Have you ever wondered why there are so many diet theories and programs out there? Believe it or not most of them of work, at least for someone. This is called Biochemical Individuality, a term coined by Dr. Roger Williams.We each have unique biochemical traits that determine who we are and how we interact with the world around us. Biochemical Individuality results from a combination of our genes and our environment – nature and nurture. These factors play a big role determining how healthy we are and what ailments we are likely to experience.
Individuals vary in their sensitivity to dietary salt, cholesterol, sugar, fat and alcohol. About 20% of Americans are sensitive to sodium (table salt) and will tend to develop high blood pressure with a high salt diet. Approximately one in five will respond to a high sugar diet with elevated blood fat. An estimated one-third of Americans are sensitive to dietary cholesterol; their elevated serum cholesterol level can put them at high risk for developing clogged arteries. Biochemical individuality may explain, in part, why only a fraction of those who drink alcohol become addicted. You’re unique, good or bad – just look at your finger prints.
Have your ever thought what this means for your health and well being? Stress, age, genetics, diet and emotions all influence the daily needs of the body. When was the last time you felt in harmony with your body and your emotions? Many of us fill up our lives with little details to give us the illusion of control. But in reality our busyness is just a way to avoid things we don’t want to deal with. All this avoidance only creates stress.
Stress and Its Effect on Your Weight
Emotions have a big influence on your health. Emotional stress raises cortisol – the stress raises it faster than physical stress. Emotions also influence your weight gain or your ability to loss weight and maintain it. Physical stress is usually situational, but emotional stress can be relentless, like burning the candle at both ends.
“Weight gain is so complicated there are so many factors that can impact your weight, it is more likely a combination of things more than one factor,” says Michelle May, MD, author of Am I Hungry? What to do When Diets Don’t Work.
It is clear now that obesity is associated with a state of chronic low-level inflammation. Inflammation can make your body old before its time. Inflammation causes stress to your system, which then raises cortisol, which in turn causes a cascade of negative events to occur. Lowered immunity is one.
There are many reasons to maintain a healthy weight. Over the last decade, emerging evidence has demonstrated that there is a close link between metabolism and immunity. It is now known that metabolic imbalances lead to immune imbalances, with starvation and immunosuppression on one end of the spectrum and obesity and inflammatory diseases on the other end. It is like one hand washing the other.
Stress can cause excess cortisol and even cortisol resistance skin to insulin resistance. Excess cortisol imbalances blood sugar, which affect cravings and mood. There are many other problems. This can result in:
- Muscles not repairing and recovering properly.
- Blood sugar alterations, which result in making insulin inefficient.
- The proper utilization of hormones are altered causing insulin and estrogen to gather in the visceral fat – the so called ‘spare tire’ around your middle.
- Bones are ineffective in remodeling.
Dangers of Excess Insulin
High levels of insulin promote inflammation, weight gain, hunger and imbalanced hormones. Excess insulin is known to cause:
- Weight gain, since insulin promotes the storage of fat
- Lower cellular levels of magnesium, a mineral that is essential for keeping your blood vessels relaxed and your blood circulation efficient
- An increase in sodium retention, which leads to holding excess water in your system, which causes high blood pressure
- Increased amounts of inflammatory compounds in your blood, which can cause direct physical damage to your blood vessel walls and encourage the development of blood clots, which can lead to heart attacks and respiratory failure
- A reduction in HDL, an increase in undesirable small molecules of LDL, and an increase in triglycerides, all of which increase your risk for heart disease
- A higher risk for cancer due to insulin’s ability to contribute to cell proliferation
Controlling insulin levels will balance out other hormones and allow human growth hormone (HGH) to be produced naturally, so lean muscle will be gained even without exercise. Any exercise will greatly increase muscle mass with higher HGH levels. The cortisol/stress cascade causes your immunity to slide, which makes you feel old before your time.
The Live It Plan
Introducing my program called, The Live It Plan, where I will teach you how to tap into the power within you.
Lifestyle and diet changes are necessary to slow down this cascade of premature aging. I want to introduce to you a program and products which when taken in combination with movement, can bring balance back to your metabolic system and other systems responsible for stabilizing your weight. We will bring you back to that feeling of being 21 again.
It is called The Live It Plan because it’s a lifestyle plan, not a diet that you go on and off of. Here is an outline of the steps preventing you from losing that weight or maintaining that goal. They are:
- Stress which causes excess cortisol
- Leptin resistance
- Essential fatty acid deficiency
- Poor dietary choices
- Decreased physical activity
- Vitamin D deficiency
- Inflammation
- Cortisol resistance
- Lack of sleep
- Medications
- Thyroid and adrenal problems
- Emotional issues
Contact me to start your Live it Plan today.
