Easy Weight Gain & Difficult Weight Loss: Bloodwork That Can Give You Answers

There is always an answer as to why you might be gaining weight so easily, but losing weight with difficultly. While diet, exercise, and supplementation are important in managing weight, we always suggest getting your blood tested to get to the root cause of your weight gain, and diagnose any underlying abnormalities. By obtaining answers to our questions, we are able to devise treatment plans that may just help you shed those stubborn pounds more easily. Specifically, we recommend:  

1. Full Thyroid Panel:Full Thyroid Panel (Includes: Free T3, T3 Reverse, T4 Free, Thyroglobulin AB, Thyroid Peroxidase AB, and Thyroid Stimulating Hormone):Our thyroid gland is responsible for producing and storing hormones that regulate many of our bodily functions, such as blood pressure, heart rate, and metabolism. Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough hormones, which reduces energy levels and slows down metabolism, ultimately reducing the amount of calories burned each day. Testing thyroid antibodies can help diagnose autoimmune disorders, including Hashimoto’s and Grave’s Disease.

2. Fasting Insulin:Measuring how much insulin is in the blood is helpful in determining whether you are insulin resistant, a condition in which your body is unable to use insulin effectively and cannot produce glucose easily. When insulin is being produced in excess, large amounts of glucose in your bloodstream will be stored as fat. 
3. Fasting Glucose:WhenInsulin resistant cells have difficulty taking glucose from your blood, abnormal sugar levels build up. This has the potential to develop into diabetes. Complications of diabetes include retinopathy, hypertension, kidney disease, nerve damage, cerebrovascular accident, and heart disease. 
4. DHEA:DHEA is a steroid hormone that is naturally produced by the adrenal gland, responsible for converting into male and female sex hormones, such as Estrogen and Testosterone. Metabolism largely depends on normal DHEA production, therefore a decrease in DHEA levels is known to cause weight gain. 
5. Cortisol (AM & PM):Cortisol is a glucocorticoid hormone produced by the adrenal glands. Primarily, Cortisol assists with regulating your body’s response to stress. It also helps regulate blood pressure and sugar levels, controls sleep/wake cycle, and regulates metabolism. High cortisol levels are linked to weight gain of the face and abdomen, deposits of fat in the shoulder blades, excessive hair growth, and muscle and bone weakness. Managing your stress and getting an adequate amount of sleep are highly important for many of our bodily functions. 

Understanding how our own individual bodies are functioning is important in devising an effective treatment plan that will help you lose weight. At Holistix Naturopathic health clinic, eachtreatment plan is customized and manageable with your health. Both wellnessand lifestyle are taken into consideration. Book a consultation for bloodwork with one of our Naturopathic Doctors today by clicking our online scheduling link at the top of our page!