Weight loss, it's not always just about food

I see clients for many health concerns. Digestive issues, anxiety, migraine, fertility, skin conditions, hormonal health and much more. In our initial consultation, we go through health goals and weight loss often comes up as a desired outcome.

This is something I can definitely help with. But I don't jump straight into putting people on a diet. Instead, I like to take a detective approach to find out what else is going on, so we can come up with the best - and most effective - plan.

Here is where we start:

1. What are you feeling?
Emotional aspects can play a huge role in weight gain (and weight loss). Stress, anxiety, sadness, grief, irritability, moodiness and frustration can influence the ability to reach goal weight. In these cases, I will include herbs that support the nervous system (called nervines) and help cope with stress (called adaptogens) in treatment plans. Certain combinations of nutrients which are essential for healthy neurotransmitter production might also be prescribed.

2. What is in your environment?
Another thing I consider is what is around you and how does this influence weight management. Toxic food, toxic surroundings, toxic people can play their part. What is the family, work and living environment like? What influences did you have growing up? How do these support, or hinder, better nutrition and lifestyle choices? What strategies are in place to manage these?

3. What is really going on inside?
Sometimes we need to look inside to see what other factors are driving weight gain. Investigations that look at hormonal health, microbiome profile, genetics, food intolerances, heavy metals, neurotransmitter levels and nutrient status can provide some pretty hefty clues to help work out why losing weight is a struggle. These tests can also help work out what type of eating style works best for your body.

If weight management is an issue, I'd love to help. Book an appointment or drop me a line at josie@naturology.care.