THE REASONS WHY HEALTHY WOMEN CAN'T LOSE WEIGHT!

The Reasons Why Healthy Women Can't Lose Weight! Article by 
Syeda Kiran Zahra Hussain, Certified Holistic Nutrition Therapist, SNHS , International College of Holistic Medicine, UK.Certified Health Coach, Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN),US.

Women who are “healthy” but are still carrying those last 5 to 10 pounds: this article is for you. These are the top areas women tend to neglect, even when they think they are being healthy. In contrast to the quick-fix methods and gimmicky present out there, this post will help you examine the root cause of your weight problems.

1. You have a progesterone to estrogen imbalance.

Many women especially of child bearing age have an estrogen dominance problem. If you are exercising daily, it’s very likely that you will use up your progesterone, and your estrogen will dominate. Other causes of estrogen dominance may include environmental factors like furniture, carpet, soaps, meat, car exhaust, industrial waste products, plastics and pesticides.

Environmental avoidance of xenoestrogens, taking supplements and more importantly your diet can decrease estrogen dominance and can bolster your progesterone. There are numbers of detailed articles, websites and books I have found helpful and I’m glad to share with those who want more information.

2. You're not getting enough vitamin D.

Possibly because of our use of sunscreen, and awareness of skin cancer, our vitamin D levels are lower than they were decades ago. Vitamin D works as a hormone in our bodies, and its deficiency is associated with food allergies, fatigue, weight gain, asthma, other allergies and even cancer. Vitamin D can be checked by your health provider, and in case of deficiency there are number of vitamin D supplements available in the market to help you out.

3. You have high cortisol.

High levels of cortisol (our stress hormone ) is another dominant reason because of which we tend to keep on weight on our abdominal area. Stressful lifestyle is the primary reason of high cortisol levels which works against your goal of having a lean body.

If you feel like you require to be on caffeine drip at all times, it means you are having too many highs and lows with stress hormone cortisol as a big culprit. Cortisol is linked with weight gain, cravings for sugar and increased appetite. You need to calm down and unwind every single day from whatever that shuts off your hypervigilence---even if it’s for 10 minutes per day.

4. You're eating processed "healthy."

Sugar, GMOs and excess sodium are all hidden ingredients which causes inflammation and excess weight gain. Just because it’s available in the health store and is “low fat” or “natural” and “gluten free”, DOES NOT means it’s good for you. It takes long to get over this, as packaging with the terms such as “healthy” and “natural” are very enticing.

5. You're eating too much fat.

High fat diets such as “Paleo” works for some people, but many women don’t do that well with them. Fat added to green is okay but be very careful to not to go overboard with it.

6. You're skimping on quality sleep.

This remains true and tested. Your hormones require it. Your brain and your muscles need it for repair. The two hormones that are necessary in relationship between weight loss and sleep are leptin and ghrelin. Very simply put, leptin tells us when you are sleep deprived and when you should stop eating. While ghrelin on the other hand is the hormone that tells us when to eat and when you are sleep deprived, you have more ghrelin.

Also if you are having jet lag or sleep disturbances, try having magnesium and melatonin supplements to get back on the right track.

7. You're not eating your cruciferous vegetables.

Cruciferous vegetables from the vegetable family Brassicaceae include broccoli, bok choy, cauliflower, kale, cabbage and other similar green veggies. They not only are good for you because of the high fiber content that keeps you full, but also these are good for estrogen metabolism through a compound called indole-3-carbinol (I3C). It the natural source of DIM (3, 3-Diindolylmethane) that aids to promote estrogen balance. This is the easiest, cheapest way to get your weight and your hormones in balance.

Stay healthy!