5 Reasons You Can’t Lose Weight

Weight is something I struggled with for most of my life. I grew up wrestling in middle and high school, and watching your weight was a big deal. I worked hard to get the weight off but could never get as lean as the other guys. I always thought it was bad genes because I was doing all the right things. I’m willing to bet that a lot of you feel like I used to.

Now, I am happy to report that I am at my ideal body weight and getting leaner. What made the difference? Let me tell you… 

1. Eat Real Food 

Truth be told, most of what people are eating today isn’t real food. It’s fake food engineered by chemists to look, smell, and taste like food, but it isn’t real food. It’s FRAKEN-FOOD, and your body doesn’t know how to process genetically modified food and chemicals.

For example, guess what the following food item is based on its ingredients: 

Amyl acetate, amyl butyrate, amyl valerate, anethol, anisyl formate, benzyl acetate, benzyl isobutyrate, butyric acid, cinnamyl isobutyrate, cinnamyl valerate, cognac essential oil, diacetyl, dipropyl ketone,  ethyl acetate, ethyl amylketone, ethyl butyrate, ethyl cinnamate, ethyl heptanoate, ethyl heptylate, ethyl lactate, ethyl methylphenylglycidate, ethyl nitrate, ethyl propionate ethyl valerate, heliotropin, hydroxyphrenyl-2-butanone (10% solution in alcohol), ionone, isobuyly anthranilate, isobutyl butyrate, lemon essential oil, maltol, 4-methylacetophenone, methyl anthranilate, methyl benzoate, methyl cinnamate, methyl heptine carbonate, methyl naphthyl ketone, methyl salicylate, mint essential oil, neroli essential oil, nerolin, neryl isobutyrate, orris butter, phenothyl alcohol, rose, rum ether, undecalactone, vanillin, and solvent.

Those are the ingredients of a strawberry milkshake from a very popular fast food restaurant. There is no food in there!

Your body wants to get chemicals like these as far away from vital organs as possible. So, where would that be? FAT CELLS to keep you safe with the hope of eliminating those toxins later. For most people this never happens because their lifestyle never changes. This is one of the primary causes of weightloss resistance. You have to stop filling your body with fake chemicals so that it can begin the process of eliminating stored toxins from the fat cells. 

Here are the 6 essentials of real food that fake food doesn’t contain:

• 22 Amino Acids
• Antioxidants
• Fatty Acids
• Live Enzymes
• Vitamins
• Minerals 

Without these essential food elements, your body won’t be able to burn fat for energy, and tissues and organs won’t be able to do their job leading to disease over time.

So, the golden rule of nutrition is this: If it’s not natural, DON’T EAT IT!!!

2. Sleep

Your body does the majority of its healing while you sleep. All systems shut or slow down except for the Central Nervous System. The nervous system speeds up and goes to work healing your entire body. So, if you aren’t getting enough sleep, then your body won’t be able to restore the hormones used throughout that day. Less hormones equals less weightloss.  The most sleep deprived you are, the higher your stress hormone cortisol will be. The higher your cortisol, the greater your appetite. 

Catching those zzz’s can help contribute to weight loss in the following ways: 

• Stop late night snacking.
• Burn more calories.
• Boost fat loss.
• Choose healthier foods.
• Help with portion control.

In the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, one study found that when people were starved of sleep, late-night snacking increased, and they were more likely to choose high-carb snacks. A larger study found that those who only spent four hours in bed for five consecutive nights gained almost two pounds more than those who were in bed for 10 hours over the course of a week. Another study also found that sleeping too little prompts people to eat bigger portions of all foods, increasing weight gain. In a review of 18 studies, researchers found that a lack of sleep led to increased cravings for energy-dense, high-carbohydrate foods.

For women, here are a few take aways to think about the next time you lie awake in bed at night: 

• Women who sleep 5 hours or less weigh more than women who sleep 7 or more hours.
• Women who sleep only 5 hours per night are 32% more likely to experience weight gain of 33 pounds or more.
• Women who sleep only 5 hours per night are 15% more likely to become obese than those who sleep 7 hours.
• Women who sleep 6 hours a night are 12% more likely to gain 33 pounds or more.
• Women who sleep 6 hours a night are 6% more likely to become obese than those who sleep 7 hours.

The bottom line is, you need to be getting enough sleep, at least 6 to 8 hours per night. 

3. Health Up Your Gut

Dysbiosis, or “Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth” occurs when there is an overgrowth of bad bacteria in your gut causing frequent gas or bloating, cramping, urgency and a slew of other symptoms.  This happens most commonly from over using antibiotics which can increase your chances for auto-immune diseases, so only use antibiotics when absolutely necessary. 

Another culprit could be a leaky gut. The most common causes of leaky gut are:

• Heavy Metals
• Mold
• GMO’s
• Antibiotics
• NSAIDS
• Parasites
• Viruses

Leaky gut is a far more complicated issue, and I recommend finding a practitioner familiar with its causes and treatments. If you would like help with this issue contact, email us at info@alignme.com. 

4. Vitamin D3

Vitamin D is the most important vitamin you should be taking. It acts more like a hormone in the body than a vitamin. Most people are vitamin D deficient because we aren’t in the sun much anymore, especially in the winter time. You may want to begin taking supplements with Vitamin D3. (IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not take Vitamin D2 which is what most physicians will write you a prescription for. Most of these have synthetic chemicals and added sweeteners.) 

5. Resistance Training

Oxygen is one of the most essential elements that you need for survival. If you have low levels of oxygen, your body will accumulate toxins, develop disease and possibly cause early cell death. Exercise optimizes your oxygen intake and helps your body to produce lean muscle tissue which is where fat is burned for energy. You want increase the amount lean muscle mass to increase the amount of fat being burned. The best way to do this is through High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). This type of workout can dramatically increase the amount of Human Growth Hormone and Testosterone turning your body into a muscle-building, fat-burning machine.