You’re eating a great diet. Like, crazy clean. You exercise. Like, religiously. And… repeat. Yet, you’re not losing weight. AT ALL. Your scale acts as if you’re not even trying. Rude! It just stares back at you and says the same freakin’ thing every time. It feels personal. As if it’s taunting you.
If this ridiculously unfortunate scenario reminds you of you, then I might have an answer. I don’t know if it’s THE answer… but I’m willing to bet (and I’m not a betting kinda woman), that all signs point to:
INFLAMMATION
There’s an imbalance going on. Deep. A fire has started and it continues to burn. It’s time to put it out.
Before we go there, though, it’s imperative to know how inflammation starts.
In our modern times, a lot of us grew up eating processed foods and fast foods. I mean, don’t even get me started! Back in the day, I was ALL about my drive-thru extra large diet coke and Snackwell’s cookies. “It has no fat! Water has no fat! It’s like a water cookie!” That was my thinking. Sheesh.
Side-note: Did you know there’s an actual phenomenon called, “The Snackwell Effect”? True story. It’s when peeps eat MORE of those “healthy” cookies than regular cookies because, yeah, zero fat. I was so guilty of that! It’s how we’re wired, though. Anyway, get this… Snackwell’s was later cited as a probable factor to the obesity epidemic of the 1990s and beyond! #Ironic
Getting to your goal weight is not about this old notion of calories in and calories out. All calories are not created equal. AMEN.
And now… we’re back to the roots of inflammation:
You have this huge army of healthy microorganisms living in your gut. It’s diverse, to say the least. And when you’re consuming these aforementioned processed foods, you start to get a disproportionate amount of bad bacteria for your good bacteria.
Food is your body’s fuel. When you are putting in chemicals and sugars, which are by nature inflammatory, it’s going to affect your gut health. Captain Obvious, right?
Once we start to get into what specifically is causing your body inflammation and addressing that, the pounds start to come off and your metabolism works better.
But it sounds complicated, Chalene! I don’t want to hear this!
Well, dear reader, how well has that been working for you? TOUGH LOVE.
Look, I’m going to make this easy breezy. It just so happens that in my ONE3ONE DIET you learn how to test which foods are inflammatory for YOU! Do yourself a favor and SIGN UP!
You can’t plant a tree in the desert. You must have the right soil.
Dude, are you listening? Knowledge is power. It feels so good (and fun!) to finally arrive to that place of understanding. To trust yourself. Realize you ARE smart enough to put these pieces together. Some of us (she looks innocently away) have to have it repeated more than a few times and draw pictures, too. Once you finally get it, you are free to feel better. More importantly, LIVE better.
My life goal is to help you do just that.
LOVE YOU.
I NEED NEED NEED to know your thoughts on this, Lifers! Have you tried every which way possible to shed pounds with no luck? Were you obsessed with Snackwell’s, too? LOL What’s your junk food/drink that you find hard to knock? Tell me in the comments! No judgement.
*This blog was my way of Chalene-ifying an episode from my podcast, The Chalene Show.
To listen to the full amazing interview – Dr. Dawn DeSylvia’s Solution To Hormone Related Weight Gain Part I – check it out on an Podcast App!
YES!! I have tried a ton of things Eat Clean Diet, I am considered a Lifetime Weight Watchers (that I have gained all the weight back plus 20lbs doesn’t matter to them) I have done the calorie counting (which for some reason I ended up GAINING weight rather than losing) color coded containers, plain ol’ clean eating, vegetarian style living, 6 small meals, 3 square meals.
I know which type of eating allows me to feel my best but none of these types of programs offer help for what I call “Food Detox”. You know those times when all you want is a bag of cheese puffs and dr.pepper and it’s driving you nutsy that all you have in the house is water and rice cakes so you say forget this and go to the store and purchase all of aisle 5, 6 and 7. The Dieters mindset, weight loss information overload and a long history of weight loss Disneyland has had me trapped!
I cannot wait until this is available. I am approaching 40, and have gained 25 pounds in the past 3 years. I’m 5’2” and 150 pounds. The weight will. Not. Go. Away. I eat well and exercise. Nothing is happening. Is it hormones? Why are the diet/exercise plans that I’ve used before not working now? What’s causing inflammation??? Argh!
Hi love. If you’re eating “clean” as mentioned, then processed foods is not a part of that so why would inflammation be a contributing factor? Never heard of Snackwells but I’ll make sure to steer clear.
Hi Chalene,
You are my inspiration thank you for everything you do. I have learned so much from you and I can’t wait for 131 to start. My story started when I was 12, my mother put me on weight watchers that was the beginning of the end. I have now been eating clean for over a year and I feel that the weight doesn’t want to leave my body . Have I told you how excited I am about 131.
Robin
Hi, I’ve plateaued out at 114 for a month. Still working out, still trying to be good with my eating. My weakness: SALT. I love olives, cheese, potato chips, nuts, beef jerky. I don’t care for sweet things and actually really dislike fast food. I love cooking, but that involves tasting…I’d love to kick my salt addiction and get off this plateau.
I lost 30 lbs. and have been struggling with an extra 5 lb. back and forth since I started weight training back in July. I was chalking it up to added muscle but I think it’s time to be honest with myself and shift some of the focus on my diet. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Fruit!!! Seriously, I can’t get enough of it lately. And I know based on container sizes I shouldn’t be eating as much of it as I do but c’mon… Banana’s, Blueberries, Grapes, Honey Crisp Apples. I admit it, I’ve got a serious sweet tooth and I’ll choose them over vegetables every time.
When I get my hormones working, I feel in control of my eating. BUT one off day and it all comes crashing down and seems harder to get back to my happy zone. Will this be a life time challenge for me? Or will my gut heal some “year” and I can have an occasional meal with friends and family. I feel like I need to hibernate and that does not seem healthy. When I eat off plan, how much can I really eat. It is just once those hormones get off balance, it is not pretty.
Yes, Chalene! I have really learned a LOT about this over this past year and I have been on an anti-inflammatory diet that has finally helped me shed some stubborn lbs. I started in January and have gone from 241 to 212 from Jan-Oct and that is all without exercise. I know I need to get back to the exercise component soon, but my diet restricted me from exercise for the first little bit. Turbo Jam and Chalene Extreme are on my shelf just waiting for the green light. I have to start small first with walking, yoga, and Tai Chi stuff and build back up. Anti-Inflammatory eating is the only way to go for me! 🙂
I can not give up Coke (any soft drinks). I KNOW it’s bad but it’s my kryptonite!!!! I need help!!! 😊
I’m not trying to be “one of those people” but I’ve been stuck at the same weight for MONTHS (coming up on a year). I eat healthy, I workout religiously (I often times double up on workouts). This past week I ate almost no meat, and I LOVE meat. I’m down 6 pounds. Maybe my body is trying to tell me something?…
Snackwells were a staple of mine years ago. Luring you in with their green box, making you believe it’s like Christmas and happy place moments. I have just gone off hormones after 20 years. I’m 56 and an ovarian cancer survivor so I had to take them. After I weaned off them, my weight was horrible. Recently, my husband and I have made the commitment to eat healthier. He lost over 25 lbs and I have lost around 15. I’ll take it! I was an athlete and trained religiously with weights and cardio when I was younger, so I know how much better I feel when active. I’ve been lurking on your website and Facebook page (thanks to Coach Glitter) and feel I’m ready to start Piyo and learn more about cleaner eating. Thank you for everything you share with us.
I need to stop eating “snacks” that aren’t whole foods! love you Chalene!
This resonates with me so deeply. The pain of growing up heavy. Staying heavy. Trying everything. I can’t wait for one 3 one. Cannot wait !