Why Can’t I Lose These Extra Pounds?

Excess weight has a purpose in the body. 

Yes, that’s right. 

I know we normally hate it but it’s there for a reason.  When you deal with the reason, the weight goes away with relative ease.  Weight is always a protection for either the physical body or sometimes its an emotional protection.  It serves as a barrier between you and the potential perpetrator. 

Here are some common causes of excess weight (a.k.a. the “perpetrators”):

  1. Immune stress (could include any infection in the body)
  2. Food allergies/sensitivities (they cause inflammation and the body sees these foods as a pathogen)
  3. Hormone imbalance (common especially if you’re on the Standard American diet—SAD diet)
  4. Nutritional deficiencies (common if you’re on a SAD, and also common with high stress or over exercise)
  5. Digestive challenges (including gas, bloating, constipation, etc.)
  6. Stress (this shuts down digestion/elimination)
  7. Toxins (the body surrounds toxins in fat cells to keep you safe)
  8. Lack of Sleep (this is when your body resets, heals, repairs and rebalances)
  9. Interference fields (past physical traumas, injuries, accidents, etc.)
  10. Emotional trauma (abuse, stressors, harsh words, etc. can create cellular stress and inhibit weight loss because there’s a perception that protection is still needed)
  11. The Perfect Storm (***Most Common*** a combination of the above)

This list is not exhaustive.  I could write an entire blog post on each one of these but, for now, just catch the concept.  Going on a diet doesn’t address ANY of these root causes of holding onto excess weight!

Any one of these things alone can cause your body to hold on to extra weight but the combination of several of these things makes it even tougher.  This is why so many people work hard to lose weight with little results, or results that don’t last. 

In the weight loss industry, very few people are talking about how improving digestion or addressing immune stress can cause your body to just drop weight.  Why?  Well, for starters, many don’t know about these connections; they are too often focused on the quick fixes, which are easier to sell.  But since they don’t address the underlying cause, they don’t provide a lasting result.  It makes sense, right?  If there were a “10 day cleanse” that could erase 25 years of bad habits and make you instantly thin, we’d all be super models!

I have many clients who have started to easily and naturally shed excess weight as they STOP “dieting” and instead gain an understanding of how to heal, repair and restore their body at the cellular level. 

If you’re looking for true and lasting weight loss, it nearly ALWAYS includes some level of emotional repair.  (Sorry, it’s just the way we were made.)  You cannot extrapolate the physical and the mental.  If you’re not sure you believe the link between the physical and mental/emotional, think about it this way: Does how you physically live and eat impact your emotions?  Consider the last time you partied all weekend (whatever that means for you).  You probably ate more sugar, oil and salt than usual.  You probably stayed up late.  You probably didn’t drink much water.  And on and on.  How do you feel about your life?  Do you have energy and focus?  Are you motivated?  How do you treat your loved ones, friends or co-workers?  The tendency in general is to be short, negative, un-inspired and irritable.  Clearly our physical habits impact our mental and emotional wellbeing.

Although eating a healthy, whole food, organic plant-based diet is extremely important, when you consider the multitude of reasons that people can’t lose weight, it starts to make perfect sense why dieting only works on occasion and usually doesn’t last. 

Let’s look at a couple of examples.  Let’s say that one of the main reasons that you can’t lose weight is linked to stress.  (See my blog post on stress for more information).  For now, just know that when your body is under constant stress, digestion is most often impaired or completely shut down.  In this condition, you can “diet” for days and weeks at a time but, until you get to the root cause and eliminate or at least reduce the stress, you will still not be able to adequately digest your food and thus struggle to lose weight. 

Or another example… I have a client who was having trouble losing weight and also was having lots of drainage/mucous in the throat.  We found that he had a tooth causing the problem. (A dental infection = immune stress.)  His diet was already great.  He exercised 5 days/week and slept like a baby most nights.  The weight started to come off when the tooth was addressed.  These connections are real.  When the body feels danger, non-critical things such as weight loss take a back seat.

Are you sick of struggling with your weight?  It may not be as difficult as it seems.  You could go down the list one by one and do what you can to CONSISTENTLY apply the solutions,  or… you could short circuit this process by getting help.  I’d love to help you.  Feel free to call my office for more information:  269-204-6525

Nothing said or implied in this post is intended to treat, cure, diagnose or prevent any disease.  It does not take the place of a qualified health care practitioner and is intended for educational purposes only.

Dr. LeAnn Fritz, PhD

Dr. LeAnn is a practitioner, coach, speaker, consultant, and the founder of New Hope Health. She is also the author of The Quantum Weight Loss Blueprint, and Get Healthy Now. She is laser-focused on practical, evidence-based practices to empower her clients to get real results that last. She sets the bar when it comes to radiant health that will change every area of your life forevermore.

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