Weight loss - 3 Tips for a More Successful Result – Laura Miles MD

Weight loss, weight loss, weight loss

I would think this is one of the number one New Year’s resolutions on a consistent basis and yet how quickly it falls to the wayside for a variety of reasons so you need to shift your thinking and approach this in a different way.

First, forget your weight!! Focus on something more meaningful like your body fat or your lean muscle mass.

Second, check your labs (I will tell which 4 sets of labs to check when you keep reading) and focus on getting those into normal ranges. Making sure they are in normal ranges will help boost your metabolism to you can get the most out of your effort.

Third, find your tribe to help you keep your resolution or your word of the year. TELL someone your goal. If you don’t have someone you trust then tell us!! Jump over to Instagram and share your goal so we can all keep each other accountable.

Back to your goal of losing inches, losing body fat and gaining muscle mass. (notice I didn’t say weight )

There is nothing more frustrating than changing your diet, starting to exercise and not seeing the scale move. READ ON for 3 tips to help make your journey more successful and the labs you need to do BEFORE you start your new diet/exercise program…

To be more successful here are three tips:

Invest in a smart scale that will give you your body fat % and lean muscle mass. As you change your diet and start to exercise you will lose body fat and gain muscle mass so the weight may not change but you will be able to see that you are making huge progress by monitoring these numbers!
Take your body measurements. Grab a tape measure and measure your belly, buttocks, thigh, arms – whatever you are working on and record the measurements. Check these weekly and record them. Often you will see shifts here without the scale budging. You can also tell by your clothes feeling looser (with a few exceptions – major training like weight lifting and crossfit will often see clothes getting tighter when you really build muscle – which is a good thing!!)
Check these labs to make sure your body is functioning at an optimal level. If you have imbalances in these areas then fix them and you will achieve your goals without all the heartache and struggle of a failed plan. While there are many labs that can be useful if you at least check these then you should be primed and ready to go! Test these:
1. Cardio Insulin resistance panel – this is thru Quest and tells you if you are insulin resistant. If you have an insulin resistance (IR) score 20-33 then you are borderline and above 33 you definitely have IR. People with IR respond better to lower carb diets and removing foods that convert to carbs easily (breads, pasta, rice etc). You can also take a supplement to help your body be more sensitive to your own insulin – check out Blood Sugar Support.
2. Thyroid: TSH, free T4, free T3 and thyroid antibodies (TPO, Tg)- the thyroid needs to be optimized for good metabolism. If you have a low normal T3 then the metabolism won’t be good so be sure and get that up! Fixing low ferritin and adrenal issues can both help this. Sometimes you have to add a thyroid supplement though to help the conversion.
3. Ferritin: Ferritin is iron storage. if you have a ferritin level below 50 then your metabolism will be sluggish. There are several good iron supplements out there but never take one without checking your level and following up with labs. You don’t want high iron!!
4. DHEA -S : this is an adrenal marker (cue stress). Lower levels (below 100) or high levels often tip you off about high stress in your life and this can cause weight retention. Address the stress and add in some adrenal supplements to help balance this. Low levels you can try Adrenal Support #2 or maybe even DHEA itself. Women usually tolerate very low amounts like 5mg daily and men usually need higher amounts like 25mg daily. High levels need products to help balance this hormone so look at products with ingredients like ashwaghanda or phosphatidyl serine. Cortisol management or NeuroCalm may help in these cases.