July 3, 2024 • 33 mins
Ever feel like you're doing everything right but the scale just won't budge? It's time to uncover the hidden saboteurs of weight loss!
Join Aimee on this eye-opening episode of Blasphemous Nutrition as she dives into reasons why your weight loss efforts may be falling flat. Prepare to be enlightened as Aimee dives deeper into the obvious, but also reveals the often-overlooked factors that could be hindering your progress.
From the nuances of tracking food intake and addressing nutrient deficiencies to the impact of stress, common medications, and underlying medical conditions, Aimee provides insights on why losing weight is harder than it was a generation ago. Tune in for actionable insights that go beyond the basics and empower you to achieve the results you're after.
Don't miss out on this essential episode—hit play now and start transforming your weight loss journey with Aimee's expert guidance!
Key Takeaways:
- Tracking food intake is incredibly helpful to increase awareness and uncover potential aspects that may hinder weight loss progress, but it may not be appropriate for everyone.
- Nutrient deficiencies, chronic stress, poor sleep quality, and dehydration can all impact metabolism and weight loss outcomes.
- Patience is key in the weight loss journey, as everyone's body responds differently and progress may take time to manifest.
- Medical conditions like PCOS, hypothyroidism, and hormonal imbalances, as well as certain medications, can pose challenges to weight loss efforts.
- Adopting a positive mindset, addressing lifestyle factors, and seeking support from healthcare professionals are crucial for sustainable and successful weight loss.
Resources:
Work with Aimee
Blasphemous Nutrition on Substack
Check out Cronometer to assess energy intake and micronutrient status
Photography by: Dai Ross Photography
Podcast Cover Art: Lilly Kate Creative
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Hey Rebels, welcome toBlasphemous Nutrition.
Consider this podcast yourpantry full of clarity,
perspective, and the nuanceneeded to counter the
superficial health advice sofreely given on the internet.
I'm Amy, the unapologeticallycandid host of Blasphemous
Nutrition and a double degreednutritionist with 20 years
experience.
(00:22):
I'm here to share a more nuancedtake.
On living and eating well tosustain and recover your health.
If you've found most healthadvice to be so generic as to be
meaningless, We're so extremethat it's unrealistic, and you
don't mind the occasional Fbomb.
You've come to the right place.
From dissecting the latestnutrition trends to breaking
(00:43):
down published research andsharing my own clinical
experiences, I'm on a mission tofoster clarity amidst all the
confusion and empower you tohave the health you need to live
a life you love.
Now let's get started.
Welcome back to Blasphemousnutrition.
I'm your host, Aimee.
(01:03):
And I think laughter is the bestmedicine.
Especially when served with aside of guacamole.
There have been many times in mycareer when someone comes to me,
assuring me that they are doingeverything right and still not
losing weight.
These people are often dismissedcompletely by their personal
(01:24):
trainers or their doctors.
Who do not believe that they aretelling the truth.
And the case of one client whoshowed her log to her trainer,
she was told that it was becauseshe was not getting the same
percentage of her macros day inand day out.
And that her body was confused.
And that's why she wasn't losingweight.
(01:47):
With all due respect, which isprobably more than this dude
deserves I think it's thetrainer who was confused.
This client was actually undereating, but the trainer from the
sounds of it knew nothing morethan the calories in calories,
out dogma with a little bit ofmacros ideology thrown in and so
(02:09):
he comes up with some fancypants explanation that
highlights his total ignoranceof the human body.
If you're eating the healthyfoods you have been told will
lead to weight loss, but you arenot seeing the scale budge.
Today, I'm going to tell you thethings that you need to consider
(02:30):
that might be at the root of younot getting the results you are
working so hard for.
Some of these may surprise you.
Some of them may piss you off.
But what I'm going to do is justlay out what I've seen over the
last couple of decades and askyou to consider what may be
(02:54):
impacting you.
Firstly.
Top of the line.
You may want to reassess.
What you're eating.
If you're not already doing so,tracking your food for a week to
see if you are as on track asyou think you are, can be very
(03:15):
enlightening.
Maybe you are chronically undereating.
Maybe you're not getting enoughprotein.
Maybe you're overestimating howfrequently you have just a
little of this or that.
Maybe you are tracking, butyou're not tracking those three
bites of your kids leftover riceand the sample that you had at
(03:39):
Costco and a couple sips of winefrom your husband's glass.
And these things can add up.
To bring us to a place where weare in plateau rather than a
caloric deficit.
So it is worth while to go backand take a look with a fine
tooth comb at what you areactually consuming.
(04:01):
Both liquids and solids to seeif what you think you're doing
and what you're actually doingline up.
Food tracking is often a hugewake-up call.
And when you're recording, youwant to know not just what you
eat, but also how often youdecide not to eat something.
(04:24):
Because it would need to belogged.
This little piece alone canoften reveal many ways.
We unconsciously are sabotagingour efforts with just a bite
here and a bite there.
If we're not tracking it andwe're not thinking about it.
It's really easy to just, youknow, have a bite here and have
(04:46):
a bite there and then end upexceeding what our body needs in
order to lose weight.
But when we start tracking,we're being hypervigilant and
with that often comes thesesplit second decisions of no,
I'm not actually going to reachfor that because I'll have to
log it.
The very act of tracking leadsto behavior change for many,
(05:08):
many people.
And so again, it can look like,well, I'm doing everything
right, but if you are not takinginto account, the things that
you aren't tracking, that youwould be consuming because you
weren't thinking about it, wereyou not tracking?
You may realize that you areoverestimating the frequency of
(05:29):
just a little bit here and justa little bit there.
Okay.
And before you think I'm anasshole for even suggesting this
before you throw me into thesame camp as an gas lighting
doctor or that jackass personaltrainer.
This is a human thing.
Like we all do this.
(05:50):
We all tend to under report and.
Not really fully have awareness.
Of how much we eat because ourbrains are not designed.
To quantify food.
There was a study that was donethat aimed to answer the
question, do dieticians tracktheir food accurately?
(06:14):
And this was a decently wellcontrolled study.
Actually, they had a controlgroup of.
I'm calling normal people.
And then they had a group ofdieticians and they had both of
them track and record theirfood.
And while the dieticians didtrack more accurately than those
who did not have degrees innutrition, they still.
(06:39):
Underestimated what they wereeating by an average of 230
calories a day.
The non professionally trainedgroup.
Underestimated by about 429calories a day.
So.
Just because you have a degreeand you spend all day talking
(07:01):
about food.
Doesn't mean that you are doingthis perfectly either.
It is not in human nature.
To weigh measure.
Strictly quantify.
And view what we eat in aquantified manner.
(07:22):
So.
Going back and doing the bestyou can, having that mindfulness
on what you're eating can bevery enlightening.
Even if it is not a hundredpercent precise and that goes
for all of us.
It's really easy.
(07:43):
To not see what we are doing.
And then when we start to take alook at it again, acknowledging.
What we are now not doing that.
We would've been doing.
Had we not been tracking.
Once we face that music.
Of recording every bite.
(08:04):
We may see that what we thinkwe're doing and what we're
actually doing may not be inalignment.
Another thing that people areoften surprised of when they're
tracking is that they'reactually chronically under
eating.
And if this is the case for you,your metabolism may have adapted
and slowed down.
(08:24):
Due to the lack of energy thatit has been given.
So if this is a chronic habitfor you, if you have low
appetite and you struggle to getenough food, or if you've had
gastric bypass surgery or asleeve put in, that makes it
difficult for you to eatsufficient calories, to maintain
your metabolic rate.
(08:46):
You can slowly and steadilyre-introduce more calories.
And doing it in a systematic waywill prevent weight regain.
Focus on increasing your proteinand your vegetables first to
make the most of the nutrientsand the metabolic impact of
these foods.
(09:07):
Now it would not be wise for meto suggest logging food.
Without acknowledging that forsome people, the act of tracking
can be very triggering,particularly for individuals who
have eating disorders or whohave a history of disordered
eating behavior.
(09:28):
So if you fall under thatcategory, I don't necessarily
advise doing this first.
Let's take a look at some of theother things that may be getting
in the way, and then we can comeback to food.
Logging.
Another thing that some peoplefind a little bit less
triggering then using somethinglike my fitness pal or a
(09:49):
chronometer is simply writingdown what it is you're eating
throughout the day and notplugging it into any kind of
app.
That's going to give you anoutput on macros or calories or
anything that you havepreviously restricted in the
past So with that recommendationto closely track your food for a
(10:09):
week, I do want to make surethat that caveat, that.
It's not the best choice foreverybody.
Be made explicitly clear.
The second thing that may leadto one's inability to lose
weight.
(10:29):
Is straight up nutrientmalnourishment.
Several of the B vitamins aswell as iodine, zinc, vitamin D
magnesium, calcium chromium, andselenium play very important
roles in maintaining a healthymetabolism.
(10:50):
And multitudes of those exactnutrients are consumed in
insufficient amounts by thegeneral population.
Now, if you're up for the foodtracking, I strongly recommend
using chronometer, which I'veput in the show notes.
It's not spelled how you maythink.
So take a look at this shownotes.
(11:11):
Additionally, working with anutritionist who is familiar
with micronutrients, such asmyself can help you ensure you
are getting what you need.
We can utilize labs as well ascomprehensive food logs to
assess.
If you are getting enoughnutrients in the diet.
And if the nutrients that you'reeating are actually being
(11:32):
absorbed by the body.
At the end of the day.
We are not what we eat.
We are what we absorb andassimilate.
And if there is somethinghappening within your body, like
a digestive disorder or, um,inflammatory bowel disease or
any other host of digestiveissues that may be reducing your
(11:58):
ability to absorb nutrients fromwhat you're eating, you could
have the perfect diet, but stillbe in a deficit.
So it's important to look atthose two things when you're
assessing overall nutrientsufficiency.
Now the next thing, and this islikely if anything, to agitate
(12:19):
you.
Is a request to be.
Patient.
If you're not losing weight.
It may not actually be due toanything wrong that you're
doing.
I mean, if I'm honest, most ofthe time there is some aspect
that isn't being addressed thatwe can change.
(12:42):
But at the end of the day, Noteverybody drops weight quickly.
If you used to drop weightquickly and you're not now.
Sometimes that's just the waythe cookie crumbles.
Our bodies are constantlyevolving and changing and.
As anybody who has lived to be40 or older knows your body's
(13:04):
not operating in the samecapacity in the same way.
As it did when it was 20.
For better and for worse, right?
There are definitely somethings.
In your forties that are so muchbetter than when you were in
your twenties.
But for most of us, ourmetabolism, isn't it.
(13:25):
So while some people will dropweight quickly, even into their
forties and fifties, others dropweight consistently, but much
more slowly.
And there are still others whohave to do the hard grueling.
Unsexy boring work for monthswithout seeing any results.
(13:49):
And then it seems their bodyslowly starts to come around and
begins to lose weight.
And I think this may be due tothe body, working on rebalancing
itself, particularly with issuesof insulin resistance and
metabolic syndrome.
It often takes much longer thanwe expect for the body to
(14:10):
relearn how to utilize fat forfuel.
So adjusting your expectationsand reminding yourself that any
progress you see is stillprogress, whether it is a scale
victory or a non-scale victory.
It must be acknowledged.
(14:31):
If you still feel frustrated,ask yourself if you want any of
that lost weight back.
If you're one of those folks whogets pissed off because you're
not losing weight fast enough.
One thing.
I always tell my clients and I'mgoing to tell you, well, do you
want those two pounds back?
Yeah.
It's only two pounds, but youknow, your body will take them
(14:51):
back if you want.
And everybody's like, no, no,I'm good.
I'm good.
With the two pounds, I'd ratherhave the two pounds be off than
not.
So acknowledge that consciouslyacknowledge it and say, I'm glad
these two pounds are gone.
I'm going to work to keep themoff.
And I'm going to continue to dothe work to make more progress.
(15:13):
Chances are no matter how littleweight loss is lost.
You'd rather take that thannothing at all.
Right.
Your mindset itself is very,very powerful.
If you are stepping into thisobjective of losing weight with
a pessimistic negative attitude,you are going to find the
(15:33):
process.
To honestly be fucking miserableand harder than it has to be.
You're also putting yourself ina very tenuous position where
you're easily derailed and morelikely to give up because of how
you're stepping into the processand thinking about the whole.
(15:53):
The whole thing, right.
Any endeavor in your life thatyou undertake with dread
resentment and anger is notgoing to be a sustainable
endeavor.
And when it comes to losingweight and keeping it off, we
have got to do something that wecan sustain for the rest of our
(16:18):
lives.
Otherwise that weight that getslost we'll come back on A weight
loss plan that works issomething that you can do
ongoing for the rest of yourlife.
And this is why these liquiddiets, these extreme detox
diets, right?
(16:39):
All this nonsense, none of thatlasts longterm because it is not
a plan that is designed to bedone for the rest of your life.
So a temporary plan is going tolead to temporary results.
That's it.
But if you step into somethingthat you know, needs to change
for forever, with that negativeattitude and that pessimism It's
(17:03):
going to be really hard, if notimpossible for you to stick with
it.
Independent of any othervariable that I'll mention
today, I've noticed that thosewho do the worst, those who.
Lose the least amount of way.
Those who struggled the hardest.
Are more likely to have a veryrigid mindset.
(17:23):
Limited thinking.
And an overall pessimistic andpunitive mindset.
If you step into weight losswith this belief that you're at
war and fighting your body, thatyour body is your enemy, and it
must be corralled andcontrolled.
You're setting yourself up for avery special kind of mental
(17:44):
torture that is completelyunnecessary and ultimately
counter productive to what youwant to achieve.
Individuals who are in thisspace often do much better when
they combine their weight lossefforts with cognitive
behavioral therapy.
Or another therapeutic modalitythat they're amenable to.
(18:08):
I do believe that in thesecircumstances, aside from
greater difficulty adhering toany kind of change, These folks
are also likely unintentionallyinhibiting their progress by
generating a lot of internalstress that can directly impact
their body's ability to loseweight.
(18:28):
The fourth thing is to checkyour lifestyle.
Speaking of stress.
Stress is one of several commonnon caloric inhibitors of weight
loss.
Whether it's coming from poorsleep quality, chronic
dehydration or high amounts ofchronic work or family or life
stress.
These things can hijack theresults you're seeking, even
(18:49):
when your nutrition plan istotally on point.
Lack of sleep itself is astressor on the body.
And this is somethingparticularly in north America
that we.
Minimize much to our detriment.
Sleep is essential recovery andrestoration is mandatory for all
(19:16):
living species.
There is not an animal inexistence that does not sleep.
But just like humans think theydon't need to pay attention to
sunrise and sunset and theydon't need to like, have any
kind of acknowledgement abouttheir existence as a biological,
(19:38):
being on a biological planet.
Just as that is not taken intoconsideration.
When we don't take sleep intoconsideration, we screw
ourselves over hardcore.
Sleep is the time that the bodyhas to repair and regenerate and
recover.
(19:58):
And so when we neglect our sleepor when our sleep is of poor
quality, and we do not addressthis, we end up inhibiting
cellular repair on all levels.
And this leads to increasedinsulin resistance as well as
glucose levels.
Even with as little as one nightof bad sleep.
(20:22):
Higher cortisol levels and lowersex hormones.
This is longterm lower sexhormones, like testosterone.
Sleep deprivation also totallyjacks up our hunger and satiety
hormones, which makes it evenharder to feel full and stave
off hunger during the day.
(20:42):
Hydration is also somethingthat's really easy to overlook,
but quite important.
Water is essential for most, ifnot all of the metabolic
processes that happen in thebody.
Chronic dehydration gums up theworks a little bit.
It's like when your oil getsdirty and it's not efficiently
running through the engine ofyour car smoothly, right.
(21:06):
It's a really crappy analogy,but see, the only thing that
comes to mind.
So being chronically dehydratedcan actually inhibit weight loss
to some degree.
While there's not rigorousresearch on this.
There are associations ofobesity and dehydration that
have been reported in theliterature, in both children, as
(21:28):
well as adults over 50 andexcess weight itself being
overweight or obese likelyincreases your hydration needs.
So you may need more water thanyou think you do.
Having a life that is stressful,whether it is chronic emotional
stress from circumstances inyour life.
(21:49):
Or chronic physical stress fromover exercise or poor sleep
causes multiple hormonedisruptions, making, losing
weight much, much harder formany.
I got started in my career,working in a boutique runners
studio with a running coach.
And I would work with all of thepeople who started running to
(22:12):
lose weight or were training forraces and not losing weight,
even though they had expectedto, or in some cases gaining
weight.
And this is actually more commonthan you may think.
And this is due to someindividuals having a specific
physiological makeup that leadsto weight loss, resistance or
(22:34):
weight gain when they do highamounts of cardiovascular
activity.
And this is likely due tochronically elevated cortisol
levels, which is really stronglylinked to increased insulin
resistance and increasedproduction of glucose by the
liver.
And this is effectively aone-two sucker punch to the
(22:57):
body, right?
You've got the liver generatingmore sugar in the blood, and
then you have reduced abilityfor insulin to get that sugar
into the cell.
That's going to cause someproblems.
Additionally chronic, emotionalor physical stress can disrupt
our thyroid hormones as well asour sex hormones, making it
harder to lose weight.
(23:18):
And chronic stress is alsoassociated with reduced output
of those hormones.
If you are in a stage of lifewhere you're carrying a great
deal of emotional stress.
Or you carry a great deal ofemotional stress and your way of
dealing with it is exercisinglike a maniac.
(23:40):
This may be something to lookmore closely into for yourself.
Getting a thyroid panel doneassessing your sex hormone
status.
Taking a look at your cortisollevels, your insulin levels,
your glucose levels.
This can help you get a clearerpicture on how your body is
(24:03):
coping or not coping with stressor your preferred method of
dealing with stress.
One of the hardest things I haveto do is telling people who are
stressed out and rely onexercise to reduce their stress,
that they have to change the waythey exercise.
(24:24):
Most of these individuals aretype A go getters and they
really mentally thrive on thathigh-intensity exercise to
reduce their physical stressthings like running, cycling.
High intensity intervaltrainings, CrossFit, right?
(24:45):
These super high intensity likehardcore activities.
Feel really good for these typesof people.
However, sometimes that may bethe thing.
That is the obstacle for them.
Just putting that bug in yourear.
If.
This may apply to you.
(25:06):
The last two things that canreally get in the way of weight
loss are a little taboo to talkabout.
But they are important toacknowledge.
There are certain medicalconditions that many of us have
that can make it harder to loseweight.
Aside from insulin resistance,having health challenges, like
(25:28):
PCO S low testosteronehypothyroidism, and those
hormonal fluctuations ofperi-menopause.
Can make weight loss much lessreliable than it used to be.
And this is where working with ahealth practitioner who
understands these conditions canhelp you gain some traction.
(25:49):
If you're a struggling.
Chances are you're not going tolose weight quickly and easily
with those conditions, unlessthey are very, very well-managed
or put into remission.
But there are some steps thatcan be taken.
And if you're working with ahealth practitioner who is
really skilled at bringing someof these conditions into better
(26:12):
balance at mitigating some ofthe negative impacts of having
them.
You may find that weight lossgoes from not happening at all.
To beginning to happen in alittle bit more tolerable, uh,
pace.
And then finally medicationsthemselves.
Multiple commonly prescribedmedications are classified as
(26:38):
obesogenic, which means theypromote weight gain.
Anticonvulsants antidepressantsanti-anxiety meds.
Anti-histamines anti-psychoticsbeta blockers, hormonal
contraception.
And even some diabetesmedications, such as insulin can
(26:59):
promote weight gain and make itharder to lose weight.
Now, not every single medicationin those classes, I just
mentioned are obesogenic.
But if you are taking a class ofdrug that I just spoke to and
you are struggling with yourweight, it is worthwhile to have
(27:20):
a conversation with your doctorto see if the medications that
you're taking are contributingto your weight loss struggles
and if a viable alternativemight be possible.
In some cases it can be.
And in some cases, particularlywith things like mood
stabilizing medication, You maynot want to rock the boat if it
(27:43):
took you awhile to get to aplace where you're feeling
really good about where you'reat.
So this is an importantconversation to have with a
practitioner that knows you thatyou have good rapport with if at
all possible.
If like many of us you're kindof in between physicians or.
You've lost your regular personthat you talk to don't neglect
(28:05):
to get this addressed anyway,and it is worth making an
appointment with a physician ora psychiatrist to have this
discussion.
There was a research study ofover 600 veterans that showed
those who are taking at leastone of the medications I
mentioned while participating ina supervised weight loss program
(28:27):
we're 37% less likely to haveany meaningful progress during
an eight week weight losscourse.
And those who are taking threeor more, within those classes of
medications had the leastsuccess overall.
When compared to those who wereenrolled in the program, not
taking any medications.
(28:50):
So these can actually have apretty profound impact on your
success.
And if you've been beatingyourself up, because you're
doing all the right things andnothing's working in, you're
pulling your hair out.
Maybe.
It's not your fault.
Again, a worthwhile conversationto have with your physician.
(29:13):
So the big takeaways fromtoday's episode is that if
you're not getting the results,you're looking for, you first
want to do what you were told todo in school.
Go back to the drawing board andcheck your work.
Make sure you're eating as youthink you ought to be.
As this is really easy tooverlook and a simple solution.
(29:37):
If it's the cause of yourlackluster results.
If you find that you areconsuming enough calories,
you're kind of in the sweetzone.
Dig deeper and assess yournutrient status check for
malabsorption or malnourishmentas that may be inhibiting your
weight loss and then beyond whatyou're eating, it's really
(29:58):
important to take a look at youroverall lifestyle and do what
you can to reduce chronicstress.
Ensure good sleep and stay wellhydrated.
These factors can support weightloss.
Even if you need to stay on anobesogenic medication.
Or if you have a chronic diseasethat impacts your ability to
(30:20):
lose weight.
And then finally for the love ofGod, be patient with the
process.
I know by time you are evenready to start taking a look at
losing weight.
You want it to be goneyesterday.
But it is very, very much aprocess that rarely comes as
(30:41):
quickly as we want it to.
Hey, if today's episode has beenhelpful to you, please share it
with a friend.
You can also leave a writtenreview on iTunes and rate the
podcast in Spotify or iTunes tohelp more listeners, just like
you find this little sweet spotof sassy, sunshine to add to
(31:04):
their podcast queue.
And for those of you who havealready rated and reviewed
Blasphemous nutrition, thank youso much.
It makes such a difference andit is one of the easiest ways
you can let me know that this isworth all of the effort I put
into each episode.
(31:24):
I appreciate you so, so much.
Until next time, my Blasphemousbuddies, this is Aimee and I am
out of here.
Any and all information sharedhere is for educational and
entertainment purposes only andis not to be misconstrued as
offering medical advice.
Listening to this podcast doesnot constitute a provider client
(31:46):
relationship.
Note, I'm not a doctor nor anurse, and it is imperative that
you utilize your brain and yourmedical team to make the best
decisions for your own health.
The use of information on thispodcast or materials linked to
this podcast are at the user'sown risk.
No information nor resourcesprovided are intended to be a
(32:07):
substitute for professionalmedical advice, diagnosis, or
treatment.
Be a smart human and do notdisregard or postpone obtaining
medical advice for any medicalcondition you may have.
Seek the assistance of yourhealthcare team for any such
conditions and always do sobefore making any changes to
your medical, nutrition, orhealth plan.
(32:33):
If you have found some Nuggetsof Wisdom, make sure to
subscribe, rate, and shareBlasphemous Nutrition with those
you care about.
As you navigate the labyrinth ofhealth advice out there,
remember, health is a journey,not a dietary dictatorship.
Stay skeptical, stay daring, andchallenge the norms that no
(32:54):
longer serve you.
If you've got burning questionsor want to share your own flavor
of rebellion, slide into my DMs.
Your stories fuel me, and I lovehearing them.
Thanks again for tuning in toBlasphemous Nutrition.
Until next time, this is Amysigning off, reminding you that
truth is nuanced, and any dishcan be made better with a little
(33:16):
bit of sass.
Hey Rebels, welcome toBlasphemous Nutrition.
Consider this podcast yourpantry full of clarity,
perspective, and the nuanceneeded to counter the
superficial health advice sofreely given on the internet.
I'm Amy, the unapologeticallycandid host of Blasphemous
Nutrition and a double degreednutritionist with 20 years
experience.
(00:22):
I'm here to share a more nuancedtake.
On living and eating well tosustain and recover your health.
If you've found most healthadvice to be so generic as to be
meaningless, We're so extremethat it's unrealistic, and you
don't mind the occasional Fbomb.
You've come to the right place.
From dissecting the latestnutrition trends to breaking
(00:43):
down published research andsharing my own clinical
experiences, I'm on a mission tofoster clarity amidst all the
confusion and empower you tohave the health you need to live
a life you love.
Now let's get started.
Welcome back to Blasphemousnutrition.
I'm your host, Aimee.
(01:03):
And I think laughter is the bestmedicine.
Especially when served with aside of guacamole.
There have been many times in mycareer when someone comes to me,
assuring me that they are doingeverything right and still not
losing weight.
These people are often dismissedcompletely by their personal
(01:24):
trainers or their doctors.
Who do not believe that they aretelling the truth.
And the case of one client whoshowed her log to her trainer,
she was told that it was becauseshe was not getting the same
percentage of her macros day inand day out.
And that her body was confused.
And that's why she wasn't losingweight.
(01:47):
With all due respect, which isprobably more than this dude
deserves I think it's thetrainer who was confused.
This client was actually undereating, but the trainer from the
sounds of it knew nothing morethan the calories in calories,
out dogma with a little bit ofmacros ideology thrown in and so
(02:09):
he comes up with some fancypants explanation that
highlights his total ignoranceof the human body.
If you're eating the healthyfoods you have been told will
lead to weight loss, but you arenot seeing the scale budge.
Today, I'm going to tell you thethings that you need to consider
(02:30):
that might be at the root of younot getting the results you are
working so hard for.
Some of these may surprise you.
Some of them may piss you off.
But what I'm going to do is justlay out what I've seen over the
last couple of decades and askyou to consider what may be
(02:54):
impacting you.
Firstly.
Top of the line.
You may want to reassess.
What you're eating.
If you're not already doing so,tracking your food for a week to
see if you are as on track asyou think you are, can be very
(03:15):
enlightening.
Maybe you are chronically undereating.
Maybe you're not getting enoughprotein.
Maybe you're overestimating howfrequently you have just a
little of this or that.
Maybe you are tracking, butyou're not tracking those three
bites of your kids leftover riceand the sample that you had at
(03:39):
Costco and a couple sips of winefrom your husband's glass.
And these things can add up.
To bring us to a place where weare in plateau rather than a
caloric deficit.
So it is worth while to go backand take a look with a fine
tooth comb at what you areactually consuming.
(04:01):
Both liquids and solids to seeif what you think you're doing
and what you're actually doingline up.
Food tracking is often a hugewake-up call.
And when you're recording, youwant to know not just what you
eat, but also how often youdecide not to eat something.
(04:24):
Because it would need to belogged.
This little piece alone canoften reveal many ways.
We unconsciously are sabotagingour efforts with just a bite
here and a bite there.
If we're not tracking it andwe're not thinking about it.
It's really easy to just, youknow, have a bite here and have
(04:46):
a bite there and then end upexceeding what our body needs in
order to lose weight.
But when we start tracking,we're being hypervigilant and
with that often comes thesesplit second decisions of no,
I'm not actually going to reachfor that because I'll have to
log it.
The very act of tracking leadsto behavior change for many,
(05:08):
many people.
And so again, it can look like,well, I'm doing everything
right, but if you are not takinginto account, the things that
you aren't tracking, that youwould be consuming because you
weren't thinking about it, wereyou not tracking?
You may realize that you areoverestimating the frequency of
(05:29):
just a little bit here and justa little bit there.
Okay.
And before you think I'm anasshole for even suggesting this
before you throw me into thesame camp as an gas lighting
doctor or that jackass personaltrainer.
This is a human thing.
Like we all do this.
(05:50):
We all tend to under report and.
Not really fully have awareness.
Of how much we eat because ourbrains are not designed.
To quantify food.
There was a study that was donethat aimed to answer the
question, do dieticians tracktheir food accurately?
(06:14):
And this was a decently wellcontrolled study.
Actually, they had a controlgroup of.
I'm calling normal people.
And then they had a group ofdieticians and they had both of
them track and record theirfood.
And while the dieticians didtrack more accurately than those
who did not have degrees innutrition, they still.
(06:39):
Underestimated what they wereeating by an average of 230
calories a day.
The non professionally trainedgroup.
Underestimated by about 429calories a day.
So.
Just because you have a degreeand you spend all day talking
(07:01):
about food.
Doesn't mean that you are doingthis perfectly either.
It is not in human nature.
To weigh measure.
Strictly quantify.
And view what we eat in aquantified manner.
(07:22):
So.
Going back and doing the bestyou can, having that mindfulness
on what you're eating can bevery enlightening.
Even if it is not a hundredpercent precise and that goes
for all of us.
It's really easy.
(07:43):
To not see what we are doing.
And then when we start to take alook at it again, acknowledging.
What we are now not doing that.
We would've been doing.
Had we not been tracking.
Once we face that music.
Of recording every bite.
(08:04):
We may see that what we thinkwe're doing and what we're
actually doing may not be inalignment.
Another thing that people areoften surprised of when they're
tracking is that they'reactually chronically under
eating.
And if this is the case for you,your metabolism may have adapted
and slowed down.
(08:24):
Due to the lack of energy thatit has been given.
So if this is a chronic habitfor you, if you have low
appetite and you struggle to getenough food, or if you've had
gastric bypass surgery or asleeve put in, that makes it
difficult for you to eatsufficient calories, to maintain
your metabolic rate.
(08:46):
You can slowly and steadilyre-introduce more calories.
And doing it in a systematic waywill prevent weight regain.
Focus on increasing your proteinand your vegetables first to
make the most of the nutrientsand the metabolic impact of
these foods.
(09:07):
Now it would not be wise for meto suggest logging food.
Without acknowledging that forsome people, the act of tracking
can be very triggering,particularly for individuals who
have eating disorders or whohave a history of disordered
eating behavior.
(09:28):
So if you fall under thatcategory, I don't necessarily
advise doing this first.
Let's take a look at some of theother things that may be getting
in the way, and then we can comeback to food.
Logging.
Another thing that some peoplefind a little bit less
triggering then using somethinglike my fitness pal or a
(09:49):
chronometer is simply writingdown what it is you're eating
throughout the day and notplugging it into any kind of
app.
That's going to give you anoutput on macros or calories or
anything that you havepreviously restricted in the
past So with that recommendationto closely track your food for a
(10:09):
week, I do want to make surethat that caveat, that.
It's not the best choice foreverybody.
Be made explicitly clear.
The second thing that may leadto one's inability to lose
weight.
(10:29):
Is straight up nutrientmalnourishment.
Several of the B vitamins aswell as iodine, zinc, vitamin D
magnesium, calcium chromium, andselenium play very important
roles in maintaining a healthymetabolism.
(10:50):
And multitudes of those exactnutrients are consumed in
insufficient amounts by thegeneral population.
Now, if you're up for the foodtracking, I strongly recommend
using chronometer, which I'veput in the show notes.
It's not spelled how you maythink.
So take a look at this shownotes.
(11:11):
Additionally, working with anutritionist who is familiar
with micronutrients, such asmyself can help you ensure you
are getting what you need.
We can utilize labs as well ascomprehensive food logs to
assess.
If you are getting enoughnutrients in the diet.
And if the nutrients that you'reeating are actually being
(11:32):
absorbed by the body.
At the end of the day.
We are not what we eat.
We are what we absorb andassimilate.
And if there is somethinghappening within your body, like
a digestive disorder or, um,inflammatory bowel disease or
any other host of digestiveissues that may be reducing your
(11:58):
ability to absorb nutrients fromwhat you're eating, you could
have the perfect diet, but stillbe in a deficit.
So it's important to look atthose two things when you're
assessing overall nutrientsufficiency.
Now the next thing, and this islikely if anything, to agitate
(12:19):
you.
Is a request to be.
Patient.
If you're not losing weight.
It may not actually be due toanything wrong that you're
doing.
I mean, if I'm honest, most ofthe time there is some aspect
that isn't being addressed thatwe can change.
(12:42):
But at the end of the day, Noteverybody drops weight quickly.
If you used to drop weightquickly and you're not now.
Sometimes that's just the waythe cookie crumbles.
Our bodies are constantlyevolving and changing and.
As anybody who has lived to be40 or older knows your body's
(13:04):
not operating in the samecapacity in the same way.
As it did when it was 20.
For better and for worse, right?
There are definitely somethings.
In your forties that are so muchbetter than when you were in
your twenties.
But for most of us, ourmetabolism, isn't it.
(13:25):
So while some people will dropweight quickly, even into their
forties and fifties, others dropweight consistently, but much
more slowly.
And there are still others whohave to do the hard grueling.
Unsexy boring work for monthswithout seeing any results.
(13:49):
And then it seems their bodyslowly starts to come around and
begins to lose weight.
And I think this may be due tothe body, working on rebalancing
itself, particularly with issuesof insulin resistance and
metabolic syndrome.
It often takes much longer thanwe expect for the body to
(14:10):
relearn how to utilize fat forfuel.
So adjusting your expectationsand reminding yourself that any
progress you see is stillprogress, whether it is a scale
victory or a non-scale victory.
It must be acknowledged.
(14:31):
If you still feel frustrated,ask yourself if you want any of
that lost weight back.
If you're one of those folks whogets pissed off because you're
not losing weight fast enough.
One thing.
I always tell my clients and I'mgoing to tell you, well, do you
want those two pounds back?
Yeah.
It's only two pounds, but youknow, your body will take them
(14:51):
back if you want.
And everybody's like, no, no,I'm good.
I'm good.
With the two pounds, I'd ratherhave the two pounds be off than
not.
So acknowledge that consciouslyacknowledge it and say, I'm glad
these two pounds are gone.
I'm going to work to keep themoff.
And I'm going to continue to dothe work to make more progress.
(15:13):
Chances are no matter how littleweight loss is lost.
You'd rather take that thannothing at all.
Right.
Your mindset itself is very,very powerful.
If you are stepping into thisobjective of losing weight with
a pessimistic negative attitude,you are going to find the
(15:33):
process.
To honestly be fucking miserableand harder than it has to be.
You're also putting yourself ina very tenuous position where
you're easily derailed and morelikely to give up because of how
you're stepping into the processand thinking about the whole.
(15:53):
The whole thing, right.
Any endeavor in your life thatyou undertake with dread
resentment and anger is notgoing to be a sustainable
endeavor.
And when it comes to losingweight and keeping it off, we
have got to do something that wecan sustain for the rest of our
(16:18):
lives.
Otherwise that weight that getslost we'll come back on A weight
loss plan that works issomething that you can do
ongoing for the rest of yourlife.
And this is why these liquiddiets, these extreme detox
diets, right?
(16:39):
All this nonsense, none of thatlasts longterm because it is not
a plan that is designed to bedone for the rest of your life.
So a temporary plan is going tolead to temporary results.
That's it.
But if you step into somethingthat you know, needs to change
for forever, with that negativeattitude and that pessimism It's
(17:03):
going to be really hard, if notimpossible for you to stick with
it.
Independent of any othervariable that I'll mention
today, I've noticed that thosewho do the worst, those who.
Lose the least amount of way.
Those who struggled the hardest.
Are more likely to have a veryrigid mindset.
(17:23):
Limited thinking.
And an overall pessimistic andpunitive mindset.
If you step into weight losswith this belief that you're at
war and fighting your body, thatyour body is your enemy, and it
must be corralled andcontrolled.
You're setting yourself up for avery special kind of mental
(17:44):
torture that is completelyunnecessary and ultimately
counter productive to what youwant to achieve.
Individuals who are in thisspace often do much better when
they combine their weight lossefforts with cognitive
behavioral therapy.
Or another therapeutic modalitythat they're amenable to.
(18:08):
I do believe that in thesecircumstances, aside from
greater difficulty adhering toany kind of change, These folks
are also likely unintentionallyinhibiting their progress by
generating a lot of internalstress that can directly impact
their body's ability to loseweight.
(18:28):
The fourth thing is to checkyour lifestyle.
Speaking of stress.
Stress is one of several commonnon caloric inhibitors of weight
loss.
Whether it's coming from poorsleep quality, chronic
dehydration or high amounts ofchronic work or family or life
stress.
These things can hijack theresults you're seeking, even
(18:49):
when your nutrition plan istotally on point.
Lack of sleep itself is astressor on the body.
And this is somethingparticularly in north America
that we.
Minimize much to our detriment.
Sleep is essential recovery andrestoration is mandatory for all
(19:16):
living species.
There is not an animal inexistence that does not sleep.
But just like humans think theydon't need to pay attention to
sunrise and sunset and theydon't need to like, have any
kind of acknowledgement abouttheir existence as a biological,
(19:38):
being on a biological planet.
Just as that is not taken intoconsideration.
When we don't take sleep intoconsideration, we screw
ourselves over hardcore.
Sleep is the time that the bodyhas to repair and regenerate and
recover.
(19:58):
And so when we neglect our sleepor when our sleep is of poor
quality, and we do not addressthis, we end up inhibiting
cellular repair on all levels.
And this leads to increasedinsulin resistance as well as
glucose levels.
Even with as little as one nightof bad sleep.
(20:22):
Higher cortisol levels and lowersex hormones.
This is longterm lower sexhormones, like testosterone.
Sleep deprivation also totallyjacks up our hunger and satiety
hormones, which makes it evenharder to feel full and stave
off hunger during the day.
(20:42):
Hydration is also somethingthat's really easy to overlook,
but quite important.
Water is essential for most, ifnot all of the metabolic
processes that happen in thebody.
Chronic dehydration gums up theworks a little bit.
It's like when your oil getsdirty and it's not efficiently
running through the engine ofyour car smoothly, right.
(21:06):
It's a really crappy analogy,but see, the only thing that
comes to mind.
So being chronically dehydratedcan actually inhibit weight loss
to some degree.
While there's not rigorousresearch on this.
There are associations ofobesity and dehydration that
have been reported in theliterature, in both children, as
(21:28):
well as adults over 50 andexcess weight itself being
overweight or obese likelyincreases your hydration needs.
So you may need more water thanyou think you do.
Having a life that is stressful,whether it is chronic emotional
stress from circumstances inyour life.
(21:49):
Or chronic physical stress fromover exercise or poor sleep
causes multiple hormonedisruptions, making, losing
weight much, much harder formany.
I got started in my career,working in a boutique runners
studio with a running coach.
And I would work with all of thepeople who started running to
(22:12):
lose weight or were training forraces and not losing weight,
even though they had expectedto, or in some cases gaining
weight.
And this is actually more commonthan you may think.
And this is due to someindividuals having a specific
physiological makeup that leadsto weight loss, resistance or
(22:34):
weight gain when they do highamounts of cardiovascular
activity.
And this is likely due tochronically elevated cortisol
levels, which is really stronglylinked to increased insulin
resistance and increasedproduction of glucose by the
liver.
And this is effectively aone-two sucker punch to the
(22:57):
body, right?
You've got the liver generatingmore sugar in the blood, and
then you have reduced abilityfor insulin to get that sugar
into the cell.
That's going to cause someproblems.
Additionally chronic, emotionalor physical stress can disrupt
our thyroid hormones as well asour sex hormones, making it
harder to lose weight.
(23:18):
And chronic stress is alsoassociated with reduced output
of those hormones.
If you are in a stage of lifewhere you're carrying a great
deal of emotional stress.
Or you carry a great deal ofemotional stress and your way of
dealing with it is exercisinglike a maniac.
(23:40):
This may be something to lookmore closely into for yourself.
Getting a thyroid panel doneassessing your sex hormone
status.
Taking a look at your cortisollevels, your insulin levels,
your glucose levels.
This can help you get a clearerpicture on how your body is
(24:03):
coping or not coping with stressor your preferred method of
dealing with stress.
One of the hardest things I haveto do is telling people who are
stressed out and rely onexercise to reduce their stress,
that they have to change the waythey exercise.
(24:24):
Most of these individuals aretype A go getters and they
really mentally thrive on thathigh-intensity exercise to
reduce their physical stressthings like running, cycling.
High intensity intervaltrainings, CrossFit, right?
(24:45):
These super high intensity likehardcore activities.
Feel really good for these typesof people.
However, sometimes that may bethe thing.
That is the obstacle for them.
Just putting that bug in yourear.
If.
This may apply to you.
(25:06):
The last two things that canreally get in the way of weight
loss are a little taboo to talkabout.
But they are important toacknowledge.
There are certain medicalconditions that many of us have
that can make it harder to loseweight.
Aside from insulin resistance,having health challenges, like
(25:28):
PCO S low testosteronehypothyroidism, and those
hormonal fluctuations ofperi-menopause.
Can make weight loss much lessreliable than it used to be.
And this is where working with ahealth practitioner who
understands these conditions canhelp you gain some traction.
(25:49):
If you're a struggling.
Chances are you're not going tolose weight quickly and easily
with those conditions, unlessthey are very, very well-managed
or put into remission.
But there are some steps thatcan be taken.
And if you're working with ahealth practitioner who is
really skilled at bringing someof these conditions into better
(26:12):
balance at mitigating some ofthe negative impacts of having
them.
You may find that weight lossgoes from not happening at all.
To beginning to happen in alittle bit more tolerable, uh,
pace.
And then finally medicationsthemselves.
Multiple commonly prescribedmedications are classified as
(26:38):
obesogenic, which means theypromote weight gain.
Anticonvulsants antidepressantsanti-anxiety meds.
Anti-histamines anti-psychoticsbeta blockers, hormonal
contraception.
And even some diabetesmedications, such as insulin can
(26:59):
promote weight gain and make itharder to lose weight.
Now, not every single medicationin those classes, I just
mentioned are obesogenic.
But if you are taking a class ofdrug that I just spoke to and
you are struggling with yourweight, it is worthwhile to have
(27:20):
a conversation with your doctorto see if the medications that
you're taking are contributingto your weight loss struggles
and if a viable alternativemight be possible.
In some cases it can be.
And in some cases, particularlywith things like mood
stabilizing medication, You maynot want to rock the boat if it
(27:43):
took you awhile to get to aplace where you're feeling
really good about where you'reat.
So this is an importantconversation to have with a
practitioner that knows you thatyou have good rapport with if at
all possible.
If like many of us you're kindof in between physicians or.
You've lost your regular personthat you talk to don't neglect
(28:05):
to get this addressed anyway,and it is worth making an
appointment with a physician ora psychiatrist to have this
discussion.
There was a research study ofover 600 veterans that showed
those who are taking at leastone of the medications I
mentioned while participating ina supervised weight loss program
(28:27):
we're 37% less likely to haveany meaningful progress during
an eight week weight losscourse.
And those who are taking threeor more, within those classes of
medications had the leastsuccess overall.
When compared to those who wereenrolled in the program, not
taking any medications.
(28:50):
So these can actually have apretty profound impact on your
success.
And if you've been beatingyourself up, because you're
doing all the right things andnothing's working in, you're
pulling your hair out.
Maybe.
It's not your fault.
Again, a worthwhile conversationto have with your physician.
(29:13):
So the big takeaways fromtoday's episode is that if
you're not getting the results,you're looking for, you first
want to do what you were told todo in school.
Go back to the drawing board andcheck your work.
Make sure you're eating as youthink you ought to be.
As this is really easy tooverlook and a simple solution.
(29:37):
If it's the cause of yourlackluster results.
If you find that you areconsuming enough calories,
you're kind of in the sweetzone.
Dig deeper and assess yournutrient status check for
malabsorption or malnourishmentas that may be inhibiting your
weight loss and then beyond whatyou're eating, it's really
(29:58):
important to take a look at youroverall lifestyle and do what
you can to reduce chronicstress.
Ensure good sleep and stay wellhydrated.
These factors can support weightloss.
Even if you need to stay on anobesogenic medication.
Or if you have a chronic diseasethat impacts your ability to
(30:20):
lose weight.
And then finally for the love ofGod, be patient with the
process.
I know by time you are evenready to start taking a look at
losing weight.
You want it to be goneyesterday.
But it is very, very much aprocess that rarely comes as
(30:41):
quickly as we want it to.
Hey, if today's episode has beenhelpful to you, please share it
with a friend.
You can also leave a writtenreview on iTunes and rate the
podcast in Spotify or iTunes tohelp more listeners, just like
you find this little sweet spotof sassy, sunshine to add to
(31:04):
their podcast queue.
And for those of you who havealready rated and reviewed
Blasphemous nutrition, thank youso much.
It makes such a difference andit is one of the easiest ways
you can let me know that this isworth all of the effort I put
into each episode.
(31:24):
I appreciate you so, so much.
Until next time, my Blasphemousbuddies, this is Aimee and I am
out of here.
Any and all information sharedhere is for educational and
entertainment purposes only andis not to be misconstrued as
offering medical advice.
Listening to this podcast doesnot constitute a provider client
(31:46):
relationship.
Note, I'm not a doctor nor anurse, and it is imperative that
you utilize your brain and yourmedical team to make the best
decisions for your own health.
The use of information on thispodcast or materials linked to
this podcast are at the user'sown risk.
No information nor resourcesprovided are intended to be a
(32:07):
substitute for professionalmedical advice, diagnosis, or
treatment.
Be a smart human and do notdisregard or postpone obtaining
medical advice for any medicalcondition you may have.
Seek the assistance of yourhealthcare team for any such
conditions and always do sobefore making any changes to
your medical, nutrition, orhealth plan.
(32:33):
If you have found some Nuggetsof Wisdom, make sure to
subscribe, rate, and shareBlasphemous Nutrition with those
you care about.
As you navigate the labyrinth ofhealth advice out there,
remember, health is a journey,not a dietary dictatorship.
Stay skeptical, stay daring, andchallenge the norms that no
(32:54):
longer serve you.
If you've got burning questionsor want to share your own flavor
of rebellion, slide into my DMs.
Your stories fuel me, and I lovehearing them.
Thanks again for tuning in toBlasphemous Nutrition.
Until next time, this is Amysigning off, reminding you that
truth is nuanced, and any dishcan be made better with a little
(33:16):
bit of sass.
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