Having difficulty losing weight? It Might not be Your Diet!

This blog has been a long time in the coming. In my practice as a Naturopath and Medical Herbalist I see many clients with issues connected to weight, especially being overweight with the desire to lose some of it. Invariably the person has tried everything from several of the many diets out there – paleo, counting calories, juicing, veganism and in desperation doing something as drastic as having a gastric band fitted through invasive surgery to lessen the size of the stomach, which in turn means you eat less, thus helping you lose weight. That's the theory any way

According to NHS England there is a general growing trend year on year in terms of poor individual weight management. It is likely that there are a number of issues at play when looking at this trend, but from my perspective let’s examine this from the  question: “Can being overweight be attributed solely to poor food choices and over-eating?

Around three-quarters of people in England, aged 45-74 are overweight or obese

Source: NHS Digital Health survey for England 2019

In order to look at this issue, firstly consider why you might gain weight:

• Eating too much at each meal
• Eating the wrong types of foods – processed foods, simple carbohydrates and sugary foods
• Eating while slumped in front of the TV
• Eating without a break. In other words, constantly snacking which means the only time the digestive system gets a break is when you are sleeping
• Eating too late at night and going to bed on a full stomach, thus not allowing complete digestion to take place, likely interrupting a good night’s sleep
• Comfort eating when upset, angry or saddened by something
• Being in an unhappy relationship that is literally draining you, but you avoid addressing the issue
• Rewarding yourself through eating “nice” things
• Lack of movement and exercise
• Stress that can be caused by the curveballs that life throws at us, such as death or severe ill health of a loved one, financial issues, trying to balance work, children and family issues, combined with such things as overwork, a toxic work environment or a boss who simply doesn’t want to hear or understand why you are not as productive as you could be!

It is likely to be a combination of several of these issues rather than solely one reason why you might be struggling with effective weight management. While I could talk about each of these points in this blog, it would make it too lengthy, therefore I am going to concentrate on the last point – stress which in and of itself can trigger several points on the list. For example, if you are in an unhappy relationship, you will be stressed and perhaps comfort eating to provide some short-term relief. The stressors don't go away, you just feel distracted for a short while.  Where does the underlying emotion go that is associated with the stress? In most cases it gets submerged and locked away along with the other issues that you have not dealt with until such time as something triggers the unlocking of these negative emotions and they erupt forth, leading to a downward spiral of low self-esteem and slowly increasing weight. A very unhappy combination. Understanding this cycle in more detail will help understand why the extra weight refuses to budge, despite your best efforts.

Body Shapes

Natural body shapes vary from person to person. Each one is beautiful in its own right. What affects your basic body shape whether pear-shaped, curvy, rounded or straight is diet, the amount of exercise you do or don't do, genetics as well as how stressed you are. Genetics determine how your body accumulates and stores fat. Some may store fat in the mid-section, while others put weight on their thighs, legs and arms first. Hormones can also affect body shape and weight. Women going through menopause very often put weight on, not because they are eating more, but simply because of their changing body hormones, leading the body to store fat especially in the lower abdomen. During this time, usually metabolism slows down and if not moving and exercising regularly to maintain muscle mass, in our elder years we tend towards higher body fat overall. In the western world especially, the ever-increasing sedentary lifestyles not only negatively affect weight management, but mobility as well, as we age.

How stressed we are correlates to body shape as does suppression of emotions and living in fear of what might happen if…….? The ever-familiar phrase of “What if……,” is a phrase that only exists when you live in the past or in the future, it is not there in the present moment, because “What if….” simply plays no part in the present moment. This constant concern and worry about the “what if’s” keep you and your body in a state of fear. Fear generates stress hormones which in turn impact body weight.

Stress causes the body to release the hormone cortisol which is the “fight or flight” hormone. In other words, the hormone that prepares you for a fight or to run away. Constantly being in the fight or flight mode creates excess cortisol circulating the body which can lead to a build-up of fat especially in the mid-section around the vital organs. Yo-yo dieting has the same effect as it triggers the fight and flight response as will skipping meals unless your meals follow a regular routine. Skipping meals should not be confused with intermittent fasting, which has many health benefits and weight management is one of those benefits. https://greenkeyhealth.co.uk/intermittent-fasting

How does cortisol cause weight gain or the inability to lose weight?

Cortisol is the end hormone that is created when the body is stressed. Stress triggers a process that involves three key glands – the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland and the adrenal glands. When the brain perceives stress it signals to the hypothalamus to release corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF) which in turn signals to the pituitary gland to release adenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), which in turn stimulates cortisol release from the adrenal glands that prepares the fight or flight reaction by sending blood to the muscles and heightening the senses so that you can deal with the perceived danger.

The fight and flight response is supposed to be a short term response and once the danger has passed the body goes back to “normal” mode. The best way to think about this is a herd of zebras in the wild – when a lion appears the herd is on full alert and if necessary, runs away at full speed. Once the threat of the lion has passed the herd go back to grazing in a non-stressed state.

When you are stressed for too long or too often you lose the sensitivity to cortisol. In panic the hypothalamus and the pituitary keep telling the adrenals to release cortisol and adrenaline which they do until they are literally exhausted leaving you with a constant supply of cortisol floating around your blood stream. Your highly intelligent body tries to make the best of a bad situation by achieving a “sort of balance” to get by each day by altering brain chemistry and even behaviour. This is called allostasis and can often lead to a pre-disease state.

How does this lead to weight gain?

When the body is constantly under stress it prioritises the key organs in order to keep you alive, therefore digestion is not a priority. With increased adrenalin the body responds by increasing blood sugar levels as well as raising blood pressure and increasing both blood clotting agents and LDL cholesterol. The free-floating excess cortisol encourages storage of visceral fat in the abdomen. Visceral fat is strongly connected to Metabolic Syndrome which is a risk factor for diabetes and heart disease. Consequently, if you are trying to lose weight and you have underlying stress at the same time you have started a vicious cycle of the stress causing release of adrenaline and cortisol leading to excess blood sugar which the body then dumps as visceral fat resulting in keeping the same weight at best, but most likely weight gain.

Constant stress alert affects levels and production of testosterone as well. Testosterone is naturally produced by the adrenal glands through production of DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) a steroid hormone converted by the body into testosterone and other sex hormones. When feeling stressed all the time, this lowers the levels of DHEA which in turn lowers the available amounts of testosterone. Both men and women require testosterone and if lower than optimal levels are likely to suffer from low sex drive. Men can become depressed and put weight on around the middle and possibly raise their risk of heart disease. Women on the other hand need testosterone to cut their risk of osteoporosis as well as for a healthy sex drive. Symptoms of testosterone deficiency include:

• Feeling burnt out
• Unable to cope with the stress
• Insomnia
• Lack of drive and motivation
• Low libido
• Weak immune system and therefore susceptibility to colds and flu

When wanting to but struggling to lose weight, firstly address the cause, which in many cases is stress. You may not be able to take away certain aspects of your life that are causing the stress, but you can put practices in place to help you manage them more effectively, while also building resilience. Turning the negative thought loop into the positive through regular mental exercises to develop a sustainable positive emotional state is a great place to start because positive emotional states lower stress levels and the return to “grazing”.

Further actions you can put in place to manage stress proactively:

1. Ensure you get adequate sleep by creating a regime of good sleep hygiene:

• Switch off from mobile and blue light devices at least one hour before going to bed to stop brain stimulation and prepare the mind and body for sleep
• Keep the bedroom only for sleeping, no working or TV. Leave all mobile devices outside of the bedroom
• Make the room dark or sleep with and eye mask 
• Get into bed before 11pm to avoid triggering a “second wind” – “early to bed, early to rise” follows the natural circadian rhythm and will result in an improved night’s sleep and more energy
• Keep the bedroom cool and quiet and at a temperature that is comfortable, but not too warm
• Finish eating at least 2 hours before going to bed.

2. Diet

• Eat at regular times, avoid stressing your body by skipping meals
• Eat lots of green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds, whole grains, broccoli and bananas to ensure you are getting enough magnesium. If having difficulty in winding down at the end of the day, supplement with 150mg a day
• Eat fresh foods that you prepare yourself, cutting out all processed foods that are laden with artificial additives
• Eat according to seasons – cooler, lighter foods during the summer and hot, wholesome foods in the Autumn/Winter season
• Eat mindfully while sitting at a table
• Avoid over-eating making you feel bloated and uncomfortable
• Avoid sugar and sugary foods as well as all caffeine-based drinks
• Minimise your intake of alcohol. Alcohol only numbs your brain from thinking about what is causing you to be stressed, it does not deal with the cause
• Keep hydrated – drink a minimum of 1.5 litres of water daily
• Keep a healthy, balanced gut microbiome keep your digestion is functioning well.

3. Regular exercise

• Take regular exercise, but not within 3 hours of bedtime unless gentle exercise
• Exercise to 60% of your capacity if feeling run down
• Practice stress-reducing techniques such as mindfulness, meditation and yoga
• Ground yourself daily by walking barefoot on the grass
• Address any negative emotional loop through giving gratitude for things in your life and living mindfully so that you hear and see everything around you
• Listen to music that soothes and calms – studies have shown that Classical music is beneficial for reducing stress. https://sundowncompositions.wordpress.com/2016/06/24/the-effects-of-classical-and-contemporary-music-on-the-stress-management/

References:

The Prime – Prepare and Repair Your Body for Spontaneous Weight Loss, Kulreet Chaudhary, M.D. (Integrative Neurologist)

The 10 Secrets of Healthy Aging, Patrick Holford and Jerome Burne