Whenever we discuss health and fitness, the subject of weight loss or achieving our ideal weight is always going to be a part of the conversation.
Weight is such a huge issue (no pun intended) that we have industries making billions of dollars out of people’s desperation to attain a thin physique. Often the health aspect is disregarded, as the latest “quick fix” pill, powder or potion is touted as a cure all for the “disease” of being overweight.
If we do explore the health aspect though, we can start to see things from a different perspective. More often than not, there is a causative factor that is contributing to the weight gain, and it’s not purely a lack of willpower.
I don’t believe we need to be fanatical about being stick thin either, but we do need to find that balance of energy and vitality that comes with having a fit, healthy body. I’ve experienced both sides of the weight issue, and I can tell you that I prefer fit and healthy!
My weight problem started when I broke my leg (femur) at Tae Kwon Do training and was unable to exercise for six months. Little did I know at the time, but the trauma and the following operation to pin the bone, shut down my adrenals and thyroid – I just thought I was having a hard time recovering, but it was much more than that.
Over that six months period I started to gain weight – and I went from my normally fit and toned 48kg (I am only 5ft tall if this seems light to you!) – up to about 62kg at my heaviest. That might not sound like a lot, but it was a gain of 30% of my body weight and I felt terrible. With that also came the fatigue, depression, thinning hair, brain fog, and feeling the cold that is part of a thyroid disorder.
With all my knowledge on health, once my leg was OK, I started exercising again (when I had the energy) and I made sure that my diet was perfect – but I could only lose about half of the weight. The other half stubbornly stayed put.
It’s a long story but until my thyroid and adrenals were properly supported nothing made much of a difference to that extra bit of weight. I know, it’s not like I was obese and had 50 more kilos to lose – but I’m just illustrating that even the best diet and exercise will not do the trick if there is a metabolic or hormonal disorder underneath.
Once I had the correct treatment, that last 7kg dropped off in a few weeks and I was able to feel human again -the thyroid symptoms all reversed and I could sustain my previous levels of exercise, which I had found exhausting up until then.
Stay tuned because tomorrow I will discuss some of the problems that can cause weight gain, and what simple things you can do about it.
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