I’ll admit, there are many complexities to weight loss, and what works for one person won’t work for another. That’s why we treat all our patients as unique and individuals, each with their own set of symptoms and underlaying hormonal imbalances.
Today’s email is talking about a sector of the weight loss community who have a weight issue involving cortisol and insulin.
Could it be you?
Read on and check the symptoms below to find out!
Relax to lose weight
Our central nervous system is responsible for activating our response to stress. We didn’t evolve to be switched ‘on’ all the time. Our body is designed to perform really well under pressure for a period of time, but if down time isn’t given, the system will start to malfunction and show signs of serious wear and tear.
Long-term stress and elevated cortisol has been linked to insomnia, chronic fatigue syndrome, thyroid disorders, dementia, depression, and other conditions.
Our first step is to test your cortisol levels with a 3-point saliva cortisol test. This test is much more accurate than a serum (blood) test, and tells us when and where in the day or night your adrenal glands are under or over producing hormones.
The results of this test will help tell you if your weight loss program needs MORE or LESS exercise!
How cool is that!
Once we know the function of your adrenal glands and the blood sugar system, you might discover that the exercise that you were doing to lose weight was actually what was putting it on!
Of course, I don’t recommend that you stop exercising – the body needs motion. What I am saying is that sometimes too much exercise actually unbalances the hormones for some people.
Signs that your adrenal hormones may be out of balance:
- Feeling shaky
- Rapid heart beat
- Feeling stressed out
- Irritability or impatience
- Digestive issues
- Skin issues such as eczema, psoriasis or allergies
- Waking up with excessive energy
- Feeling tired between 2-4PM
- Find it hard to relax before bed
- Can’t tolerate noise
Often when the adrenals are out, so is our SLEEP.
If your sleep is not wonderful, then you won’t lose weight. One of the first things we address when you see us is sleep – it is the key to healing and cellular rejuvenation.
Weight gain and STRESS
If your cortisol is elevated, the sugar in your blood will be stored as FAT!
Under stressful conditions, cortisol provides the body with glucose by using protein stores via gluconeogenesis in the liver. However, elevated cortisol over the long term consistently produces glucose from the liver stores and muscle tissue, leading to increased blood sugar levels – even if your DIET is low in carbohydrates and sugars.
How to turn it around
It’s never as black and white as that though, because the body has so many things to factor in if it is showing signs of imbalance, stalled metabolism, or any other symptoms.
Functional testing aims to demystify why your body is out of balance, allowing us create a dynamic treatment plan to get you feeling great again.
When testing, we also look at the following factors;
- Nutrient deficiencies or excesses
- Hormone deficiencies or excesses
- Thorough thyroid hormone testing
- Sex hormone balance – E1, E2, E3, Progesterone, Testosterone.
- Cardiovascular risk markers
- Inflammatory Markers
- Food intolerances
- Methylation factors and detoxification capacity.
Armed with answers of what is happening inside your body at a biochemical level, we can really create an individualised treatment approach to help you meet your health goals!
