In the original Star Trek shows Captain Kirk says space is the final frontier. I wonder. It seems like we might know more about what goes on in space than inside our biology. We are still trying to figure out what makes a body store fat and how to convince the body to release stored fat.
Back in 2001 I bought a Buick Rendezvous. It it was fantastic…for many years. But then it started making this horrible screeching noise when I turned the wheel. Not all the time but when it did, everyone would whirl around to see where the awful noise was coming from.
I took my Rendezvous to the dealership. You know what happened…the car wouldn’t make the noise. And the dear, sweet, well-intentioned mechanic suggested that the problem was probably my driving. Perhaps I was taking corners too fast or torquing the wheel too hard.
One day I am walking though a parking lot and I heard it. I heard The Noise. I whirled around and saw a different Rendezvous. Finally, I had proof that the problem was mechanical and not my driving. I took my car to a different mechanic who discovered that the transmission was disintegrating inside. All these little metal filings grating against each other was the source of the screeching.
So what does this story have to do with weight loss? I believe that weight gain is our body’s way of telling us that something is wrong. My car’s screeching was its way of telling me that the transmission was failing but I was focused on making the noise stop. When we zero in on our weight, we are focused on the symptom not the root cause. Here's some of the reasons that bodies gain weight.
Chronic Anxiety When our body is in Fight, Flight, or Freeze mode, energy that would be used for digestion is redirected to scanning for threats. As a result, the digestive system does not extract adequate nutrition from the foods that we eat. So malnourished cells prompt the brain to scream at us to eat more. To combat chronic anxiety I recommend a daily breath practice and HRV biofeedback training.
Breathing Techniques Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0AmLcBiPBqDn6FaiKkaDstsPJZVuk0yE
HRV Biofeedback Training: https://youtu.be/YeP1iZV6_5M
Trauma Trauma can disrupt the flow of energy in our body. As with chronic anxiety, the digestive system does not extract adequate nutrition from the foods that we eat. If you suspect that your weight gain could be attributed to unresolved trauma, I recommend seeking professional support and practicing tapping.
Simple Tapping technique: https://youtu.be/66VK5aRHnac
Food Addiction. Food addiction can be as powerful as drug and alcohol addiction. I recently heard Dr. Susan Peirce Thompson speak at a conference. She has a PhD in Brain and Cognitive Science. Many people susceptible to food addiction have benefited from Dr. Thompson’s Bright Line Eating Program.
Bright Line Eating: https://www.brightlineeating.com/research-publications
Disorders Screening Tool from the National Eating Disorders Association: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/screening-tool
Gut Microbiome Imbalance. The research is relatively new but studies are showing a link between obesity and the type of bacteria in the digestive tract. This from an article in Preventative Nutrition and Food Science:
“Notably, when the germ-free mice were colonized with the conventional gut microbiota, they gained weight and showed increased levels (over 50%) of body fat. They also had higher levels of the hormone leptin (which directly correlates with the amount of fat in the body) as well as fasting glucose and insulin, all within 10–14 days of colonization.”
If you suspect that your gut health could be contributing to your body’s weight gain, research this topic further and talk with your doctor.
The Influence of Gut Microbiome on Obesity in Adults and the Role of Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Synbiotics for Weight Loss, Preventative Nutrition and Food Science: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7333005/
The microbiota’s guide to weight gain: https://www.nature.com/articles/d42859-019-00003-5
Highly Processed or Genetically Modified Foods. There’s a theory that some of the food we consume is so chemically removed from nature that our body does not know how to process it. Since we are built for survival, the body holds onto the energy from unfamiliar foods by storing it as fat. While research is ongoing consider substituting fresh fruits and vegetables for highly processed foods.
Nutrition Research and Practice, Survey of American Food Trends and the Growing Obesity Epidemic: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3133759/
Medications If you are taking a medication, check whether weight gain is a known side effect. If it is, continue taking the medication until you can talk to your doctor about possibly taking an alternative medication of changing the dosage.
Meal Timing It used to be that grazing was the thing. We were told that eating small amounts all day long would keep our metabolism humming along at a steady pace. Well, now some experts recommend limiting our eating to 2-3 meals allowing our stomachs to empty completely between meals. The rationale is that if we are ingesting a stead supply of energy, our body doesn’t switch over to fat burning mode. Another perspective is that frequent meals redirect energy needed for cellular growth and repair to digesting food. Meal timing has made a difference for some people but that doesn’t mean it is proper for everyone.
Intermittent fasting and weight loss https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7021351/
In summation, I suggest that you ignore your weight. Our energy flows where our attention goes so stop directing energy toward how much your body weighs. Look past your body’s weight gain and consider what your body may be trying to tell you.
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