The Five Hidden Causes of Obesity and Weight Gain
By Teresa Rispoli, PhD, LAc
More than 100 million of us are currently fighting the battle of the bulge. Some diet regimens are too hard to follow, whereas others lack any real variety or satiety. In the end, we usually wind up back where we started—unhappy and overweight once again. Through the years, I’ve had my own struggles with weight gain, as have many of my patients just like you. Twenty years ago, my life took an about-face when I began a program of cleansing and detoxification that left me 30 pounds lighter in three months! I even lost the fat from those stubborn hips of mine rather effortlessly! For the first time, I realized that whole foods, herbs, and dietary supplements could become a path not just to healing, but also to weight loss. I’ve been able to keep my body pretty much fat-resistant for nearly three decades now since discovering this entirely new approach to managing my weight: the Five Hidden Weight Gain Factors. The Five Hidden Weight Gain Factors The factors include a toxic liver, deficient EFAs, too much insulin or insulin resistance, the stress-fat cycle, and a unique take on “when fat is not fat.” These conditions are caused by a stagnant lymph system, sneaky food allergies, birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy, and medications. I didn’t discover and develop these five factors overnight. The theory progressed naturally, influenced by every area of my life, from my personal weight control quest to the knowledge gained throughout my entire career (25 plus years) as a nutritional advisor. Hidden Factor #1: Your Tired, Toxic Liver I learned that the liver is your body’s fat metabolizer and toxin filter. Toxins get trapped in your fat cells and when you begin to lose fat, these toxins are released, while your liver, gallbladder, lymphatic system, and colon flush them from your system. The first revelation was the surprising connection between weight loss and the liver. I recognized early on what researchers are only now beginning to understand—that not only is the liver the main organ for detoxifying pollutants and chemicals in the body, but this vital organ also is a hidden key to effortless weight loss. Based on simple biochemistry, I learned first hand that one of the best kept secrets to weight loss and lasting weight control is keeping the liver, the key organ for fat metabolism, in tip-top shape. Your liver is a workhorse that can even regenerate its own damaged cells. However, the liver is not invincible. When it lacks essential nutrients or when it is overwhelmed by toxins, it no longer performs as it should. Hormonal imbalances may develop. Fat may accumulate in the liver and then just under the skin or in other organs. Toxins build up and enter your bloodstream. Among the signs of “toxic liver” are weight gain (especially around the abdomen), cellulite, elevated cholesterol, and fatigue. When your liver is sluggish, every organ in your body is affected, and your weight loss efforts are blocked. Unable to carry out its activities to control glucose, a toxic liver can lead to hypoglycemia, which can produce sugar cravings, weight gain, and candida overgrowth. A toxic liver is unable to process toxins, enabling them to escape into your bloodstream and set off an immune response. A liver overloaded with pollutants and toxins cannot efficiently burn body fat, and thus will sabotage your weight loss efforts. The bottom line is you need to clean your liver and gallbladder at least once a year. Hidden Factor #2: When Fat Is Not Fat Another valuable insight I learned was that cellulite—that dimpled accumulation of stored fat on our thighs and buttocks—is connected to a sluggish lymphatic system. The lymphatic system, a relatively unknown secondary circulatory system underneath the skin, rids the body of toxic wastes, bacteria, heavy metals, dead cells, trapped protein, and fat globules. In essence, the lymphatic system is the garbage disposal of the body. On a “good” day, your body is 60 to 70 percent water by weight. About two-thirds of the water is in your cells; the rest is in blood, body fluids, and spaces between cells. This water is essential. However, many individuals carry an extra 10 to 15 pounds of water trapped in their tissues. This water contributes to abdominal bloating, cellulite, and face and eye puffiness. It’s what I call “false fat.” It is ironic, but consuming too little water can cause your body to retain water. Food Sensitivities Often Lead to False Fat Food sensitivities are one of the most common causes of weight gain through a chain reaction of fluid retention and overeating brought on by cravings. The production of histamine and other chemicals causes blood vessels to expand and contract, leaking fluids into tissues and setting off a secondary inflammatory response and swelling. This leaking fluid often carries protein with it, and the proteins attract sodium and still more fluid. To compound the weight gain from waterlogged tissues, food sensitivities also trigger weight gain in adipose tissue (connective tissue in which fat is stored and which has the cells distended by droplets of fat). This results from either heightened cravings for reactive foods, which are foods that you are sensitive to, or disruption of your metabolism. Fatigue and irritability set in as a result of consuming the reactive foods, and once again, you crave the reactive food to bring back your energy level. As a result, your insulin levels become destabilized, which lowers your blood sugar levels. You become weak and starved for food, especially carbohydrates. Finally, as if all this weren’t enough, your levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin drop. This chemical controls hunger, resulting in cravings for high-carbohydrate foods to help move serotonin to the brain. Candida and Food Reactions: It’s Overgrowth, Not Overweight. Among the most common reasons food enters the bloodstream before it is fully digested is Candidiasis, an overgrowth of the naturally occurring yeast Candida albicans that damages the intestinal wall and creates intestinal permeability (a.k.a. “leaky gut.”). The holes in your intestine allow food macromolecules to enter the bloodstream—the trigger for food reactions. Many of the symptoms of Candidiasis mimic those of food reactions: fatigue, headaches, bloating, nasal congestion, heartburn, and moodiness, among others. The relationship between Candidiasis and food sensitivities is made even stronger by consumption of sugars and refined carbohydrates. The foods you are most likely to crave as a result of food allergies are the ones most enjoyed by the candida cells. Hormonal Imbalances Lead to Obesity For too many women, the hormonal cycle is disrupted and weight gain—from both actual fat and water retention—becomes permanent. Among the symptoms of estrogen dominance are fat gain (especially around your abdomen, hips, and thighs), sluggish metabolism, bloating, and water retention. Estrogen can promote sodium retention (and thereby more water retention). The hormone changes the way your body metabolizes the amino acid tryptophan, which is necessary to produce serotonin. You’ll remember that serotonin deficiency can lead to food cravings and weight gain. When estrogen is much higher than progesterone, you may develop hypothyroidism. A healthy thyroid gland secretes hormones that help signal the pancreas to produce insulin. With a sluggish thyroid, your body may produce too little insulin and trigger low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), along with intense cravings for carbohydrates. Fluctuating estrogen levels are only one-half of the equation. Low levels of progesterone cause your body to burn 15,000 to 20,000 fewer calories per year and increase water retention. High levels of progesterone, on the other hand, increase your appetite. They also slow down intestinal transit time to increase food absorption, which can increase insulin levels. The resulting additional blood glucose is absorbed by fat cells to add pounds of true fat. Causes of Imbalance Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) often causes estrogen-progesterone imbalances, and millions of American women are currently undergoing HRT. Research into the effects of these therapies on weight has found conflicting results. For example, when researchers gave monkeys estrogen with synthetic progestin (a form of progesterone), their weight increased, fat tended to accumulate around their abdomens, and they secreted excess insulin. In contrast, monkeys given estrogen with natural progesterone did not experience these effects. Hidden Factor #3: Fear of Eating Fat Although you’ve probably read about the need for essential fatty acids (EFAs) such as gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), which is in the omega-6 family found primarily in plant-based oils, you still don’t quite believe it, do you? Eating fat to get thin flies in the face of reason of everything you’ve heard about the dangers of fat. You’re not alone in your fear of eating fat. An estimated 80 percent of Americans eat a diet deficient in EFAs. This is unfortunate, because our bodies cannot make EFAs. Yet, as precursors to hormone-like prostaglandins, they regulate every body function at the cellular level. This includes water retention, sodium balance, and fat metabolism. In your efforts to control your weight, fat also carries fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K through the bloodstream, activates the flow of bile, helps your body conserve protein, slows the absorption of carbohydrates to balance blood sugar levels, and is a building block for the production of estrogen, testosterone, and other hormones. EFAs and their role in fat burning and hormone balance are critical. Therefore, I recommend a GLA-rich supplement known as evening primrose oil. Besides eradicating their symptoms, many women also experienced a welcomed side benefit—weight loss! Hidden Factor #4: Excess Insulin and Fat Storage A fat-free diet, low in protein but high in carbohydrates keeps insulin levels elevated, which promotes fat accumulation since insulin is a fat storage hormone. All Carbohydrates Are Not Created Equal Traditionally, nutritionists have categorized carbohydrates as either simple (white flour, pastas, white rice, potatoes, starches, sugars) or complex (vegetables, fruits, beans, and seeds). However, more recent research has increased our understanding about how food is metabolized, and the simple/complex categorization has been replaced with the glycemic index. Low-glycemic foods fill you up and help keep you satisfied longer. They also help you burn more body fat and less muscle tissue. Hidden Factor #5: Stress as a Fat Maker Living in this information age has most of us Americans going nonstop at “cyber speed.” So it’s no surprise to me, after assessing my own clients’ stress levels for so many years, that 68 percent of us admit to being stressed out or that 90 percent of us admit to using food as our drug of choice to pacify ourselves. The irony of the matter is that stress is making the adrenals kick out the hormone cortisol, which raises insulin, and insulin is a fat storage hormone. Elevated cortisol levels cause you to store fat around the midsection. Central fat cells are deep abdominal visceral cells (located around our major internal organs), which are a fast energy source in times of stress. These central fat cells also happen to have four times more cortisol receptors than the fat cells found right beneath the skin. Consequently, cortisol is drawn to the central fat cells, which ulti¬mately increases fat storage in that area. Thus, every time you’re stressed, you’re encouraging your body to have enough reserves of fat to handle the prob¬lem. You may ask, “What about other hidden weight gain factors like low thyroid or chronic dieting that throw the body into a metabolic slowdown?” These are valid but secondary to the five hidden factors. If you are like most people, you’ve exercised, counted calories, and cut out fat, then protein, and now even carbohydrates. Perhaps you lost weight, perhaps not. Chances are you regained most, if not all, of the pounds, but there is hope. Thousands of my patients have discovered which of the Five Hidden Causes of Weight Gain were throwing their body out of balance and have learned to correct these imbalances and lose pounds and inches for good. You can too. Dr. Theresa Rispoli is president and founder of Complete Health in Agoura Hills and in her 25 years as a nutritional advisor has helped thousands of people lose weight, balance hormones naturally, eliminate food allergies, and stop GI distress, leaky gut, and candida. She can be reached at 818-707-3126.
