"Why am I overweight?"I hear this question every day in practice. And no wonder, given many women struggle with their weight especially around their waist and hips - even if they’re dieting!
Why is this struggle to lose weight happening to us? Why are we losing the battle against weight gain, despite our best efforts? The answer lies in the poorly understood links between hormonal balance and body fat.But ladies, before we explore these links, let’s firstly put a basic myth to rest – weight control is not just a matter of calorie control and exercise. This myth is untrue, outdated and misleading. It’s time to change our thinking when it comes to weight loss and work together as a team to change an industry which has caused many women to suffer unnecessarily.
Honey, it’s your hormones and you can lose weight naturally!
Understanding insulin, metabolism & body fat is the first step to winning your battle against weight. For many of us, a conventional low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet, with lots of processed foods such as pasta, breads, muesli bars, beer and wine, etc. is the norm. Over time, this diet commonly creates a condition known as insulin resistance. The problem with this is that when you are insulin resistant, your body converts every calorie you consume into fat - even if you’re dieting. And it won't let you burn fat when you exercise.
To Find Out If Your Hormones Are Making You Fat Click Here
The second step is the link between stress and body fat. Stress hormones block your weight loss attempts despite eating seemingly ok foods. During prolonged periods of stress your body thinks it should store every spare calorie as fat. Which for most of us, we know it does a very good job at! The problem is, most women are under tremendous amounts of stress – work, relationships, finances & motherhood all add to prolonged levels and without let-up. This leads to adrenal fatigue and rapid, stubborn weight gain.
The second step is the link between stress and body fat. Stress hormones block your weight loss attempts despite eating seemingly ok foods. During prolonged periods of stress your body thinks it should store every spare calorie as fat. Which for most of us, we know it does a very good job at! The problem is, most women are under tremendous amounts of stress – work, relationships, finances & motherhood all add to prolonged levels and without let-up. This leads to adrenal fatigue and rapid, stubborn weight gain.
These first two links work together. Many of us are guilty of combining a high-stress life with a low-fat, high-carb diet. Unfortunately, this creates such a powerful hormonal imbalance that weight gain is unavoidable. A third link is estrogen. As the estrogen production of your ovaries falls, (it’s something that happens as we age) - your body turns to secondary production sites, including body fat and skin. If your body is struggling to maintain its hormonal balance, body fat becomes more valuable, so it becomes reluctant to give it up! Of course, if you are stressed and on a low-fat diet, your body is struggling & it becomes even harder to lose weight.
A fourth link is the cravings created by our ‘refined food’ chain. Refined foods make it difficult for your body to maintain optimal blood sugar and serotonin levels. This means you ‘crave’ snacks and caffeine to make yourself feel better. The down side of this cycle is that they only exacerbate your insulin resistance and adrenal exhaustion - while adding body fat.
My philosophy on weight control is based on solid research & what has worked in my practice over the last 10 years. It is this knowledge that we wish to share with you.
You can’t lose weight to get healthy - you have to get healthy before you can lose weight. By healing your body and restoring balance in your life, you will achieve and maintain your ideal weight forever.
Narelle Stegehuis, CEO of MassAttack, is a practicing Naturopath specializing in the research and development of natural treatment programs for women with hormonal imbalances, which have contributed to such symptoms as weight gain, cravings, anxiety and mood swings. Uniquely for patient convenience her programs are also offered via the Internet. She is both an accomplished wrier and recent recipient of the Australian Naturopathic Excellence Award 2006. Narelle can be contacted at info@massattack.com.au
