When it comes to fat loss, a lot of people are looking for the MAGIC PILL!!
Unfortunately, weight gain in the first place is so multifaceted that the approach to lose weight needs to tackle several different pathways.
In this article we are going to look at the TOP 8 reasons people gain weight and the solutions to overcoming these challenges.
REASON 1: MISUNDERSTANDING CALORIES & MACRO’S – Eating too much of the wrong foods or drinks.
Calorie intake is the first thing you must get right in the battle with the bulge. If you are consuming more calories than you burn, then you will always have difficulty losing weight.
We recommend consulting a nutritionist or dietician to accurately establish your personalised nutritional programming. Alternatively, you can use apps like My Fitness Pal to set your calories and macros.
Most people need to reduce their carbohydrate intake and increase their protein and good fat intake. The easiest balance to maintain is 30:30:40. That’s 30% of your calories coming from Protein, 30% of your calories coming from fat and 40% of your calories coming from carbs.
Even though the carbs are still the highest, for most people this will be a considerable reduction. If this isn’t enough of a reduction, swap the percentage of fat for carbs as fats don’t promote insulin and control hunger better so they are more likely to assist weight loss.
It’s important to focus on quality and work to prepare foods you enjoy. Use spices, seasoning and sauces to make the food tasty and enjoyable. If you don’t like the food you eat, you won’t maintain a healthy eating plan.
Pro Tip: If you are struggling with cravings or need a boost in your metabolism and brain function, try using KETO SWITCH™ between meals or during fasting. Ketones have been shown to supress hunger by reducing ghrelin (a hormone that increases hunger and desire to overeat) and boost your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This is the rate that you burn fat 24 hours a day!! Just using this one supplement a day may result in a net calorie deficit of 500kcal.
REASON 2: NUTRIENT DEFICIENCY – A lot of the processed food consumed today is calorie dense but micronutrient deficient.
This has led to 85% of adults being Zinc or Magnesium insufficient2. Only 7% (less than 1 in 10 of us) eat enough vegetables to prevent disease and promote a healthy metabolism3.
Fruits and veges are a great source of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fibre. These nutrients are essential to support your metabolic rate, gut microbiome, and detoxification. For all these reasons and more, fruits and veges need to be a big focus for adults (especially veges).
If you can’t get enough, or you just want to ensure you meet your daily needs, 1 serve of VITALITY SWITCH™ is equivalent to 7-8 serves of veges. VITALITY SWITCH™ also contains a gut health probiotic blend and a digestive enzyme blend to ensure you digest and absorb the nourishment from the food you are eating.
It contains a detox supporting blend and a medicinal mushroom blend to support general health and happiness.
It’s easy (simply mix in water and consume with food once daily), 100% natural and was rated the “Best Tasting Super Food” in 2020.
At $2.66 per day, it’s significantly cheaper than buying a bunch of different products to cover everything this product does.
REASON 3: INACTIVITY – Lack of exercise or general movement.
A total of 10 – 30% of your daily calories are burnt with structured exercise. Most of us (with the exception of elite athletes training for hours a day) will be closer to 10% than 30%.
60 – 75% of your calories are burned as your basal metabolic rate (BMR). This is the rate you burn calories living your daily life. Tip: Standing over the course of the day vs sitting could result in more than 300kcal extra burned.
15 – 25% of your daily calories are burned digesting food.
So with this in mind, more movement and standing, walking etc is going to result in more calories burned. This will help you get into a deficit where you burn more fat.
Here are some supplements that can help raise your BMR and give you energy and motivation to move more…
- Green Tea – contains EGCG’s. These compounds have been shown to increase resting metabolism and prevent the formation of new fat cells.
- Caffeine – increases energy expenditure, reduces cravings and promotes a sense of motivation.
- Teacrine® – reduces cravings by boosting dopamine which also increases a sense of determination.
- Synephrine – increases BMR, focus, alertness and fat burning.
- Bioperine® – a compound found in black pepper that boosts thermogenesis and enhances nutrient absorption.
- goBHB® – ketones reduce calorie intake by controlling hunger (supress ghrelin) and improving satiation. They also boost mitochondrial biogenesis, which means you have more engines to burn more fat all day.
You will find the top 5 ingredients in THERMAL SWITCH™ and the goBHB in KETO SWITCH™. These two make a terrific natural fat burning combo and they taste great. Keto is best used between meals and you don’t need to be following a ketogenic diet to benefit. Thermal is best used before exercise or in the morning.
REASON 4: POOR GUT HEALTH – Your microbiome and gut controls the calories absorbed.
Fruits, veges and fibre support a healthy gut ecosystem. Overuse of antibiotics or eating pesticide covered food can kill off good gut bacteria.
There are two distinct forms of bacteria in the gut. Bacteroidetes (good) and Firmicutes (bad). Firmicutes help get calories out of the food you eat and Bacteroidetes help extract the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. You need a balance of both. However, too many Firmicutes can result in the absorption of more calories from the food you eat, which can result in a calorie surplus (weight gain).
Micronutrients, probiotics and pre-biotic fibre have been shown to improve the ratio favourably to reduce calorie absorption and improve overall health.
VITALITY SWITCH™ provides all you need to support a healthy gut ecosystem that improves energy metabolism, reduces cravings, supports detoxification and boosts mood and energy.
REASON 5: STRESS & SLEEP – Cortisol is a fat storing, sleep disrupting hormone released when our body is physically or emotionally stressed.
Studies show poor sleep and increased stress (cortisol) may increase calorie intake by an average of 385Kcal per day4. This could result in more than ½ kg of weight gain per week if it occurred consistently every day.
Cortisol also increases Thyroid Binding Globulin (TBG). This means your thyroid hormones are less effective at helping you to burn fat as they are bound up and inactive.
Cortisol also disrupts insulin metabolism, resulting in insulin resistance and weight gain around the mid-section.
Top tips to reduce Cortisol…
- Have more fun – fun increases oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine which reduces cortisol.
- Magnesium – this mineral helps reduce stress, anxiety and mild depression which could be increasing cortisol. It’s also a muscle relaxant and is critical for energy metabolism.
- Ashwagandha – this ayruvedic herb has been used for centuries as an adaptogen. This means it helps you and your body adapt to physical and emotional stress. If used at night it can improve sleep quality.
- L-Theanine – ghis calming amino acid is found in Green Tea. It reduces anxiety and over stimulation of the brain.
- Eat adequate calories – too much of a calorie restriction can result in elevated cortisol which will quickly put a halt on fat loss.
You will find Magnesium, Ashwagandha & L-theanine in ADRENAL SWITCH™ along with several other vitamins and amino acids that will support recovery, lower cortisol and improve sleep quality.
REASON 6: INSULIN RESISTANCE – It is estimated that 75% of the population has some degree of carbohydrate intolerance.
In addition to this, 1 in 3 adults have metabolic syndrome, which increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes and weight gain5.
When you eat carbohydrates, and to a lesser degree protein, your body will release insulin to help shuttle the sugars (carbs) into the cells of your body to be used for energy. However, some tissue (muscle) can become resistant and doesn’t absorb the carbs as well. So, then your fat cells will take the extra energy and grow (especially around the waist, hips, but and upper thigh).
This results in less energy in your muscles to perform high level activity or exercise, and more energy storing in fat cells.
Ketones have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce weight gain. Intermittent Fasting (IF) is also a strategy worth considering if you are struggling with weight gain in the areas mentioned above.
Pro Tip: Zinc is a critical mineral in insulin production and sensitivity. For this reason zinc has been shown to reduce sugar cravings, with close to 85% of the adult population being deficient. You will find adequate levels of zinc and much more in ADRENAL SWITCH™, ALPHA SWITCH™ or ESTRO SWITCH™.
REASON 7: HORMONE IMBALANCE – Estrogen is a major contributor to weight gain in men and women. In fact, 1 in 2 women over 35 are estrogen dominant and over 60% of men over 40 have elevated levels of estrogen6.
Estrogen isn’t inherently bad, but like most hormones too much can be. The key is to help the body adequately produce and balance hormones.
Ingredients like Tongkat Ali, Boron, Vitamin B5 and Spilanthes are found in ALPHA SWITCH™ and can help you boost the production of natural testosterone which may help to support your metabolism and building of muscle. Men and women need testosterone so these ingredients can be used by both genders.
Broccoli sprouts, Turmeric, N-Acetyl Cysteine, Milk Thistle and many of the other ingredients found in ESTRO SWITCH will help to support estrogen detoxification, reduce aromatase (prevent testosterone converting to estrogen) and naturally balance the hormones of your body.
This healthy balance will lead to a healthy metabolism and reduced weight gain (especially around the hips and but in women and belly and chest in men).
REASON 8: LOW THYROID FUNCTION – Your thyroid is the metabolic computer that controls calories burned vs stored. If it is underactive, you are likely to gain weight. It is estimated more than 1 in 3 people have below average thyroid function.
Making sure you have adequate Tyrosine and Iodine is the first step in supporting healthy thyroid hormones. Selenium and zinc can help improve the conversion of the inactive T4 into the active T3 & T2.
You will find Tyrosine in both THERMAL SWITCH™ & KETO SWITCH™. Selenium and zinc are in ESTRO SWITCH™ and you will get more iodine from eating sea vegetables like wakame etc.
Summary:
There are many different causes of weight gain or an inability to lose weight and keep it off. However, consistency is key. To be consistent you need to enjoy the journey. That means finding an eating and exercise plan you love and will follow day to day and week to week.
Set long term goals and make sure they are matched with short term goals.
Throw away your scales. They aren’t indicative of the whole picture and can be disincentivising.
Find a supplement range like SWITCH NUTRITION that provide effectively dosed natural formulas that taste amazing. It’s important your supplements work, but it is also important they taste great, or you won’t use them and then they won’t work at all.
SWITCH NUTRITION is consistently winning awards for their flavours and formulas worldwide. They are the highest quality supplements at affordable prices, and their formulas have been created to work together.
Disclaimer: The above article is merely a guide and is in no way a recommendation or a treatment protocol for any health conditions or diseases. You should always consult with a qualified health care provider before changing your supplement, training, or nutritional strategy. Formulated Supplementary Sports Foods must not be used by pregnant or breastfeeding women, anyone consuming prescription medication or children under the age of 15 unless advised by a qualified health care provider.
