Why cutting calories alone may not work.

You’re eating all of the “right” things, killing it in the gym, but you’re stuck. You’ve hit a plateau. Before you get frustrated and give up all together, just know—your hormones may be working against you!

If you restrict calories too much for too long, your body will start to fight you. We’re biologically wired to survive famines, and your endocrine system doesn’t know the difference between an actual famine or a cut that you’re trying to lose the last 5-10lbs. When this happens, your insulin goes into overdrive storing energy from food that isn’t used immediately into your body to use for later…and it’s getting stored as fat.

So, you’re not losing weight. You restrict more. You put in more time at the gym. You do more intense workouts. Still—nothing! When I hit this plateau, I actually started to gain weight. It was infuriating. And I honestly gave up. I was miserable from restricting my favorite foods and physically broken down from over-training. Pair the additional mental and physical stress I was putting myself through with my once-again-active pituitary tumor, and hello 30 more pounds.

Just like your body can’t tell the difference between intentional extreme calorie restriction and famine, it also can’t tell the difference between the stress of being chased by a bear or the stress you’re putting it through by cutting out all of the things that make you happy and putting in too much time at the gym.

When you undergo prolonged periods of elevated stress (real or perceived), your body pumps out and circulates higher levels of cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone that’s one of the main causes for excess stored fat tissue in your belly. More stress = more cortisol and more belly fat. And that excess adipose tissue can start to affect your hormone production as well, throwing everything even more off balance and causing fatigue, increased severity of PMS symptoms, insomnia, and more.

The key to getting your hormones in check and making positive changes in your body is to fuel yourself properly with foods that nourish you, give you energy, and support your hormones! This, plus daily movement that you actually enjoy (like taking your dog for a walk) will help bring you back into balance so you can start seeing results again.

I know what it’s like to restrict food to the point of misery and overwork myself in the gym. It’s awful, and it did not serve me—it made my issues worse. I’ve found incredibly delicious foods that I love to eat. Foods that fill me up, give me energy, and are satisfying to eat. I shifted my mindset away from restriction and instead focus on adding in nourishing foods that will help me feel my best and reach my goals. I also started weight training (and slimming down, not bulking up—just lift the weights…you won’t get “too big”) and focused on increasing my protein intake. Now, what works for me may not work for you, but I can guide and support you through the changes needed to get to the same place.

If you want to be able to let go of diet culture and focus on all of the amazing foods that you can eat—instead of what you can’t—to support healthy hormones, schedule a free 30-minute consultation here.