I speak for myself when I say I have tried every single "diet" trend out there... I mean ALL of them. The juice cleanse, smoothie diet, high protein low carb, keto, paleo, vegan and vegetarian. Considering the fact i have come face to face with all of these diets in my life, its safe to say that clearly none really worked and stuck with me, otherwise I wouldn't have experimented with so many.
Wouldn't it be nice if you could eat whatever you wanted with no fear of sugars or carbs? As humans, we are all walking around fairly healthy... so we think. Our environment plays a huge factor in our internal health, the stress in our lives and even some so called "healthy foods" can actually be the cause of why you are not losing weight.
Lets talk about exercise! During my career, Ive had many people reach out to myself wanting to train 5-6 days a week hard in the gym and think that will fix their problem. To clarify, this is a big misconception. More exercise does not equal more weight lost. In fact, it will do quite the opposite. We want to heal our body, not stress it out even more with inflammation, toxic environments (some gyms) and preserve energy. I am not saying don't do any movement at all, we should be doing some form of activity daily. This can include long walks, hikes, swimming, biking, the odd fitness class per week or yoga. However this is also dependent on what you may be dealing with on the inside. Certain forms of exercise may be better for some than others. This is why I provide fully customized training plans and programs, because we are all individuals with different goals which means you will need a tailored, enjoyable workout regime specifically for you.
So what exactly are we putting stress on? Enter the most crucial organ in your body (besides your heart) ... Your liver! Yes this is and could be the cause of possible weight gain or why you aren't losing weight despite all you have tried. See, our livers control everything we put inside our bodies. Its the site of toxic elimination and also purification. Over time, our livers can become bogged down with all those tasty pastry's full of sugar and fats, all of that fast food, and alcohol. The liver is also the site for mostly fat metabolism (it does also metabolize carbs and proteins, but mostly fats). When we put too much fat, even good fats, inside our body, the liver will become clogged, just like a sink. If it cant keep up with the amount of stress and pressure being put upon it, your poor liver will simply stop working at optimal level. This is where we see weight gain.
How do you know if you have a sluggish liver? There are many signs of a slow metabolizing liver. If you have been fairly lean most of your life, and suddenly after no fault of your own, you start rapidly putting on weight without any lifestyle changes? Slow liver. If you notice your skin starts breaking out and you've always had a glowing, clear complexion? Slow liver. I could name a number of signs and symptoms that may point to mysterious weight gain via the liver, but dwelling on the heath concerns will not get you to optimal health, and ultimately help you lose weight if thats your goal.
The best thing you can now do in this situation is start to really monitor what you are not only putting in your body, but also understand that stress put on the body too in the form of exercise could also be the root cause of sudden weight gain. Stress on the liver will also cause this organ to slow down and stop metabolizing food like it should. Take some time to go through your day and think about some things that may be causing unwanted stress in your life. It could be how you begin your day, and even how you end it. If you wake up and immediately check your phone after a poor nights sleep, this is telling your brain you need instant gratification through social media, texting, all while your body is still exhausted from under quality sleep. If you end your long work day with an evening lifting heavy weights at the gym, this is causing major inflammation to an already over-worked, tired body. Know when you need rest and don't push your body.
Do your body a favour and treat it like you would treat anything else in your life that needed caring for. Your car needs fuel to run, your plants need water to grow and your pets need love to be happy. None of those things need regular exercise to survive, they just need care specifically for them, as does your body, mind and spirit.
~Chanelle Biggan~
RHN
CPT