5 Causes of “Stubborn Weight Loss” | Episode 104

This week on the Health Made Simple Show, we’re going to address the 5 main causes of stubborn weight loss. This is definitely a personal topic for me and something I’ve spent nearly two decades helping people do. I used to work with Ultimate Fighters who needed to cut weight and I learned so much in that time frame about how the body loses weight, especially under stress.

However, sometimes there would be people I just couldn’t get an ounce off of. I learned that there are a lot of things that can cause people to not be able to lose weight outside of just calories in/calories out. This is a big part of what pushed me towards functional medicine. Noticing things about people that weren’t necessarily adding up propelled me to dig deeper and look past symptoms to root causes. 

Watch the live show below:

There are two things I want to cover first. One, you have to be kind to yourself. You have to be the most loving person to yourself you can be. Too often, especially when it comes to weight loss, the thoughts we think and the things we say aren’t always the nicest. If you’re not edifying yourself, the rest of the world won’t either. Secondly, find some accountability that understands your body, your goals, and your health strategies. People who have someone alongside them on this journey often find more success, especially when it comes to fighting negative thoughts. 

With that said, let’s shift to some clinical insights. 

I saw a young woman who had a stomach bug with pain, diarrhea, and no appetite for two days. Everyone around her was telling her she had to eat something, but she just couldn’t. I told her… “Good for you!”. There can be way more damage done by eating something than by just eating nothing. This was a beautiful example of how the body can use fasting for healing. She had never fasted a day in her life, but her body was telling her exactly what she needed to do. She was starving out whatever parasite was attacking her and, although it was uncomfortable, it was the right thing. Don’t try to outthink your body!

I had someone else ask me this week if celery juice broke their fast. I responded by asking them what the purpose of their fasting is. The importance of fasting is for taking a time-out. It gives your body a rest from breaking down food. In that scenario, celery juice passes the test. Now, there may be some people who say that it will raise your blood glucose levels, and that may be true. However, there are even causes outside of what you eat or drink that can raise your blood glucose levels. My standard is just don’t digest anything and don’t give up those enzymes. Especially celery juice, and all the help it gives your liver, is a good way to support your overall health. 

Lastly, I saw a 28-year-old mom of two who lives a super healthy lifestyle. In this part of the world, everyone carts their family off to Disney World and comes back stressed, bloated, and broke. She came back from Disney World with Covid and despite her lifestyle and her preparations, she was filled with fear. I had to (metaphorically) shake her and remind her that she’s healthy and her body is ready for this. She was terrified that she was going to be the 1% of people who died from Covid. I had to get even more stern than I typically do, but at the end she thanked me. You need to know who your person is so you can go to them when you’re in panic mode and they’ll bring you back to earth and remind you who you are. 

Let’s dive into the 5 Main Causes of Stubborn Weight Loss

1. Toxins

First, we live in a world filled with a ridiculous number of registered chemicals. Even in the water we drink, we’re exposed to so many toxins. When we’re exposed, the body stops whatever it’s doing to fight the foreign invader. The body uses the adipose tissue to bring the toxins in and they make it very difficult to get out. Our cleanse is built to clean the body of toxins just like this. Milk Thistle Forte is wonderful for helping the body detox and repair damage. There are two others I use clinically. I use Antronex in situations where histamine is released and Spanish Black Radish to help with drainage in the gut. 

2. Food Sensitivities (Leaky Gut)

We understand that leaky guts cause all food sensitivities. They’re very easy to test for, but I only like to do it for people who have already cleaned up their diet. There’s no sense in seeing if you’re sensitive to broccoli if you’re full of fast food burgers. One of the worst offenders is Canola Oil, no matter how it’s marketed. It’s the processing that makes it so damaging. We had an episode where we talked all about healing your leaky gut, it’s a great place to start. When the microbiome is dysfunctional, it’s going to make it very difficult to lose weight. 

3. Timing of Eating

As close as we can get to our circadian rhythm, the better. Getting up with the sun regulates your appetite as it helps your hypothalamus. If we eat late at night, we are giving our body excess calories and creating an insulin response. We simply don’t need caloric fuel late at night. Once again, when that sugar gets stored in a fat cell, it’s tough to get out. The simple fact is that you only lose weight when you sleep. Your body utilizes growth hormone and releases it when you’re in deep sleep. Growth hormone and insulin will never be in the same place at the same time. If you’re releasing insulin before you sleep, you aren’t going to utilize the growth hormone you need. A simple way to do this is to only eat when it’s light out. 

4. Hormones

I want to focus mostly on estrogen and cortisol. When estrogen is balanced, it can inhibit visceral fat, which is hard fat around the organs. The challenge is when the body enters estrogen dominance, either through low progesterone or high estrogen. Excess estrogen stored in adipose tissue can cause flabby fat, which is soft, flappy fat. Excess estrogen often correlates to stress and cortisol. It takes time and effort to rebalance the body and get yourself back on track, but it’s definitely possible. If we speak to ourselves unkindly, we stress ourselves out, release cortisol, and stop ourselves from rebalancing. 

5. Trauma and Stress

Your body does not discriminate between types of stress. It could be physical, mental, emotional, etc. Surgery is a trauma, there’s no natural cause of a knife going into the body. Divorces and breakups are emotional traumas. If you have stubborn weight loss, go back and think of the last time you were at your ideal weight or if you’ve had a surge of weight. Ask yourself what the trauma was of that period. 

Last but not least, this week’s action to become superhuman is…

Be Kind To Yourself and Find Your Person

Always treat yourself the best you can and find the person who can support you and challenge you when you need it!

What’s Next?

We have put together a dashboard of all of Dr. Bart’s videos, based on health topics, in our Level-Up Health Membership.

This library of health content is low-cost, so we can help you on your journey to becoming superhuman! 

Not only is it extensive, but it will continue to expand with new videos each month. Also, you will have the opportunity to share these videos with your friends and family!

Dr. Bart Precourt

Register for the Health Made Simple Show

If you are interested in registering for the Health Made Simple Show please visit http://www.healthmadesimple.com