Do you try to lose weight and even though you eat less, avoid sugar and exercise more, you have no success or very limited weight loss. We hear this all the time at our Weight Loss Detective Clinic. We hear you! We sympathize with your frustration and that’s why we developed the Weight Loss Detective Program.

The rate at which your mitochondria turn food calories into cellular energy (ATP) is your metabolic rate.

People with a low metabolic rate gain weight easily and struggle to lose weight. This is because they are not efficient at turning energy from food into physical energy and instead convert food energy into fat.

Fat has a much lower metabolic rate than muscle and this is why its so critical to maintain muscle mass as you age.

The metabolic rate can be affected by several factors-

• Liver function
• Thyroid function
• Menopause
• Exercise
• Muscle mass
• Exposure to toxins
• Some medications
• Nutrient deficiencies especially iodine and selenium
• Your body shape which is genetic

Been overweight for too long?

If you have been significantly overweight for several years it is highly likely that you have elevated levels of the hunger hormones called Insulin and Leptin. This imbalance means you convert energy from food into fat stores in your body. It also means you think about food way too much and do not have normal hunger signals. The widespread use of the drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists (e.g., Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro) is because these drugs do help to reduce hunger. They work by mimicking hormones to increase satiety, slow emptying of the stomach and lower blood sugar, often resulting in significant weight loss. If you stop them, studies show that most users regain the weight that they lost. They can be very helpful but are not the whole solution.

What is needed for success?

A supplement that can be helpful is called Metabocel which is formulated to assist weight loss in people who are overweight because of a sluggish metabolism. Metabocel is designed to be used in conjunction with a healthy lower carbohydrate diet that contains adequate protein and avoids processed foods.

Exercise increases metabolism and if you are unfit and have not been exercising, we recommend you start with Tai Chi as it is gentle and exercises most parts of the body. All these things can help a lot and you need to be consistent.

Many people, especially women, do not eat enough protein and ideally you should eat one gram of protein per kilogram of your body weight every day. Put your typical daily diet in a protein calculator and see what you are getting. Try to eat more protein at least twice daily. This is a good video which shows you how much protein is on your plate – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROZii69a4TY

As we age our mitochondria, which are the tiny engines inside our cells that produce energy, are prone to damage. Like any engine there is wear and tear over time. The health of our mitochondria is affected by our diet, thyroid hormones, stress, sleep and exposure to toxins. If you are eating food containing processed vegetable and seed oils and/or excess sugar this can cause inflammation in the mitochondria. This slows the metabolic rate. It is not just the number of calories you are consuming; it’s the type of food that’s even more important.

It is interesting to know your Body Type because there are basically four different Body Types and each one has unique metabolic characteristics which determine if you put on weight easily and where the fat will be stored. To discover your Body Type go to www.sandracabot.com and check out the weight loss detective quizzes. You will learn a lot and it’s fun!