Direct Primary Care
Weight Gain
Weight gain often comes down to underlying stress, inflammation, and insulin resistance. Let’s dive into these three steps so you can be laser focused.
1. Address the Stress
You’ve probably been working on your stress for some time. But we can’t glaze over it if you’re stuck trying to lose weight. Chronic stress can increase abdominal fat and cravings due to high cortisol levels. Chronic stress triggers the sympathetic nervous system-fight, flight, or freeze as you might have heard. But if we never switch out of this frantic, fearful state of unease, our body never eases back into “rest and digest” where we heal, recover, and detox (called the parasympathetic nervous system).
You can imagine how our body is left in a state of disrepair and inflammation from chronic stress. Why would our brain care about losing weight or healing our gut when there is a bear chasing us? Instead now, the modern-day bear has become deadlines, social media comparison, loneliness, and fear of the future.
We know it’s not easy, but what will it take to commit to allowing your brain and your body to rest? Perhaps it means taking a social media break, letting go of perfection, delegating your roles, or even revisiting your trust in God. Pick the one thing that will make the biggest impact the fastest. Personally, I think we all inherently know what that one thing is, but we are great at avoiding it.
You get to choose. But you don’t have to do it alone. We’re here for you and we know you’ve got what it takes.
2. Sleep 7-9 Hours a Night
Studies show that sleeping less than 7 hours per night increases the risk of obesity by about 41% in adults (Bacaro et al, 2020). That’s a huge factor! Inadequate sleep disrupts hormones like ghrelin and leptin, which regulate hunger and satiety.
Short sleep duration also correlates with a 20-30% higher risk of depression and anxiety, as it impairs emotional regulation and cognitive function. Quality sleep helps regulate cortisol levels and supports hormone production and repair (Medic et al, 2017).
It might mean turning off your phone, giving up that late night show, or starting your kids’ bedtime earlier. But with such a strong correlation to better health, I can’t recommend sleep enough!
3. Swap Out Seed Oils and Cut the Crap
Cutting processed foods, sugar, and seed oils helps reduce inflammation, which directly impacts weight gain and gut barrier repair. When seed oils became popular in the 1950s, so did diabetes. In fact, the exponential growth of processed and packaged foods mirrors the exponential growth of diabetes in America.
Why is there such a strong correlation? There are several reasons. But the most striking to me is how seed oils tap into our endocannabinoid system much like crack-cocaine! These processed foods have been designed to make us hungrier, and not only eat more, but get addicted to them!
Don’t beat yourself up-we’ve all fallen into similar habits. Just know, as soon as you stop eating packaged foods, your body will continue to crave them.
Seed oils include canola, corn, cottonseed, soybean, sunflower, safflower, grapeseed, and rice bran oils. Just turn over any package and you’ll see what I mean.
Instead, focus on whole foods that will keep you full like grass fed beef, seasonal fruits, leafy greens, olive oil, fatty fish, and avocado (Spirt SD et al, 2008). I notice the most difference in my body composition when I remove seed oils. And I know you will, too.
Top Supplements for Faster Results
GLP-1 Fiber
- Strategically designed for increasing the gut bacteria that stimulate GLP-1 peptide production for appetite control.
- Great tasting powder that provides 11g of fiber.
Berberine
- Berberine helps control blood sugar by improving insulin sensitivity and slowing digestion, which can support weight loss by reducing appetite and improving energy use. View study.
GLP-1 Probiotic
- We love Pendulum for their specially formulated probiotic strains that can reduce sugar cravings and overall food cravings.
7 or 14 Day Detox
- Our go-to for a jump start and an easy way to dive into learning how to eat clean.
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