WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES WEIGHT LOSS SO DIFFICULT? PART I

With so many people actively trying to lose weight, there will always be a certain segment of the population that finds it hard to move the needle on the scale. 

We have had countless couples and friends on the plan together, in which one person well losing weight, while the other person struggles to move forward at the same pace, even though they are eating the exact same food. So, we know it’s not the plan, because it’s working for so many others!

There’s a reason for the condition known as “weight loss resistance.” Weight loss resistance is complex. It’s actually a hormonal issue, not a willpower issue. It is hard to wrap our head around how body chemistry affects weight loss - because for decades and decades we have been fed a steady diet (pun intended) of eating low fat, eating low calorie, and exercising your heart out. And not only is this not sustainable long term, it doesn’t work!

Now, it may work for a while. But when the low-calorie counting dieter eventually breaks down and gives in to start eating again, they end up with more and more body fat and less muscle each time they gain and lose. And when you do this time after time, one day it all stops working, and then what you used to do doesn’t work at all.

So, when you find yourself in a situation in which you are struggling to lose weight at all or lose very slowly, you have to understand that you have to heal from the inside out. You have to fix basic cell function in order to reverse the damage. Great metabolism is a product of healthy cellular function. If it’s broken, you have to fix it. 

Here’s the main issue: your cells can only use two things for energy, which include sugar or fat. The problem is that most Americans are stuck as sugar burners. They no longer have the ability to tap into their fat as energy. This explains why all diets eventually fail. This explains why you get uncontrollable cravings. It also explains why you just stop losing weight and can’t seem to lose anymore.

If your cells can burn either sugar or fat and you don’t give them sugar or food that breaks down into sugar, then they are going to use fat for energy. However, when you don’t have the hormonal ability to burn fat, your body can only use sugar. So, now you’re going to either get a craving for sugar you can’t resist, or your body is going to convert your muscle to sugar, thereby lowering your metabolic rate. That’s the low-calorie fallout.

As you are going about your busy day, your body will need plenty of energy or fuel to make it run. But, if you are locked into burning sugar for fuel, and are unable to burn fat because you are hormonally challenged to do so, your body screams at you to eat carbohydrates.

That’s when you get this irresistible craving for things like bread, pasta, potatoes, cake, cookies, candy, soda, etc. The solution, then, is to get our cells to hormonally burn fat when we’re not eating. It will give you lasting energy, knock out cravings and help you lose weight naturally. 

So, what’s the cell’s problem? Why can’t we burn fat? Why do we remain as sugar burners? We will answer those questions next week.