7 Surprising Things That Are Making You Hold On To Weight
You watch what you eat, boycott finishing your kids' leftovers, and even manage to squeeze in a few workouts each week. Despite all of your valiant efforts, the number on the scale remains maddeningly stuck. That's because, as we kind of suspected all along, the latest research shows that there is so much more to weight loss than sticking to a calorie target.
The underlying reason for why many people can't lose weight: silent, chronic inflammation of the fat cells themselves, says Lori Shemek, PhD, author of the new book How to Fight FatFlammation! "The more bloated fat cells become, the more weight people gain because they prevent your body's weight-loss hormones from working properly." Check out these sneaky reasons behind why you still can't fit into your skinny jeans, and how to fix it fast.
Fat Culprit #1: Gluten-Free and Other "Healthy" Packaged Foods
"An estimated 70 percent of Americans' diets come from processed foods," explains Shemek. "Some so-called healthy foods actually irritate your fat cells, causing them to become more and more inflamed." In other words, foods that we've been told are good for us-gluten-free pasta, fat-free granola, soy milk, and yogurt with fruit, to name a few-are often packed with ingredients that inflame fat cells (corn, soy, sugar, and xanthan gum) and spur a vicious cycle of weight gain.
Counteract what Dr. Shemek calls fatflammation by filling up on inflammation-fighting fruits and veggies that help put your body back into balance. Low-sugar fruits like blueberries and blackberries, and low-starch veggies like kale, broccoli, and peppers all provide the punch your body needs. Bonus: A study by University College, London found that eating seven or more servings of produce a day slashes your risk of death by 42 percent. For ideas on how to incorporate more of the good stuff into your day, try these snacks and these recipe ideas.
Fat Culprit #2: Your Hormones Are Out of Whack
Fat cells release leptin, the hormone that helps us feel full. Normally that would be a good thing, but it can backfire if you're overweight. "When you have a greater number of fat cells, as you do when you're overweight, you also have excess leptin," says Dr. Shemek. "You would assume that would make you feel satiated all the time, but that's actually not the case. Instead, what happens is the leptin receptors become overloaded and resistant, and the brain fails to sense the leptin hormone correctly. That causes more fat to accumulate, metabolism slows down, and the cycle of 'fatflammation' continues." The end result: you continue to overeat and get stuck in a vicious fat-gain cycle.
It may sound a bit ironic, but one way to help reverse this fat-gain cycle is to take a healthy fat supplement, because it actually helps burn body fat. "Fish oil is a source of omega-3 fatty acids that reduces inflammation in the fat cell itself, decreases appetite and cravings, and balances blood sugar," says Dr. Shemek. "It's critical for weight-loss success and is one of the most important tools we have to help break the weight/inflammation cycle." She suggests taking 4,000 mg of purified fish oil daily, which you can get at a natural grocery or supplement store. Look for those that have the IFOS certification label (a third-party certification program for fish oils) and one that is purified or molecularly distilled, such as Jarrow EPA-DHA, Whole Foods 365 Fish Oil, or Life Extension Foundation Fish Oil.
Fat Culprit #3: You're Stressed
You know by now that it doesn't matter what you're worrying about-work stuff, relationship stuff, kids stuff-stress can widen your waistline. But what you didn't know is that not only does it prompt you to reach for fattening comfort food, it also slows your metabolism.
"When you're chronically stressed, your adrenal glands-the main producers of the hormones cortisol and DHEA-get burned out, making your body store fat rather than burn it as fuel," explains Shemek. "To reverse this, you want to trigger hormones that will reverse inflammation and promote weight loss. The most effective way to do this is through your diet."
The goal: release feel-good hormones like serotonin and dopamine into the bloodstream. Foods like dark chocolate (yes, you really can treat yourself), free-range turkey, eggs, and sour cherries are all great options that simultaneously work to counteract that inflammation in the cells.
Fat Culprit #4: You May Have a Mold Issue
"Environmental toxins can disrupt your metabolism and hold your weight hostage, says Mark Hyman, M.D., Director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine who appears as a medical expert in Moldy, the new documentary about toxic mold. Toxic environmental mold exposure is a major health crisis that many are unaware of, and it can trick your body into producing autoimmunity or auto-antibodies against its own nerves and brain tissue, he says.
For example, Dr. Hyman had a patient who had unknowingly been exposed to multiple toxic molds in her home and, not coincidentally, discovered antibodies to the mold toxins in her blood-so her body was essentially fighting itself while protecting the mold. "Over time these efforts increased oxidative stress, inflamed her liver and body as a whole, and led to weight gain because they damaged the weight control centers in her brain," says Dr. Hyman.
To minimize mold's invasion, invest in air filters. HEPA/ ULPA filters and ionizers can reduce dust, molds, and other sources of indoor air pollution. Some plants, like spider plants, can also help improve air quality and are a good idea if you don't have nosy pets or small children running around.
Fat Culprit #5: You Lack a Variety of Bacteria in Your Gut
Creepy as it sounds, our guts are teaming with zillions of bacteria that help control our weight by determining how we store body fat and balance our blood sugar. So it's imperative that there be a wide variety of bacteria, as lacking a healthy mix can cause weight gain. In fact, if you don't have much variety, you could eat the same exact amount of calories as someone who does have a good mix, yet still gain more weight than them. Studies done on both healthy and obese twins even found that the healthier twins have a greater variety of gut microbes than their heavier counterparts.
But that healthy mix of bacteria doesn't just help prevent weight gain-it also promotes immunity (70 percent of our immunity is located within our gut) and emotional health (90 percent of the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin is created in the gut).
So what kills off the variety of healthy microbes? "Some factors include antibiotic use, a diet high in junk foods or processed foods, and chronic stress," says Shemek. To give yourself a gut check, try taking a daily multi-strained probiotic supplement with 15 billion BFU (Dr. Shemek suggests brands like Life Extension Foundation and Ultimate Flo), and eating prebiotics, or foods that fertilize the healthy bacteria so they can grow and multiply (think: leeks, garlic, oats, chicory root, and artichokes).
Fat Culprit #6: Sugar is Undermining Your Exercise Routine
There are enough outside factors pressuring you to skip your workout-a busy schedule, temptation to sleep in, guilt over time spent away from the kids-and now there's a hidden one happening to you internally. A recent study found that eating fructose-a type of sugar commonly found in processed foods like cookies-boosts body fat and saps your drive to move your body."Excess sugar can drive your blood glucose too high, and then too low, leaving you sluggish and less motivated to get out and workout," says Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., author of the new book The Complete Guide to Beating Sugar Addiction.
"Eating foods high in fructose-obvious offenders are soda and candy, but there's also a lot found in fruit juices and flavored yogurt-stimulates insulin, which tells the body to convert calories into fat-especially belly fat, which is the most dangerous to your health-instead of energy," he continues. "It also leaves you vitamin and mineral deficient, making your body crave more food to try to get what it needs. So we are seeing people routinely being malnourished and obese for the first time in human history."
Cutting back on added sugars can make a world of a difference and reignite your energy levels throughout the day. So instead of guzzling a soda (a 12 ounce can has about 9 teaspoons of sugar), try replacing it with unsweetened iced tea. If the fizz is what you're after, add some seltzer water. You can cut back on sugar throughout the rest of your day with these 8 tips proven to work.
Fat Culprit #7: You Have A Food Sensitivity
"Being overweight and having a food sensitivity go hand in hand because that sensitivity triggers an inflammatory immune reaction that often leads to weight gain," says Shemek. When you have an immune reaction, it can make the appetite-suppressing hormone, known as leptin, less effective (making it a double-whammy when combined with fat culprit #2, above).
If you suspect you might have a food sensitivity or intolerance (common ones include dairy, soy, corn, and gluten), pay attention to how you feel for 48 hours after eating the potential culprit. "You might have symptoms such as bloating, rashes or breakouts, and fogginess," explains Shemek. If you do, try cutting it out to see if the weight doesn't start to slide off faster. Just don't eliminate different groups, like dairy and gluten, all at once, as then you won't know which-if any-is causing problems.
Regardless, remember that there is a difference between having a food sensitivity, which might cause some irritating symptoms such as fogginess or rashes, and a true allergy, which can be life-threatening. If you're worried that you're having a bad reaction to a specific food or ingredient, talk to your doctor first to come up with a plan on getting tested for food allergies.
