Calories do not cause you to gain weight.
Calories PLUS insulin does.
When we focus on the fundamentals of our metabolism, the answers become very clear on how our bodies burn fat, how it improves glucose balance, and how to improve and stabilize energy within the system along the way.
The calories in vs. calories out model for weight loss has been researched and tested for years. And it has never produced the predictable weight loss that the calorie theory says will happen.
After all, if it were that easy we could do some simple math – or break out the calculator on our smartphones – and reach our goals.
However, it doesn’t work that way.
With that being said, we commonly know that when you first implement a typical low-calorie diet you may initially lose some weight. But, if this dietary strategy continues overtime you stop losing weight. And even if you were to restrict further you still do not lose anymore weight. You may even gain some weight back. Evidence that calories in vs calories out is a rubbish outdated model.
Where many get the game of their metabolism and weight loss WRONG is too many aim to eat less or exercise more to to lose weight. However, unless the strategy addresses your blood sugar balance and hormone insulin, you CANNOT and WILL NOT be able to tap into fat stores. If you cut calories without addressing insulin, hunger will also go up and it will be hard to maintain the process because the hormonal mechanisms are not being acknowledged.
Insulin is a hormone.
And hormones dictate your metabolism.
Not calories alone.
The devil is in the details.
Knowing the nuances sets you free.
How Insulin Affects Weight Gain & Loss
Insulin is a fertilizer for fat cells. It grows them and keeps fat in them. Until you have balanced insulin you will continue to gain weight or experience difficulties losing weight.
-This is why you can barely be eating anything and still be gaining weight.
-This is why you can do Whole 30 and not lose any weight even though your friend did.
-This is why you can go keto and the scale doesn’t move like they said it would.
-This is why you can be doing all the workouts and feel like “what’s the point” because nothing is improving.
Moreover, there is more to controlling your blood sugar and insulin hormones than what you eat and how much you move. Toxins, stress and artificial light are few examples that can impact your blood sugar and subsequently insulin beyond what food you consume.
When we focus on the system as a whole and focus on the fundamentals of our metabolism the answers become very clear on how our bodies burn fat, how it improves glucose balance, and how to improve and stabilize energy within the system along the way.
Signs of Insulin Imbalance
Common signs of blood sugar and insulin imbalance are:
- Fatigue
- Cravings – must have sweets after meals
- Difficulty losing weight
- Food gives you energy
- Tiredness after you eat
- “Hangry” easily
- Poor sleep
- Fluid retention
- High cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- Imbalanced sex hormones (progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, DHEA)
- Imbalanced thyroid
- Fatty liver
- Mood swings
- Anxiety and/or depression
- Inflammation
- Skin tags
- Darkening or Bronzing of skin along back of neckline, under arms
- Weight gain in belly
- Acne
Know this: your metabolism is not fighting against you. It is simply working as it should based on the signals it is being sent.
How Metabolism Works
We store excess “food energy” as body fat.
Our bodies are designed to use these stores of food energy as fuel. Your metabolism is like a hybrid engine swapping between gas or battery to run.
Your metabolism is programmed to swap between gas (food) and stored fat (battery) to run. However, for many of us the lever to swap back and forth is stuck and we need to be taught how to flip the lever.
Learning how to reset your metabolism and how to utilize your body’s natural self-tuning mechanisms to allow your body to release unwanted weight for good is possible at any age.
Studies show our metabolism doesn’t actually slow as we age. Our hormones shift and so our strategy also needs to.
Moreover, A recent study showed that only 12% of Americans are metabolically healthy. That means 88% of us do not have a healthy metabolism.
Need Help Resetting Your Metabolism?
Do you have difficulty losing weight? Do you feel tired? Have difficulty losing weight? Have inflammation?
This is the genesis of why I created a nutrition and lifestyle program focused on the truth behind why we get unwell and gain weight and how to resolve it!
When you go beyond calorie counting and macro counting and rebalance your metabolic based hormones, you will also optimize your energy, your mental clarity, your mood, and your sleep.
Because losing weight isn’t about getting skinnier if you are more fatigued.
And losing weight is about getting skinnier if you are not creating health in the system as a whole at the same time.
And it is your metabolism that runs your body’s chemical reactions that convert food into energy and eliminate waste.
Metabolic health isn’t about hacks, cheats, or fads.
When you work with your biological truths you will get to the underlying mechanism of what’s going on, and can stop you looking for the answers in all the wrong places.
