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November 2016

Losing Weight vs. the Hormone Issue

How many times have we heard obese women say that they can’t lose weight because they have a “hormone problem”?  I’m not talking about women who are a few pounds overweight.  I’m talking BIG.

Fact:  There is nothing in this world that can prevent you from losing weight, except for your own mind.  I know this sounds harsh but their excuses are cop-outs because they don’t want to admit that they have a psychological problem.

Certainly, you can have hormone deficiencies that can CONTRIBUTE to weight loss challenges, such as hypothyroidism and increased estrogen (both are easy fixes).  But then you have the brain issue.  Here are some firsthand examples:

  • A 25-year-old gal who was morbidly obese — After her first pregnancy, she went on Weight Watchers and I actually saw her losing weight! It was exciting!  Then she got pregnant with her second child and it all went out the window.  That second child is now 9 years old and his mom is heavier than ever.  We’d do an occasional fast food thing at the mall and she’d eat french fries, hot dogs, and Mexican food loaded with cheese and carbs.
  • A 50-something gal who was also obese – I watched in horror as she shoveled in the M&Ms; at the same time saying, “I just don’t understand why I can’t lose weight.”

These women have eating disorders; pure and simple.  They desperately need professional counseling as well as working with a professional nutrition therapist to drop the bad habits and relearn how to eat.

I just can’t tell you how sad it is to witness this.  So PLEASE…..if you are like these women, PLEASE admit that you need help.  At this point, since it has been going on for so long, you will not be able to do it on your own.

Same goes for women who undergo gastric bypass surgery.  What they’ve done is recognize the problem – first step – but instead of going to first base (discovering the root cause), they jump to third base and have a major surgery loaded with severe side effects, and possibly death.  I know three women who have done this.  Each one loses some weight initially, but then they go back to their bad eating patterns, stretch out their stomachs, and regain the weight.  Thousands of dollars down the toilet, as well as lingering digestive disorders.

So what happens if you do nothing?  Here it is, pretty much in this order:

  1. Cholecystitis, and removal of gallbladder…..now you have to take medication your entire life because you lack the bile necessary to break down food.
  2. Pain in the knees……your knees are not designed to carry excessive weight every single day, and eventually they will give out; leading to full knee replacements.
  3. Heart disease……your heart can only manage so much stress (excess weight is very stressful to the body)…..after a while it will start to get tired and then you go into congestive heart failure; leading to lifelong use of diuretics and eventually end-stage kidney disease.

But going back to the sad part:  You can tell these women about all of the stuff that will lead to an early death, but they usually won’t hear it……because they need psychological counseling…..nutrition therapy.  So ladies…..your family and friends love and care about you.  PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE admit you have a problem and seek help.