Let’s dive into something that’s on many people’s minds right now. With the start of the new year, it’s the time when we start thinking about New Year’s resolutions and the goals we want to set for the year.
Quite a few of my clients have reached out saying they want to lose weight, but they’re struggling. They’ve tried restrictive diets and intense exercise in the past, and it’s worked for them before, but now it’s just not doing the trick.
They’re frustrated, feeling despondent, and thinking they’re failing.
So, I wanted to have a chat today about why restrictive diets don’t work and how too much exercise can actually make things worse.
Why Restrictive Diets Don’t Work
Let’s talk about restrictive diets first. When you follow one of these diets, you’re:
● Cutting calories
● Counting every single one
● Maybe even cutting out whole food groups
You might halve the amount of food you’re eating, leaving you feeling constantly hungry, irritated, and hungry all the time.
It becomes an obsession, doesn’t it?
And before you know it, you’re not really living your life to the fullest.
But here’s the kicker—what happens when you stop that restrictive diet?
If you’re lucky, you might stick with it for four weeks, six weeks, maybe even twelve weeks. But then, when you return to your usual eating habits, the weight starts creeping back on because you’re not sticking to that strict plan anymore.
Metabolism Slows Down
Now, here’s where it gets tricky: when you cut calories to try to lose weight, your metabolism slows down. The body thinks it is in famine and tries to conserve energy and stores fat.
If you’re not getting enough nutrients to keep your metabolism running, it makes it even harder. So, can you see why restrictive diets might not be the answer?
After 30 years in this field, I can confidently say— restrictive diets are definitely not the answer. They’re just not sustainable
Emotional Eating and the “Failure” Trap
You know that feeling when you’re always thinking you’re missing out? And when you slip up on that strict eating plan, you feel like a failure, right?
It only makes things worse, triggering emotional eating.
So, let’s set restrictive diets aside for now. I think I’ve made it clear that they’re just not the solution.
The Impact of Intense Exercise
Now, another thing I hear a lot, especially at the start of the new year, is clients saying, “Right, I’m going to get fit, I’m going to tone up, I’m going to lose weight!” And then they go from hardly any exercise, or maybe just moderate exercise, to jumping straight into a high-intensity workout plan.
But they don’t see the changes they expected when they step on the scales…..
Intense, excessive exercise might burn calories in the short term, but it can also increase cortisol—the stress hormone.
Elevated cortisol levels can lead to:
• Fat storage, particularly around the belly
• Feeling wiped out and energy crashes
• Increased inflammation and injuries
One client exercised two hours a day and ate a restrictive diet, but still wasn’t losing weight. She was feeling completely despondent. After assessing her routine and looking at the root causes, we made a few small adjustments to her lifestyle and eating habits. She was able to reduce her hours in the gym.
And you know what? She started losing weight. This more balanced approach was way more sustainable for her, and she felt a lot happier.
And let’s not forget, life is busy. For many of us, over-exercising just isn’t sustainable. Plus, exercise can do more harm than good if you’re not fuelling your body properly.
A New Approach: Support, Not Cutback
Let’s stop thinking about how much we can cut—whether it’s calories or food groups or how much more we need to exercise—and think about what we can do differently.
As we age, from our 20s to our 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond, restrictive diets just don’t have the same effect. They don’t work as well anymore.
Let’s shift the mindset…
Instead of cutting back, let’s think proactively.
• ‘How can we support our body?’
• ‘What areas of our body need support to help us shed weight and reach our ideal body weight?’
Let’s take a closer look at the root causes of weight gain as we get older.
1. Hormones. As we age, our hormone balance starts to shift. For women, we might experience some estrogen dominance, while for men, testosterone levels can decrease.
Women can also see a drop in testosterone. This shift or imbalance is a root cause that
needs to be addressed.
2. Liver. As we age, the liver can become burdened, and if it’s not functioning properly, it’s hard to burn off the fat that’s building up around the stomach or hips. So, it’s crucial to keep the liver working efficiently.
3. Adrenals and Thyroid. Your thyroid regulates metabolism, and stress can overload the adrenals, leading to higher cortisol levels. All of these imbalances can contribute to weight gain.
Proactive Steps to Support Your Body
So, I want you to ask yourself, what can you do to support your body and get it back into balance? How can you help it function as efficiently as possible? Here are some proactive steps.
● Support Your Liver: If you feel like your liver is under strain, try adding liver-supporting foods to your diet, like cruciferous vegetables, turmeric, and rosemary. These can support your liver’s detoxification processes and help with hormone balance. Supporting the liver is key, but we also need to look at foods that help balance our hormones. We can even use herbs to support this.
● Manage Stress: If you’re constantly stressed—whether you’re a busy mum or juggling a million things—find ways to reduce that stress. Helping your body manage cortisol better will make it more efficient at its daily processes, including burning fat.
● Look at your hormone balance. Testing the hormones can give indications of an imbalance.
Instead of cutting out calories and food groups, you’ll be nourishing your body and giving it the support it needs.
If you want to learn more, I’m hosting an online five-day event called Revive and Thrive: Reset Your Sugar Cravings and Unlock Fat Loss in Five Days. It’s completely free, and we’ll dive deeper into all these key areas.
Each day, we’ll focus on one area and I’ll share simple strategies to make sustainable changes for lasting weight loss and overcoming sugar cravings.
I’d love for you to join me!
Ready to kick start Gut Health? Book a Call!
This is how gut microbes can influence weight!
Probiotics can help you gain weight or lose weight by interacting with our genetics, food and metabolism.
And yes, I did say lose or gain weight……..
Firstly, let me explain that the trillions of microbes in the gut need to be varied, meaning that there should be a large variety of species. There are many different species (or breeds) of microbes, and they all have their place in aiding health — the more variety and balance, the better health results.
Back to the weight loss or weight gain issue….
Do you eat yogurt and berries for breakfast? Thinking that it’s helping you lose weight?
Well, Lactobacillus acidophilus (like the species found in yoghurt) has been connected to weight gain.
I am not saying throw your yoghurt and berries in the bin. Instead, I am suggesting looking at the overall picture. If Lactobacillus acidophilus is the predominant micro-organism of the gut, then weight gain can result.
It is about the variety of species of gut microbes. Imagine if we only have trained german shepherd guard dogs in the world. It may be a safe world, but I am sure that other breeds may be more suitable as a family pet.
While Lactobacillus acidophilus is associated with weight gain, other Lactobacillus species correlate with weight loss.
Species like Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus gasseri, and Bifidobacteria animalis have been found to support weight loss.
Want to lose weight?
Look at your gut flora to support your goal.
Tests can be performed to identify the predominant species of the gut, and specific species can be utilised to support weight changes.
Want more information about your gut health?
Or want to look at all the factors contributing to weight gain, I’d love to be able to help.
