Happy New Year! 2024 is a year I’m personally very excited about. I’m almost two months postpartum and seeing the light as my final pregnancy comes to a close. This is the year that I get to reclaim my body. While of course I’m eager to get into my pre-pregnancy jeans, I know that my desire isn’t really about a number on the scale or on the tag of my pants. It’s a feeling. Or maybe I should say feelings: confidence, vibrancy, comfort, energy, happiness.
As a nutritionist, I’ve seen the cultural shifts in weight/diet culture play out in real time. When I started, many of my clients would come to me with a very specific weight goal. They knew exactly what they wanted to weigh and how many pounds they needed to lose to get there. We would often get part of the way there and they would feel so good that the number on the scale no longer mattered. This to me felt like a success. Today, I find that many people are more focused on health (which I love) but also feel almost ashamed to want to lose weight. It comes out at the end of our conversation, or sometimes after a few sessions.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to feel strong and confident in your body, but the fixation on the scale is futile. The scale obsession is really a search for that feeling in a number, which just isn’t how it works. And as we’ve witness from decades of failed dieting, there are no quick fixes. Following an overly restrictive diet until you hit that elusive number and then just stopping doesn’t work. Results come from consistency. And sustainable weight loss is best achieved over time.
So this year, if you want to lose weight let’s do it the right way. I want you to understand the science behind weight loss, why your past efforts may not have worked, and have a plan for this year that you can stick with.
The Science Behind Weight Loss (and why diets don’t work)
Our physiology has not changed much in the last few hundred years, but the way we live our lives have. Genetically, our bodies are not used to having this much access to food. The refrigerator, for one, was invented in 1913, just 111 years ago. Think about that. This is nothing but a blip in the span of human history.
Weight gain is actually a biological advantage. We are pre-wired to want to store fat so we can survive when food is less available. But for many of us in this modern world, the proverbial winter never comes.
When you lose weight, your primal brain kicks into gear to help you build that reserve back up. Despite your best intentions, it’s very hard to reason with your primal brain. Survival mechanisms will almost always win. This is why the vast majority of people gain all the weight back (and more) after a diet. Here are a few of those biological reactions to weight loss:
Increased hunger. Adipose tissue (or fat) isn’t just a lumpy mass in our body, it is actually an endocrine organ (meaning it creates and stores hormones). One of those hormones is leptin, which suppresses hunger. When you lose weight, you have less circulating leptin, meaning you feel hungrier.
Decreased total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). Weight loss also signals the body to decrease your TDEE, or the amount of calories you burn in day. Your brain thinks you have less access to food, so it will try to conserve as much energy as possible.
More cravings. To help you gain the weight back, your pleasure/reward center starts to *fire.* Those chips will look even more delicious than they did before, and you’ll get a bigger dopamine hit to reward you for getting your energy reserves back up.
In short, the quicker the weight loss, the quicker the weight gain (aka yoyo dieting). There is a better way, and I have some solutions for you—obviously, because why else would we be here? But before we go any further, I want to clarify two common misconceptions when it comes to weight loss/gain.
Weight loss is about calories in vs. calories out. This concept is extraordinarily outdated. If our bodies were this simple, we would have surely figured this out by now. The “eat less, move more” method is really just a recipe for hunger, IMO.
Weight gain is more a product of insulin and blood sugar than it is about calories. Glucose is our energy currency and our bodies tightly regulate the amount of it in our bloodstream. When it gets too high, insulin is released to trigger the storage of that extra glucose for a rainy day. We can store glucose in the muscles, liver, and as adipose tissue. What causes a blood sugar spike? Primarily imbalanced carbohydrate intake causes a spike, but if you eat too much of anything your body will convert it into glucose (for my nutrition science nerds, this is called gluconeogenesis). The more erratic your blood sugar, the more sugar and carbs you will crave. Overtime, you will start to build a tolerance, get less of a “high” from the sugar and carbs you do eat, and can develop insulin resistance. Almost 15% of American adults have diabetes. This is why.
Protein, fiber, and fat all make us full, but simple carbohydrates, like chips, crackers, white rice, and sugar don’t. In other words: a calorie is not a calorie. It’s easy to eat 200 calories of tortilla chips before a meal, but try eating 200 calories of raw carrots (about 28 baby ones)—that sounds uncomfortable.
Eating fat makes you fat. Fat in the body and fat in food are two different things. Adipose tissue (body fat) is stored energy from excess food intake. Fat in foods are lipids. They are different. Dietary fat has many critical functions including nutrient absorption, hormone production, cellular function, and blood sugar management. They also increase satiety. Omega 3s in particular, found in fish, eggs, grass-fed beef, walnuts, avocado, chia seeds, etc., are critical for the brain, reduce inflammation, support cardiovascular health, improve mental health and more.
A Better Approach
So how do we work with our physiology instead of against it? Here’s the secret: nourishment. You don’t need to be in a deficit to feel your best in your body. In fact, I would argue the opposite. Food is life. We would die if we didn’t eat.
There needs to be, however, an alignment between your physical and mental health that tells your body that you are safe and satisfied and it’s okay to let go of that excess weight. As an added bonus of this approach, you won’t feel like a hangry freak and may even find that you are happier, less stressed, and more energized. Here are a eight tips to help you get there:
Find your motivation. Weight loss is a great goal but a terrible motivator. It’s hard to make decisions for your future self when you’re tired, rushing out the door, or in a bind. Find other motivating factors that have more immediate consequences, like digestion or energy levels.
Eat real foods (& break up with foods that are not serving you!). A 2018 study found that 71% of the food at a typical American grocery store is ultra processed. 71%. Let that sink in! As I discussed in my post last week (here it is if you missed it), these foods are all highly addictive. Shop the periphery of the grocery store, focusing on fruits, vegetables, quality proteins and whole grains. I get that this is easier said than done—if you need a jump start, try The Reset program in Foodwise. I find that it’s often easier and more effective to go all in!
Focus on blood sugar balance over calories and portion sizes. This will ensure that you are not hungry and feel nourished. When looking at portion sizes, protein is rarely the issue. It’s hard to eat too much salmon or chicken, and when nutrient-dense foods are restricted many people end up snacking on more carb-rich foods because they’re unsatisfied. I see this all the time: light breakfast, lunch, and dinner, then a parade of snacks until bedtime. It backfires. Every time. Don’t fall into this trap.
Eat a variety of foods, especially plants. Dietary diversity is one of my core nutrition principles. Each food has it’s own unique nutrient profile (vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients…), so the more variety of food you eat, the more nutrition you’ll get from food. Plus, it’s boring to eat the same thing every day. Mix it up! I love to challenge my clients to eat 20 different plants a week. I include different lettuces, herbs, garlic, onion and ginger, etc., so it’s not as crazy as it sounds.
Move your body every day. Try to get some movement in daily, even if it’s just a walk, and incorporate some strength training in a few times a week. Building muscle has many benefits—when it comes to weight management, it will give you extra glycogen stores.
Prioritize sleep and stress management practices. If you are tired and stressed you will crave more sugar and carbs. Full stop. It’s biological. Nothing you can do about it except try to sleep better and handle your stress more effectively. This is a particularly useful area to focus on if you’re feeling stuck in your weight loss journey.
Reduce toxic exposure. Toxins are endocrine disruptors and can accumulate in adipose tissue. A few ways to reduce your toxic exposure: swap out your beauty products and cleaning supplies for nontoxic alternatives, take your shoes off at the door, go organic when you can and diligently check the ingredients in the foods you buy. Certain toxins, like plastic, are also obesogens—chemicals that promote obesity by interfering with your metabolism and hormones.
Focus on building sustainable habits you can maintain. Take the time to find healthy foods you love, do the work to break free of food addictions, prioritize deep self care in the form of sleep, exercise, meditation, body work, etc. Find ways to build these practices into your life. Start with one thing and add on from there. Even if it’s just breakfast — that’s 25% of your food intake for the day and it sets up your blood sugar for the day.
As you start working on these principles and you start to feel better your preferences will change. You won’t want to consume something that makes you feel like crap (just ask anyone who drank too much tequila in college). I get that this sounds farfetched and you might not be buying it, but trust me, I have experienced this myself and see it all the time in my client work.
And what about those weight goals? Weight is not static and the number on the scale is not a measure of “fat”—it’s bones, muscle, organs, water, and more. It’s normal for your weight to fluctuate a few pounds day-to-day. If stepping on the scale stresses you out, don’t do it. Or if you want to know, try giving yourself a weight range rather than focusing on a fixed number. I like to work with 3-5 pound range that slowly descends as you start inching towards your goals.
If this feels like a lot, I get it: it is. But you can do it. I am so fortunate to see people transform with a focus on nutrition, and I’m consistently blown away by it. At the end of the day, this isn’t about a number on the scale or how your clothes fit, this is about your health and your happiness. It feels damn good to feel good!
I’m starting my 21-day Reset today. If you want to join, pick up a copy of Foodwise and join the chat!! And if you feel like you need some 1:1 support, sign up for a consult to learn more about my coaching program.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Wishing you a healthy and happy 2024.
xx Mia
After losing a 140 pounds and (so far) keeping it off I will say this is where its at!
Thanks for sharing healthy positive habits!