Struggling to shift stubborn weight?

Although we, as a society, are slowly moving away from the narrative of ‘cut calories, exercise more to lose weight’, we still often see patients feeling discouraged that they are doing just that and are still unable to reach their target weight and feel comfortable in their body. When patients are not losing weight they come to us hoping that we can provide some different recipe or fasting solution, and what we actually find is that there are underlying issues contributing to stubborn weight.

By Sophia Wulff

When there are other factors at play, simply reducing caloric intake and exercising more can often aggravate the situation, as well as causing additional frustration and stress. Delving further into patients’ symptoms can provide clues to what else may be going on, and then we are able to investigate using functional testing to confirm our suspicions and provide additional information as to how we can re-establish balance in the body.  

Some common ‘flags’ we see in clinic when people are not losing weight include fatigue and lethargy, mood swings, temperature sensitivity, poor sleep, headaches, sugar cravings, digestive issues (for example, constipation, diarrhea, bloating, cramping, excessive flatulence or burping), fertility issues and frequent infections. These ‘flags’ signal that there may be other issues at play, and investigation is required.  

Some areas that we may explore further include:  

• Thyroid function issues
• Stress – cortisol levels
• Nutrient deficiencies 
• Hormonal imbalances – including screening sleep quality issues 
• Digestive issues 
• Inflammatory markers 
• Insulin/ blood sugar levels 
• Liver function/ toxic burden  
• Environmental factors – exposure to compounds in the environment that can be hindering metabolism. 

So what is the first step?  

Make an appointment to see me so we can help get to the bottom of why you are not losing weight and come to your appointment prepared – attach any recent blood test results to your intake form, bring along (or take photos of) any supplements or medications you are currently taking, complete a food diary prior to your appointment. When you arrive in clinic, we will ask about your health history – it can be useful to take a moment to jot down any major surgeries/ diagnoses that you can recall and take note of when your symptoms began, your family history – are you aware of any major health conditions amongst your immediate and extended family members, current signs and symptoms and we may also do Bio-Impedence Analysis to look at your body composition. 

It is really important to us that we educate our patients so they understand what is going on in their body, what their test results mean and what their options are for moving forward with their health goals. The feedback that we often receive is that our patients feel empowered about their health, rather than being a victim of their symptoms.  And once the underlying issue has been addressed, we tend to see healthy metabolisms that self-regulate a lot more readily with balanced, healthy nutrition and lifestyle.