Why My Body Was Fighting My Weight Loss (And How I Finally Won)
For years, I struggled with my weight. I was always either depressed because of my weight, actively trying to lose weight, or working my butt off to keep the weight I had just lost off. It felt like I was constantly fighting my own body. My weight was always on my mind, one way or another, and it was absolutely exhausting.
The constant counting, tracking, and fighting cravings was a full-time job. I was always thinking about food: What should I eat? How many calories is this? Am I allowed to have that?…
We're all told to just "eat less and move more," but I had no energy and felt like crap all the time. That made "moving more" feel impossible. I hated the clothes I wore because instead of wearing things I liked, I wore clothes I hoped would hide the parts of my body I didn't like—like my flabby arms or the rolls on my stomach.
But the struggle went deeper than just weight. I'd wake up feeling stiff and achy, had "seasonal allergies" that never went away even when the seasons changed. I always felt bloated and gross. I struggled with awful periods, hormone issues, and pretty severe anxiety and depression. I felt like I was on a constant hamster wheel, always looking for the next latest greatest diet. Each time, I hoped it would finally be "the one" that worked, but I just kept losing and regaining the same weight over and over.
My Tipping Point
At one point, I did manage to lose over 50 pounds and kept it off for a bit. It was a lot of work, but I thought I had finally found the secret to weight loss.
But then, as I got closer to 40, I started gaining weight again. Despite the fact that I was still doing all the things that had helped me lose the weight in the first place, it wasn't working anymore. I was so frustrated and honestly a little scared. I wondered what am I supposed to do now?? I couldn't eat less—I was already struggling with hunger—and there weren't enough hours in the day to exercise more (I was already working out two hours a day).
I was just about ready to give up and accept that I would be overweight forever.
Then, I learned I was insulin resistant. Once I understood what that meant, everything finally clicked. So many things that didn't make sense about my weight struggles suddenly made sense.
I saw why what I was doing wasn't working. I was so focused on micromanaging calories, but I was completely ignoring how the foods I was eating were affecting my body and my hormones. All I had ever been told was that weight loss was about calories, and to just "eat less and move more."
The Game Changer: Working With My Body
Learning about insulin resistance and making the right changes to reverse it actually made losing weight easier. But the transformation went so much further than the scale:
My energy increased A LOT. I had never had so much energy and my mood improved, so I naturally wanted to be more active. I wasn't having to force myself to exercise anymore—I actually wanted to do it!
I wasn't hungry or fighting cravings all the time. Because I was lowering my insulin and getting my hormones back on track, I ate less naturally without having to track every single bite.
All those frustrating health issues started to go away. The stiffness, allergies, bloating, anxiety, and depression all began to resolve. Many of these things I had just thought were a normal part of getting older.
Instead of just focusing on calories, I started eating to manage my blood sugar. This was a huge shift for me, and it ended up being the game-changer that finally broke the cycle.
Yes, I lost the weight, and I've kept it off for over 13 years now. But the real prize was getting my health and energy back and feeling so much better overall. That part is truly priceless.
If you're where I was, feeling like your body is broken and that nothing is working, know that there is hope. You may just be missing a key piece of the puzzle, just like I was.
If my story resonates with you, and you're ready to stop the endless cycle of dieting and start working with your body, I've created something just for you.
I put together a free guide called the Weight Loss Unstuck Guide. In it, I walk you through the exact steps I took to finally understand what was going on with my body and achieve lasting weight loss without deprivation.
You can download your copy HERE.