIN GO AWAY!

By Dr. Dawn Ericsson

Ladies, are you wondering why you can’t lose weight despite calorie restriction and regular exercise? Generally speaking, our bodies are not engineered for easy weight loss. They are designed to resist weight loss. Over the millennia, we have evolved slowly and typically have not lived with food abundance. That said, we can manipulate our hormones, optimize our diet, vitamins and minerals, physical activity, and sleep, and minimize inflammation and our exposure to toxins. When these factors are not optimal we tend to hold on to fat, often around the midsection. Recommendations:

DO A 10 TO 30-DAY DETOX.

Toxins often get stored in our fat cells. This keeps them from circulating throughout the body causing harm. If we can eliminate toxins from our body, we are better able to lose fat. The liver, one of our major detoxifying organs, processes fats and activates many hormones related to metabolism. Start with a detox for any weight loss effort and drink plenty of water daily.

FOOD SENSITIVITY TESTING.

Are you eating foods that your body is sensitive to and causing inflammation? No matter how nutritious a food may be, if you are sensitive to that food, it is doing you more harm than good and lacking nutritional benefit for you. Testing allows you to pick the foods that don’t upset your body. Poor nutrition contributes to weight gain and lack of satiety.

INFLAMMATION AND INSULIN RESISTANCE.

High levels of inflammation in the body due to a variety of factors can cause insulin resistance and weight gain. Some of the biggest mediators of inflammation are sugar, toxins (ie alcohol, smoking, plastics), wheat, dairy, vegetable oils, stress, and inadequate sleep. Inflammation causes our cells to be less responsive to normal stimuli and therefore not respond to the hormones and vitamins needed to regulate weight and many other processes. Testing for prediabetes and inflammation is important. There are supplements and medications to lower inflammation and insulin resistance.

CHECK THYROID HORMONE LEVELS.

The thyroid gland is responsible for metabolism and energy. Optimal levels for specific thyroid hormones should be in the upper ¼ of the reference range. If they are not and you are symptomatic, you may need to boost your thyroid hormone through a prescription or other means. Elevated thyroid antibody levels also pose a problem. There are methods to normalize these as well.

REPLACEMENT SPECIALIST:

Imbalances and deficiencies in your Estrogens, Progesterone and Testosterone can predispose you to weight gain. It is important that they are in balance with one another.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS.

To name a few, low Vitamin B12, D3, Iron, Magnesium, Selenium, and Zinc can hinder weight loss. They all assist the thyroid gland in hormone production and function

EXERCISE AND ADRENALS.

Too much of a good thing is frankly… not good. Exercise should be regular (3-5 times weekly), varied, and not excessive. Excessive strenuous exercise can inappropriately overstimulate our Adrenals, the same effect that stress can have on us. The resulting dysrhythmia in the production or cortisol and other hormones can especially contribute to midsection weight.

SLEEP.

Study after study has shown how inadequate sleep can wreak havoc on our health in a variety of ways. Weight gain is one example. It is recommended that adults get 7-8hrs of sleep every night during night time hours. There are many rejuvenating processes that occur when we sleep, including the production and secretion of growth hormone. This hormone can help us maintain our lean body mass and encourage the loss of fat.