Written by Tasha Stevens, Integrative Clinical Nutritionist, B.S., NASM CPT, STOTT Pilates Instructor, Founder Happy Hormone Health
Tasha photo by Jessica Feely
Lead photo by Jacob Lund - stock.adobe.com
PART FOUR of a six-part series uncovering the root causes of conditions affecting women’s health, and learning how to manage them through lifestyle.
When I was 23, I gained 30 pounds even though I was doing it all “right.” I ate clean, worked out five times a week, and took all the supplements. I tried every diet under the sun. Nothing was working.
“Well, it’s normal for women’s metabolism to slow as they age,” he said. In less than 10 minutes flat, the doctor I spoke with at the time squashed all hopes that I ever might feel confident or comfortable in my body again. I am not the first woman to hear this, but I do hope that I am one of the last. Because this statement is not the whole truth.
Your metabolism is stalled because your hormones are disrupted and your body is stressed out.
Every aspect of the metabolism is regulated by hormones. So, when it comes to fat loss, if your hormones are out of balance, losing weight will be a challenge.
Until you balance your hormones and manage your stress, you will continue to struggle with stubborn weight and belly fat, mood, sleep, energy, and a host of other frustrating symptoms.
Calories In, Calories Out Does Not Equal Weight Loss
Diets do not account for your hormone cycle and hormonal fluctuations. They intentionally restrict and deprive your body of what it needs to function to sustain optimal hormone production which inevitably leads to increased stress and disruption that perpetuates weight gain.
Your body’s primary goal is to keep you alive and safe. And it really only needs two things to do this— food and water. So, if you think about it, when you deprive yourself of one of these, your body will feel threatened and sound the internal alarm. I call this the “Famine Response.”
In this state, contrary to all the diet culture marketing, your body does not become more effective at burning fat. It actually becomes more effective at energy and fat conservation. Your sympathetic nervous system, or “fight or flight” state, is activated to release cortisol (aka your stress hormone). Cortisol puts a biological halt on all non-essential functions like hormone production, fat loss, and lean mass production. As a result, you become stuck in a conservatory state where inflammation increases (think face swelling and bloating) and energy is conserved in fat cells (rapid weight gain, belly fat, resistant weight loss). This high level of stress then adds severe blood sugar dysregulation and insulin dysfunction that can trigger low energy, midday crashes, and insane sugar and salt cravings.
Your body will not leave this state until it feels safe.
“So yes, you are reading this correctly: The “secret” to getting more results, more inches lost, more fat burn… is eating more food."
The Big Secret
The ticket to a fast metabolism at any stage of your life is to nourish your body. Nutrition is the science to nourish your body to sustain life. When you are strategic about giving your body the essential nutrients and enough energy to feel safe to thrive, then your body will easily (and happily) support you in accomplishing your goals.
So yes, you are reading this correctly: The “secret” to getting more results, more inches lost, more fat burn… is eating more food.
But how do you do this without compromising your goals? By strategically moving through a Cyclical Reverse Diet. In this process, you focus on rebuilding metabolic function and reducing stress by gradually increasing the amount of food you eat and adapting both the amount and type to support your changing hormone levels.
Put It Into Practice
Here is how you can take action to help yourself when it comes to calories and weight loss.
Step 1:
Track your current dietary intake over the course of a week. Your current intake level is considered your Current Metabolic Threshold (CMT). Factor in how your energy is consumed and the distribution of your fat, carbs and protein. Most importantly, take note if you are stuck in a weight gain pattern or resistance to fat loss. This can indicate the level of perceived stress and threat in the body.
Step 2:
Calculate your Optimal Metabolic Function (OMF). This is an estimated intake level based on your age, weight, height, and activity levels. While this calculation is not perfect (as it often fails to factor in lean mass influences) it can give an idea of how far off the mark you are. A prolonged deficit of more than 500 calories typically leads to high stress and metabolic disruption.
Step 3: p 2:
Cycle-Synced Metabolic Progressions. Once you know the gap between your OMF and CMT, you need to gradually increase your nutrient intake to rebuild function and make sure it supports your metabolic fluctuations across your hormone cycle:
> During your Follicular and Ovulatory Phases metabolic demand is lower and fat burning capabilities are higher. Meaning that your total energy needs are lower (calorie consumption) but your body’s ability to burn fat is higher. Focus on a moderate increase of overall energy and having higher protein and carbohydrate percentages with lower total fat intake.
> During your Luteal Phase and Menstrual Phases, metabolic demand is higher, stress resiliency is lower, and fat burning capabilities are lower. Meaning that your body has an increased demand for energy (calorie consumption) but is resistant to weight loss efforts. Focus on a larger increase in total energy consumption with a majority of that increase coming from protein and fat. Insulin function is lower during these phases, so it is important to prioritize complex carbohydrates that are high in fiber to stabilize blood sugar.
