Unexplained Weight Gain, Explained

On our wellness journey, nothing is more disheartening than doing all the “right things,” yet feeling like they aren’t making a difference. Despite our best intentions, our efforts can lead to standstills, and sometimes take us in the opposite direction. I see this when clients come to me with frustrations of unexplained weight gain.

“I eat a healthy diet!”

“I work out every day!”

“I tried everything and nothing seems to work!”

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. It can be confusing as well as frustrating. If you’re eating well and exercising, shouldn’t that be enough? I wish it were.

When we examine why some people gain weight despite their weight loss efforts, the answer may be twofold: gut health and hormone balance.

For clients struggling with weight gain,I place an emphasis on improving digestion, and we cannot isolate this from hormone activity (hormones play a major role in digestion). For example, when our stomach is empty, the hormone ghrelin signals the feeling of hunger, whereas the hormone leptin signals the feeling of satiety. However, when hormones are imbalanced, too much ghrelin can be released, causing us to feel hungrier. Additionally, many people experience leptin resistance, which as the name suggests, means they are resistant to leptin. This interferes with their ability to register feeling full, which can lead to overeating. 

Alex was frustrated by her unexplained weight gain when she first came to see me. She had gained 26 lbs in a year, and no matter what she did, she’d continue gaining weight. She was also showing symptoms of several different hormone imbalances. We started by addressing stress. I helped her make simple changes in her diet that reduced stress in her body. Stress is a major contributor to weight gain, particularly that “stubborn belly fat,” or subcutaneous fat. Excess cortisol (the stress hormone) can be behind it.

Later I worked with Alex to make lifestyle shifts that helped her balance her hormones and boost her thyroid function. We also focused on improving her gut health. By nourishing the gut and incorporating key nutrients for improved digestion, she was able to reduce inflammation, which had previously led to weight gain.  In return, she saw a significant reduction in hormone symptoms and lost 20 lbs. She continues to maintain a healthy weight today.

Beverly is another client who lost weight during our work together by addressing both hormone function and gut health. In addition to having excess weight, Beverly had many other health concerns. She had IBS, high LDL (bad) cholesterol, hypothyroidism, and pre-diabetes. But by the end of our sessions, Beverly was feeling so much better. She no longer had GI issues, she was no longer pre-diabetic, and she had lost 15 lbs. She also walked away with tools to combat her sugar addiction.

Reducing sugar was an important component of her healing because it is a key factor in maintaining a healthy gut microbiome. The microorganisms that make up our microbiome are responsible for creating vitamins, converting food into nutrients, providing energy, enhancing our immunity, and breaking down our food. This ecosystem of bugs needs to be diverse, and with targeted lifestyle and dietary shifts, we help to create diversity.

While working with clients to help them lose weight, I’ve seen a lot of success by tackling these two areas: hormone balance and gut health. No pill or surgery can alleviate weight gain if the underlying issue is an imbalance in the digestive or endocrine system. The way to combat weight gain is through natural balance.

There are many hormone imbalances that can lead to weight gain, including:

• Underactive thyroid

• Insulin resistance

• Leptin resistance

• High cortisol

• Estrogen imbalance

• Testosterone imbalance

Often the issue isn’t in just one of these imbalances, but in several. Our hormones work together. When one hormone is out of balance, it can cause a cascade of other hormone issues. If you have poor gut health, it can exacerbate the problem even more.

If you’re struggling with weight gain despite your best efforts, consider the following questions:

• Do you have any digestive issues?

• How are you sleeping?

• What hormonal symptoms are you experiencing?

• How are you managing stress?

Weight gain is incredibly frustrating. If you’d like to talk about your struggles, contact me for a free discovery session or a hormone assessment.