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Why Is Weight-Loss So Damn Difficult

Alison Aldred

6-Tips To Make The Process Easier


Ultra Processed Food Addiction


As someone who has struggled with weight on and off for most of my life (my heaviest being 18 1/2 stone), I can tell you that people love to pass comment, and give their expert opinion (cough) on why you are fat, and this usually involves something along the lines of being lazy, greedy and lacking discipline.  

If you are also carrying extra weight, you’ve probably heard this a million times.


Shame and Self-Loathing


Shaming a person to lose weight rarely works, and if it does, the fat loss doesn't last long. The person just feels a great sense of self loathing, rather than empowerment to change. My favourite (I’m lying) was when my mother-in-law would walk slowly past me, and sneer ‘You look like you could do with starving for a bit’.  If only I had known then, what I know now.


"Everything in Moderation" Gaslighting


These shamers are generally of the ‘eat less & move more’ camp. They think your weight-gain is due to lack of willpower and laziness. Which can also be interpreted as ‘starve you bastard’.  They have no empathy for fatties, because they have never been fat.  Anyway, their proposed way of eating is a recipe for failure on many levels. Hunger being the first.  If you are permanently hungry, not only is this sadistic to my mind, but it won’t work long-term.  When you are over-weight, lack of energy and aches and pains are a very real problem.  Although there are calories going in, the metabolically unhealthy body has a great problem converting those calories into energy, meaning that expecting someone to ‘just get some exercise’ is totally unrealistic!


Then there is the ‘Eatwell Plate’ or ‘Eatbadly Plate’ as those in the know like to call it. The ‘fill up on wholegrains, swap saturated fat to refined, factory made seed oils, and chemical shit show margarine’ camp.


The fact is, ALL carbohydrates break down into glucose, and glucose has to be stored away with a hormone called insulin, and chronically high insulin levels tell the body not to release stored fat. You can have chronically very high levels of insulin for many years, before the pancreas starts to wear out and then blood sugar levels start to rise.  Signs of high insulin (hyperinsulinemia) include skin tags, darkening of the skin in the folds (such as armpits, or neck), or carrying fat around the tummy.


None of these diets deal with the root cause


There are many reasons why you might be carrying more fat than you would like.  It can be due to comfort eating or drinking, lack of knowledge, conflicting media claims, following out-of-date guidelines, hormonal imbalance, addictions, poverty and malnutrition, lack of self love and other psychological reasons, such as response to trauma.  More often than not, it is a combination of some of these factors. In other words, one size does not fit all, and a blanket prescription to the local slimming club has not worked so far, and will not in the future.


Positive action is needed to nourish and care for ourselves, as we would our own pets or children. Self-love and valuing ourselves enough to know that we matter, and we have a choice. Self love isn't about guilt, or people pleasing. It isn't about good, bad, dirty or clean food.  It is not about counting calories, or an unhealthy obsession with the scales.  It is about love and life and connection, and making small, positive, daily choices, because we know what we value, and why we are doing it.


Now, more than ever, it is important to care about you…And,

If you don’t care about 'you' at the moment, just act like you do. Pretend you do, until you start believing it.


Here are 6 ways to do just that…


Increase Protein


So much nonsense is spoken about protein. Most clients I see are not eating even adequate amounts, let alone excessive quantities. We also need more protein as we age, to maintain muscle mass and, protein rather than damaging to the kidneys, has been found to be strengthening and protective.  Protein keeps you fuller for longer and eating enough, is key to stopping a sugar rollercoaster, where you reach for unhealthy snacks. Low protein choices are usually also higher in carbs, which mean your body will break this down into more sugar. For example, one bowl of cornflakes is the equivalent to 8tsp sugar, and that’s even before you add any additional sugar.


Challenge: Get on top of your cravings, by increasing protein, and including it at each meal.


Ultra Processed Food Addiction

Emotional eating is different to addictive eating, though you can have both together.  Addiction is a primary brain disease and although you can ask an emotional eater ‘why’ they eat, this will not, and does not work for a food addict.  


If you don’t have an off filter for any of these foods:

Sweets and sugary snacks, savoury snacks, ultra processed foods, and carbohydrate based foods (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes & grains).

…and you know that they are doing you harm. Then you may have an addiction.  


‘Addicted to Carbs and Sugar’ is a new community support group on Facebook that you are welcome to join.


Addiction also needs a comprehensive treatment plan with specialist support and of course complete abstinence.


If you suspect that you have a food addiction, please don’t feel ashamed. It is NOT your fault. Send me an email and we can discuss privately what options are available to you.


Insulin Resistance

Does everyone need to follow a low-carb lifestyle? No. Absolutely not. Some people thrive on a carb rich diet. However, those people are few and far between.  The majority of the Western world are metabolically unhealthy. If you are reading this, I’m guessing you probably have some health concerns?  I can pretty much guarantee that those concerns will not be helped by sugar and carbs, but they will be helped by reducing them. Sugar is also fuel for bacterial and viral infections.


All carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, grains) are broken down into sugar.


High sugar levels are damaging, and the body knows this, so when our blood has more than 1 tsp sugar in circulation, the pancreas secretes insulin to put that glucose into storage in skeletal muscle and the liver.  When the muscles and liver are full, sugar is then stored as fat.  


The current guidelines to fill up on wholegrains, are not based on robust science, and means that people are over consuming carbohydrates, resulting in hormonal imbalance, weight-gain, poor immunity and more.


A word of caution though: if you are taking medications, particularly for high blood pressure and diabetes, a low carbohydrate lifestyle can dramatically reduce blood pressure and blood sugar, which, although fantastic,  means that your medication needs to be monitored by you and your GP, and titrated down.  Failure to do so might result in hypotension or hypoglycaemia.


Challenge:  Only you can decide how low to go, but you could try slowly reducing over a few weeks, perhaps start with a high protein/low carb breakfast, and then try a lower intake for a month to see how you feel?


Circadian Rhythm

Are you trying to achieve weight loss goals, but ignoring your inbuilt, natural sleep/wake cycle?


Various studies report a link between late night eating, lack of sleep and an increase in hunger hormones and fat gain. Lack of sleep makes it hard for us to interpret hunger signals and gives us food cravings that are hard to control. Lack of natural light in the daytime, and artificial blue light in the evenings, also contributes to hormonal imbalance.


Just one night of poor sleep, results in quantifiable Insulin Resistance the following day!


Challenge: Buy some red, blue-light blocking glasses to wear in the evening, and  get outside at much as possible during the day.  Have a wind down period in the evening, and try to get to bed by 10pm. For more information, download my ‘Master Stress, Prevent Burnout’ workbook (available via bio on Insta).


Stress Hormones

Don't under estimate the power of love and connection!


Finding joy and happiness from talking and laughing with friends and family, raises our happiness hormones and helps us cope better with stress. Stress hormones raise glucose levels and encourage us to pile on the pounds. Even chatting with neighbours, or smiling and passing the time of day with a stranger in the street, can help.


Isolation and loneliness contributes to comfort eating/drinking and disordered eating. ‘Empowered, Nurtured Health’ is a new community support group on Facebook that you are welcome to join.


Challenge:  Time goes too fast.  Make a date today, with someone you care about and to go for a walk in nature, a heart warming telephone chat, or watch a comedy together.


Intermittent Fasting

Much easier to implement, if you follow the previous points first.  Attempting intermittent fasting with a raging hunger or addiction, will be unbearable.  

Get your cravings under control first!


A word of caution: if you have nutrient deficiencies such as B12 or iron, then intermittent fasting is not recommended.  Skipping meals that could be providing you with the very nutrients that you are lacking in, is dangerous.


If you are good to go, then IF can have a very positive effect on the immune system as well as fat loss. There are several ways of doing IF, but the one most in-line with our circadian rhythm, and less likely to stress your body, is to have breakfast and an early dinner (2-meals). In other words you stop eating at 3pm, and don’t eat again until 7am the following morning.


Challenge: Start by choosing 1 day per week, preferably a day that is not very stressful and then increase when you feel ready.



Did you notice that I didn’t mention exercise in any of these tips?


That’s because exercise ramps up hunger, and hunger leads to overeating.  There is absolutely a place for exercise, but in the early stages of healing, the primary focus should be on getting a handle on cravings and hunger.  Once you feel more in control and have more energy, you will be more inclined to exercise.




I hope these help.

Please do let me know how you get on?

Wishing you love and joy,

Ali x


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