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Taking Charge of Your Weight Loss

One of the most sought-after goals in life is weight loss. Some people want to lose weight so they can be healthier and live longer. Some people want to lose weight so they fit in better with their peers. The importance of being a specific pants size is a significant affirmation in today’s skinny jeans culture. Regardless of the reason, cultural and self-identity is tied heavily into maintaining an ideal weight. It’s no wonder that millions of people turn to workouts and diets to improve their waistline.

Different goals result in different approaches to weight loss. That’s why so many diets and exercises exist. In fact, supplement and vitamin stores carry entire product lines devoted just to weight loss. They’re in the grocery stores now too. However, there are times when despite best intentions, weight loss is practically an unattainable goal. To help you learn more, we’ve worked to provide you with some helpful insight about options for weight loss management.

 Weight Loss And Dietary Lifestyle

Roadblocks to Your Weight Loss

For some people, there are medical conditions that affect their ability to lose weight. These conditions can be life-threatening or benign. Regardless, they still hinder weight loss. For a medical condition to hinder weight loss there has to be a problem within the body’s internal systems. These problems fall under the following categories:

Hormones

Your hormones are responsible for regulating the functions of your body. Certain conditions inhibit proper function, which causes weight loss to be difficult if not impossible. One common condition is Hypothyroidism. This condition occurs when a person’s thyroid is underperforming. An underperforming thyroid results in less fat being burned than the body should be able to burn. Other conditions associated with your hormones include:

  • Adrenal fatigue: A condition in which cortisol levels rise and the adrenal gland is too fatigued to properly regulate the body’s hormones.
  • Heightened Estrogen: In both women and men, this hormonal imbalance can cause weight gain.
  • Lowered Testosterone: Testosterone is a key hormone that supports lean muscle mass and weight loss. When testosterone levels are too low, weight loss becomes harder to maintain and can cause weight gain.

Blood Sugar

Unstable blood sugar levels will wreak havoc within your body. A precursor to diabetes is when the body becomes insulin resistant. When this occurs, insulin is unable to be processed properly and inhibits glucose function contributing to weight gain. If left unchecked, it can develop into Diabetes. Diabetes is a disease that causes the body’s ability to produce or respond to insulin. Abnormal metabolism of carbohydrates and elevated levels of glucose in the blood and urine are hallmarks of this disease. Another condition is hypoglycemia, which is when the body suffers from low blood sugar. This can happen with or without diabetes as a concern. One of the symptoms is increased hunger, which if left unchecked, contributes to weight gain.

Allergies

Most people are familiar with life-threatening food allergies. However, most people are unaware that food allergies can actually affect your weight loss efforts. Allergies cause inflammation within the body regardless of severity. That’s why many people have a hard time losing weight despite their best efforts. When the digestive system is inflamed, the nutrients and minerals can’t be absorbed like they should be, which inhibits weight loss. Identifying which foods you have a sensitivity to can help you to lose weight. A provider can help you with food allergy and food sensitivity tests so you can get on track.

Leaky Gut

Many providers hesitate to classify this as an actual condition, but it’s tied to the allergy issue mentioned above. Inflammation may cause the body to not process foods as it should, but the food still has to go somewhere. What leaky gut really means is that there is a digestive disorder like Celiac or Crohn’s disease to name a couple, that affects your ability to lose weight. With any potential medical condition, the best thing to do is to work with a provider who specializes in weight loss. Self-medication is an ineffective and potentially dangerous approach. The experienced provider will not only be able to rule out problems like sleep apnea (a condition that disturbs your sleep and can inhibit weight loss), but also correctly diagnose the real issue and prescribe the appropriate treatment.

When Aging gets in the Way

In addition to medical reasons, weight loss can be difficult due to the aging process. Starting as early in their 30’s a person will find themselves naturally losing lean muscle mass. In addition, organs and other body tissues can lose cells. This process is referred to as atrophy. While the muscle mass is dwindling, the fat stores are rising. Most people suffer from this natural weight gain into their 50’s and 60’s. Barring any health problems, most providers recommend the following to address the physical problems of aging:

  • Exercise
  • Healthy diet
  • Limiting alcohol intake
  • Avoid smoking and other illicit drugs

Following these recommendations will help as general guidelines among the population. However, everyone is different, and weight loss management can offer greater results when customized to the individual That’s why working with an expert weight loss practitioner is the most important thing you can do in your weight loss efforts. An expert weight loss practitioner will be able to work with you to identify exactly what exercises, diets, and lifestyle changes are most needed based on your body’s specific blueprint, including your metabolic panels, genetics, activity level, and even your DNA.

Weight Loss And Dietary NutritionTreatments

Medicinal Solutions

Fortunately, there are medicinal solutions available for people who qualify and need medicinal help. These solutions depend highly on your diagnosis, which you’ll need to get from a provider. We’ve compiled a list of standard solutions for you to begin the discussion:

  • Suppressants: Available by a licensed provider, this is usually only done for patients with a BMI over 30. In addition, patients will be expected to be on a diet and exercise program.
  • Hormone replacement therapy: Patients with hormonal imbalances that cannot be fixed through normal means benefit greatly from this method.
  • IV Nutrient Therapy: This method infuses nutrients directly into the bloodstream. Especially for patients who are getting older, this is designed to boost metabolism and burn calories easier.
  • Lipotropic Injections: These injections help to release fat throughout the body by targeting the body’s fatty deposits.
  • Vitamins Injections: These injections are designed to directly inject B vitamins, which are purported to increase energy levels and improve metabolism.

Keep in mind that your provider will know exactly what medical solutions will be needed and make sure that it’s customized to your needs and goals.

Dieting your way to Weight Loss

When the topic of weight loss comes up, it is inevitably accompanied by the topic of diets. This is for good reason. Unless you have an overactive metabolism, weight loss is impossible without proper nutrition. However, there are different diets that have different principles and goals behind them, as well as different safety levels. We’ve highlighted three current popular diets  for your review:

  • Keto Diet: A low-carb high-fat diet designed to turn your body from a carb-burning machine into a fat-burning machine. This diet has the potential to be beneficial for patients with diabetes as blood sugar control is improved, due to the lack of carb spikes that happen in a traditional diet.
  • Paleo Diet: This diet is focused on low-glycemic whole foods. The premise behind this diet is that modern ills can be addressed by eating natural instead of processed foods. Think lean meat, fruits, vegetables, and other similar foods.

With any diet, consistency is most important. Most diets fail because people stop too soon. Another concern is a person’s actual health. Everyone has different genetics, environment, and activity levels. Consult with a provider who is an expert in weight loss management to ensure a proper diet that works and is healthy for you.

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Balance is the key for Women

Because women and men are made up differently, what works for one won’t necessarily work for the other. Women tend to be smaller, carry more fat, and have less muscle than their male counterparts. In fact, women are designed to hold onto fat more than men are. However, a good diet and exercise program will address most weight loss goals. But there are issues specific to women which cause additional problems. The biggest issues women face occurs within their hormonal balance. Every woman experiences major hormonal changes throughout different stages of their life. Some circumstances where hormonal imbalances occur in women include:

  • Menstrual cycle
  • Giving birth
  • Birth control
  • Peri-menopausal
  • Menopause
  • Post-menopausal

Hormonal level imbalances are a natural result when women experience any of these conditions. However, the imbalance can sometimes go below or above normal functional levels. Working with your provider to treat and manage hormonal imbalances can ensure that your weight loss efforts won’t be impeded.

Maintenance is the key for Men

In general, males are larger, have more muscle, and carry less fat than their female counterparts. This helps men have an easier time with weight loss at first. However, as men get older their natural advantage diminishes. Testosterone production, which is responsible for those aforementioned advantages, starts to diminish in their 30’s. This is natural and to be expected. Men experience the greatest success when they maintain optimal testosterone levels for their age while sticking to a proper diet and exercise program. Sometimes the decrease in testosterone is severe and assistance is needed. Working with a provider will help men determine if their weight loss problems are due to lowered testosterone or if there is another issue behind the cause.

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Taking it to Another Level

The field of medicine has seen many advances with weight loss. Some of you may want to explore additional options with your provider to maximize your weight loss efforts. One option quickly growing in popularity is the idea of DNA testing. The theory behind DNA testing is that by studying a person’s individual genetics, the key to weight loss can be leveraged by essentially mapping out a blueprint of a person’s body. Because everyone has a unique set of genetics, food sensitivities, and predispositions, a DNA test is important to understanding your full potential. With the blueprint of your body and the expertise of your provider, you can customize specific workouts and diets to maximize your body’s potential. In addition to the potential weight loss benefits, DNA testing can help a person identify any predisposed health issues. When it comes to your body, to be forewarned is to be forearmed.

Getting Started with Weight Loss and Dietary Nutrition

Though you are now armed with the information in this article, navigating your weight loss process can still be a complicated journey. The best way to achieve healthy weight loss is by working with an expert who is educated, licensed and experienced in weight loss and nutrition. Finding an expert is as simple as visiting our online community. With AgeEnvy, valuable information detailing treatments and diets to manage your weight loss is at your fingertips. Managing your weight loss in an effective and healthy way can lead to an optimally functioning you for now and the future. That’s why our mission is to give consumers control over their health by getting them connected with verified providers and experts focused on weight loss management.