Weight loss and improved energy seem to be atop the list of almost all health history questionnaires we see. And why not? We all want to look and feel our best. According to Boston Medical, an estimated 45 million Americans go on a diet each year, and Americans spend $33 billion each year on weight loss products. Yet nearly two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese.

For almost all, calorie counting programs like Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig are largely unsuccessful. In fact, about 95% of people who try these programs gain back any weight they’ve lost and over 75% of those gain additional weight on top of that. These programs also tend to fall short when it comes to addressing the fatigue component.

Much like the traditional western medical approach, the focus of these programs is primarily on symptom suppression or management. While there is certainly a place for this strategy, there are some major pitfalls, especially when it comes to chronic health challenges. And for most, weight is a chronic problem.

In life, whatever we focus on tends to expand. When we focus only on what we don’t want, we tend to get more of it. In the wellness paradigm, rather than treating symptoms, we focus on building health. When it comes to weight, we focus on building health. Healthy weight is merely a byproduct of a healthy body.

There are 5 primary areas we can focus on to achieve and maintain a healthy weight and good health in general. These areas include diet, physical fitness, stress management, detoxification, and glandular function.

Eating a lot of sugars and processed carbohydrates makes it hard to maintain a healthy weight. Instead of dieting, we must learn to eat well as a normal habit. Otherwise, we’ll ride the seesaw of weight fluctuation. Figuring out how to eat properly can be a challenge, so seeking the help of a qualified practitioner can flatten the learning curve.

Sitting is like the new smoking, and in this this post-covid era we are more sedentary than ever. In my experience an active lifestyle can help stave off disease. And muscle burns fat, so working in some resistance training can help keep a healthy tone. Those with glandular issues (most people) need to be sure not to overdo the cardio. Beating up an already tired thyroid only slows the metabolism more.

In survival mode, the body holds extra weight. Chronic stress, the great exacerbator brings on and worsens other diseases. High levels of the stress hormone cortisol interrupt the conversion of the inactive thyroid hormone T4 to the active hormone T3. T3 is the hormone that runs our metabolism.

Environmental toxins from chemicals dumped into the rivers and incinerated into the air, pesticides  sprayed on our foods, golf courses and soccer fields, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, EMF radiation, etc… I think you get the point. Toxins can interrupt hormones and cause tissue destruction. When the body cannot detoxify efficiently, it will store chemicals in the fat. Diet drinks with artificial sweeteners can make it even more difficult to lose weight.

Hormones are the body’s chemicals that orchestrate bodily functions including metabolism, our ability to sleep, or be awake, to digest food, our mood, our energy, our weight; literally everything is dependent on hormones. When our hormones are out of balance, our bodies just don’t work right. What causes our hormones to be out of balance? Stress, toxicity, and malnutrition.

Obviously, there is much more depth to each of these areas than could be covered in this brief introduction. All five areas are interconnected, and all influence each other. The most effective strategy we can have to achieve a healthy weight, and good health in general is to give attention to each area. When this holistic, or wellness approach is applied, it will have a positive impact on all aspects of health, not just weight.

A proactive approach is simply applying the same principles regardless of our weight; regardless of whatever symptoms we may or may not have. In other words – just because it makes sense.

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