Inflammation & Weight Loss
"Being fat is being inflamed. Period." sayd Dr. Mark Hyman, Functional Medicine Doctor and so much more. When I heard that my jaw dropped. It was such an uncomfortable thing to hear, and yet it made so much sense to me.
In hindsight, I've been seeking the root cause of my thyroid issues and my weight for over two decades. I’ve been considered ‘heavy’ my entire life when compared to the BMI chart and many of my peers. Through blood work I have tested positive for both Graves Disease anti-bodies and Hashimoto's anti-bodies. I have learned that when under life changing type stress I typically swing high with my thryoid, and then crash. This body response to stress occurred for many years and I had no idea. The only indication was unexplained weight loss and then unexplained weight gain. The pursuit of an answer has led me through an amazing and daunting health journey. I've given up. I've given in. And I've tried again and again. I stumbled into the beginning of answers in 2020. Understanding inflammation has brought surprise after surprise as well as deep rooted healing from the inside out.
What is inflammation?
There are 2 kinds of inflammation. Acute inflammation hits and goes away pretty quickly. Think of bruising your leg and the pain as the event happens, and then the healing process as the inflammation recedes and your leg heals. Chronic inflammation remains even after the trigger of the inflammation is gone. It can last days, months or years. This chronic inflammation can come from foods we eat, they way we think, life’s traumas and even a stressful job.
Inflammation is technically a process by which your body's white blood cells and the things they make protect you from infection from outside invaders, such as bacteria and viruses.
In some auto-immune diseases, like arthritis, your body's defense system, your immune system, triggers inflammation when there are no invaders to fight off. In these auto-immune diseases, your immune system acts as if regular tissues are infected or somehow unusual, causing damage. (Web MD)
What are some common causes of inflammation?
Sugar in the diet
High doses of rancid oils and fats
Processed food
Hidden allergens (food allergies from leaky gut)
Lack of exercise
High and chronic stress
Impacts of inflammation
Ever start a diet and lose 5 or so pounds? Then you think, or someone says, "Oh, that's just water weight..." Well, they are right. It is. But why is your body retaining fluid? Maybe your fingers swell with a glass of wine (mine do), or your lower legs swell sometimes? The body retains water when it is in a state of inflammation.
The way we ingest oils can have a serious impact on inflammation levels as well. Have you been sautéing your meats and veggies with olive oil? It's full of anti-inflammatory properties, right? Yes, it is, but when it is heated to a certain temperature, it becomes rancid and a major inflammation trigger in our gut. The type of oil you are using is also important if you desire anti-inflammatory properties. When it comes to fast food, the oils being used are heated to very high temperatures and they are often reused too often, and are probably not good for us to begin with in the first place.
When our body becomes systemically inflamed it is often due to the condition of our gut. If the microbiome is out of balance and your ‘bad’ gut flora is flourishing while your ‘good guys’ are starving, inflammation is born and becomes an aspect of life we feel and cannot ignore though we often do not understand what is happening.
Allergies, auto-immune issues, fatigue, headaches, hormone issues, high blood pressure, reflux, colitis, and IBS are all inflammatory conditions. In fact, 72% of all disease begins with inflammation. In oversimplified terms, the body became inflamed and began attacking itself. The science that is bringing light to the role of the gut in our immune systems, our mental state and more is fascinating and it is connecting so many dots. We will have to visit the topic of Leaky Gut and how it happens, but ultimately, a leaky gut is an inflamed gut.
In 2008 there was a study in the UK that established inflammation and weight go hand in hand. They followed a group of people and as they gained weight, they measured for the C Reactive Protein in the blood of the participants. This C Reactive protein measures the level of inflammation in our blood. As weight gain increased, so did the C Reactive protein measuring inflammation in the body. It doesn't tell you where the inflammation lies, but if that number is high, it means you are dealing with more than average inflammation. Dare I say, chronic inflammation.
When I tested high for this C Reactive protein, my doctor was so confused as to how I could have so much inflammation and thyroid levels almost right in range. I was working so hard to heal my thyroid with food and lifestyle. My thyroid levels were in range, but they were not optimal. This is true for many people. They can even get their numbers into an optimal setting for their body to feel better, but the chronic inflammation, the root cause of the issue, goes untreated. This is why thyroid medication doesn’t help us lose weight. The body remains inflamed and the metabolic process is not working efficiently due to the inflammation.
A healthy lifestyle with cardio and clean eating helped my thyroid function as well as possible but I could not lose weight. Each year I’d gain another solid 5-10 lbs that would not budge from my waistline. Even after almost a year on Synthroid, I didn't see improved weight loss. I was tired most of the time. For years I had to 'warm up' my ankles when I got out of bed due to unbelievable joint and leg pain. This pain began in my 30's. My feet and lower legs just hurt like the dickens until they stretched a bit, and ‘warmed up’. In hindsight I see ALL of these issues as inflammation related. The list goes on too. Annual sinus infections, there was that bone tumor at age 30...stunning moodiness throughout my life.
What can we do?
If we want to FEEL better and lose weight, we must address the root cause of the pain, fatigue and weight gain. We have to be aware of the fact that inflammation is in the body when the body is heavy. This information comes directly from Dr. Mark Hyman and nutrition and fitness expert Shawn Stevenson who wrote Eat Better. We need to address that inflammation with lifestyle choices right alongside food and exercise.
Changing your lifestyle to eliminate processed foods (those fats and oils mentioned above), sugar in the form of sodas, sweets, and sweet foods is essential to allow the gut to heal. It’s not that we can never indulge again, but in order to heal, we have to give the gut a break. Fast food and all processed food is also a major component of an unhealthy gut. Most boxed or bagged snack foods do our guts no favors (even ‘healthy choices’). In fact, so many of the ingredients in these products are not natural or are not utilized in their natural form. It’s never brought to our attention that we are ingesting fake food. With that thought in mind, how do we think our bodies process food that is unnatural and lacking nutrients? Just a little food for thought.
I also discovered that my gut flora was so out of balance I needed supplementation to bring balance back into my gut. This was a result of repeated antibiotic use over a lifetime, processed foods, sugar, alcohol and stress. Even after two years of exercise and eating right, the impact on my weight was nominal. I remained heavy and in the 170lb range (which is high for a gal of 5’4”).
If you are ready for a lifestyle change, consider incorporating foods below that are anti-inflammatory and finding a plan to eliminate the foods listed above. I’ve also linked to a post full of prebiotic foods that will feed the ‘good guys’ you need for a healthy gut. Your gut and entire body will thank you with energy, improved mood and eventually a desire for healthy foods. Below are a few rules of thumb for getting on a healing track for the gut.
If the idea of changing your lifestyle is too overwhelming, please consider scheduling a consultation with me to understand the gut health supplements and system I used to heal and change. My story can be your story because I have personally met hundreds of individuals who have healed using the gut health system I use. In fact, world wide millions have been impacted. Sugar addiction is real and it can change with a balanced gut flora.
Once your gut health is in check, you will see and feel your body release inflammation. Once our bodies can function optimally, weight loss is one of the most dramatic and wonderful side effects we see and feel. Yes, eating right is essential for weight loss but it is not always about the calories. Foods like calories are not all created equally and reducing your calories does not necessarily improve your inflammation levels. Adopting this mindset will allow growth and change to evolve in your gut and lifestyle choices.
Get started by implementing these options
Eat foods rich in antioxidants, polyphenols and prebiotic fiber
Consume essential fatty acids - a QUALITY Omega III
Add spices like tumeric to your diet
Exercise / move
Reduce stress levels
Restful and restorative sleep
You're more than welcome to set up a chat with me to discuss how I incorporate all of the above with a great and effective supplement and making lifestyle changes. Click to reserve a time.
Anti Inflammatory Foods to Add to your Diet
Blueberries, blackberries and raspberries
Cherries
Pomegranate
Beets
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Brussels sprouts
Dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, chard)
Nuts and seeds, especially walnuts
Natural nut butters
Avocado
Olives and olive oil
Fish, especially salmon and tuna
Legumes (lentils, chickpeas and other beans)
Whole grains (quinoa, whole-wheat bread, brown rice)
Sweet potato
Eggs
Citrus fruits
Garlic, herbs and spices
Greek yogurt and kefir
Inflammatory Foods to remove from your diet
Packaged foods
Candy
Sodas, or sugary drinks
High fructose corn syrup
Saute foods in cocount or avacado oil or a similar oil that can be heated to high temperatures for cooking. If you don't like the taste of coconut oil, Coconut MCT oil is flavorless.
Any food with ingredients you can't comprehend
Source: C Reactive Protein & weight gain: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3752622/
More about C Reactive Protein & Inflammation: https://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/a19995657/c-reactive-protein
