Quite often I hear about people that are having a very hard time losing weight, even though they are doing everything “right.” They may be eating less, exercising more, whatever–and still their weight won’t budge.

There are plenty of philosophies about weight loss. One that aggravates me the most is the overly simplistic, “The bottom line is that you have to use more calories than you take in.”

Yeah, well, sorta. But that’s not all there is to it. If your body systems are out of whack, you can do all the “right” things and still not lose weight.

It used to be that within about 15 months after having a baby I’d be back to within 10 lbs. of my pre-pregnancy weight. Now my baby is almost 4 and I probably weigh more than I have while pregnant! UGH! I have eaten less, walked, worked out, been a health nut, gone to all raw foods, and other things, and nothing helped. In fact, last year at this time I started eating mostly raw foods and GAINED one pound a week for 7 straight weeks! After that point I was so discouraged and couldn’t fit into my clothes comfortably. I felt paralyzed and didn’t know what on earth I should do next. Eating as I was sure didn’t seem to be a good thing for my weight, but I had no idea what the right answer was.

I talked to a friend of mine that is a doctor of naturopathy, and she has introduced me to a more holistic approach to weight loss. Thyroid is one system that, if depleted, will hold you back from losing weight. I had my throid checked at the doctor’s office awhile back and was told it was “fine” yet I can’t lose weight to save my life, am cold all the time, and my basal body temp. is always so low that it is off (below) the charts. She explained to me how to do a thyroid test at home. You just get some iodine tincture from the drug store and paint (use a Q tip or cotton ball) a 2 inch square on your abdomen (above your waist line). Check it every 4-6 hours and at the 24 hour mark. If the tincture spot is gone, it indicates that your thyroid needs supplementation. (your body was sucking the iodine from your skin) The faster it goes, the worse off you are. This is a test you can do for your whole family to see how their thyroid function is going. I plan to do this soon.
Your adrenal system is another important one for weight loss as well as just general health. One way you can tell if your adrenals are suffering is a flash light test. All you need to do is go into a dark room with a flashlight and a mirror. (the bathroom is easy) With the lights off, shine a flashlight into your eyes and watch in the mirror to see to see what your pupils do. If you see the perimeter of your pupils pulsating, your adrenals are in need of help.

Yeast overgrowth can contribute to a lot of body problems, including holding on to excess weight. There is a simple test you can do to find out if you have candida overgrowth. In the morning before you eat or drink anything, spit some saliva into a cup of water. (do this with a glass so you can see what happens) If you see white-ish strings or threads of saliva extending down from the glob of saliva, you have a yeast overgrowth. The more strings and faster it goes the worse off your overgrowth is.

I have known about Candida Yeast overgrowth for for a long time, but never felt like I could handle the difficult, strict diet to beat it. I found out about a great herbal product that helps kill off candida yeast fairly quickly and without having to eat a really strict diet. It does help if you can restrict your fruit, sugar, and refined grain intake while using this, but it is faster and less difficult than just doing the diet alone.

I have also learned more about Hoodia recently. I am always skeptical of weight loss supplements, but this one is actually natural and safe. It comes from a cactus plant and has been used for a long time to sustain people in times when they did not have food. It acts both as an appetite suppressant, and burns body fat for fuel. You will still need to eat sensible meals regularly, but you won’t need as much food to feel good, and your body will be burning up that extra fat that your body has stored. You have to be careful to get authentic Hoodia gordonii. There are a lot of counterfeit products on the market. This is something I would only recommend for a person who has already dealt with other body system issues, and who is doing the other sensible things to lose weight.

We do need to exercise, too. And weight-bearing exercise is very important for bone density (it can even reverse osteoporosis!) so women especially need it. But if your body systems aren’t functioning well, our efforts will not be very fruitful!

I am working on getting Supermom’s Health and Wellness up and running, and the products that are needed for holistic weight loss (thyroid and adrenal supplements, supplement for tackling Candida yeast overgrowth, hoodia, etc.) will be available there soon. Feel free to contact me direct for more information or if you are in a hurry for something. I am always encouraged by the holistic approach to healthy living. Our bodies are so intertwined that it is very helpful to look at the big picture. When we solve our health challenges this way our whole health improves!