Why do we gain weight?

In the 15 years I’ve worked with women to help them lose weight, I’ve noticed that every single one of them had tried every diet under the sun to lose it.

That’s why I knew that dieting wasn’t a viable and sustainable solution.

Let me show you why the idea that dieting is the only solution to lose weight is false.

And by dieting I mean anything from restricting calories and limiting the types of foods we eat to taking meal replacements, shakes and/or shots.

We cannot apply a superficial solution to resolve a problem that is more than skin deep.

Core Cause

We are multi-faceted beings, not just chemical factories. Calories in versus calories out is a simplistic perception of how our metabolism functions.

We’re not like a flat image on a screen. 

This one-size-fits-all solution is akin to the 1960’s idea that the middle class white family was a representation of all of America.

It lacks the reality of the diversity of people in this country.

In the same way, there is a diversity of reasons why we gain weight that range from physical to mental, emotional and generational.

Physical causes

Some physical causes for weight gain include: 

  • Gut distress (which disrupts metabolism) 
  • Insulin Resistance
  • Adrenal Exhaustion 

It is important to note however that the root of these physical causes is mental stress which negatively affects our hormones. 

Mental and emotional causes

One example is the emotional pain and mental distress caused by emotional and physical trauma.

Another example is the cultural pressure to look thin, to fit the fashionable mold.

So many of my clients who were an appropriate weight as teenagers, developed body dysmorphia.

Peer and/or cultural pressure reflected back to them a distorted image of themselves.

As a result, they starved themselves and over-exercised.

This intense deprivation wreaked havoc on their hormonal, immune and digestive systems. Which resulted later in life in weight gain.

Psychic causes

We carry within us generational traumas, conditioning that impacts our behaviors and choices.

One example is women having to prove themselves, and therefore work harder to break the glass ceiling at the expense of their health and well-being.

Myths # 2 and 3

From an Ayurvedic perspective when we experience symptoms (and weight gain is considered a symptom) it’s an opportunity to take account of one’s life and identify the places that are out of alignment with our deepest aspirations.

In part 3, I’ll talk about myth # 2: Short term efforts can give long term results.

Catch part 1 of the article here.

Get started on a healthy weight loss journey. Check out my new ebook, 3 Dieting Mistakes Sabotaging Your Weight.

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