Often times, I have women coming to me asking why they aren’t seeing results or why they can’t lose weight. My go-to answer is that it’s not as simple as calories-in, calories-out, regardless of what we’ve been told. Hormones play one of, if not, the biggest roles in our inability to lose weight. They dictate our moods, cravings, energy levels, how efficient we process foods, our sleeping patterns, the list goes on…
What if I told you that the secret to a smaller waist, a happier disposition and an increase in energy comes down to understanding your hormones and what needs to be addressed nutritionally, to balance them out. Dr. Sara Gottfried, author of The Hormone Reset Diet, further explains in a Q&A which can be found here.
One quote I wanted to draw attention to was this:
After digging into the research, I learned that 99 percent of weight loss resistance is hormonal. I discovered that the calorie-in/calorie-out hypothesis has been widely disproven and remains the greatest misconception people have about diet and weight loss. Calories matter, more to some people than others, but hormones matter more. Almost anyone who struggles with weight also battles a hormone imbalance. It amazes me how easy weight loss becomes once hormones are back in their sweet spot. Hormones control how efficiently a calorie makes you fat.
If you have never had your hormone levels checked, but you are experiencing symptoms such as:
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fatigue
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severe PMS symptoms/period-related pain
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irregular periods
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restless sleep
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sugar cravings
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headaches
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moodiness/irritability
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adult acne
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poor digestion
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bloating
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rapid weight gain (especially around the mid-section)/inability to lose weight
You are most likely experiencing a hormonal imbalance.
The daily grind is something that we are all too familiar with. But that same grind contributes greatly to the lifestyle factors that cause these hormones to run haywire. Cortisol levels are at an all time high in most women. High stress combined with that nightly glass of wine (I see you, and trust me, I get it) and little sleep leaves us with a ring of fat around our waists and the feeling that no amount of exercise will fix the problem. (Talk about defeating!) There is a solution! But first, you have to be able to decipher the signs that your body is offering you.
Education is critical. Learning natural ways to balance your hormones through nutrition, supplementation and practices such as exercise and meditation, is the only actual solution to the problem. You can mask the symptoms temporarily with pharmaceutical drugs, and procedures but ultimately symptoms will return, or others will pop up in their place.
Many women I work with suffer from hormonal imbalances and one of the hardest things for me to get them to realize is that reversing this will take consistency. It will take trial and error and a lot of commitment. But with more and more women struggling with similar issues, it is a topic that needs to be discussed.
That’s why we are hosting a Holistic Health and Hormone Clinic this Saturday, Sept 21st. I felt strongly that an event like this would serve our members and others in the community. It is an opportunity to better understand your body, ask questions and get actual solutions to your problems. We will have Wellness Coach and NTP, Jillian Warwick, covering all of the topics mentioned above as well as an open Q&A session, meal plan options, and resources for you to take the next steps to finding hormonal balance.
You can register here
If you are unable to attend the clinic or are reading this after the event date, please set up a No Sweat Intro with me. We can go over all of your symptoms and I can get you connected to the team of resources we have at Game of Fitness.
Sara Gottfried, M.D. is the New York Times bestselling author of Younger, The Hormone Reset Diet, and The Hormone Cure. She’s a graduate of Harvard Medical School and MIT. Dr. Gottfried’s online health programs can be accessed here.
