How to lose weight according to your fat cells
“You can’t make someone love you, all you can do is be someone who can be loved, the rest is up to the person to realize your worth.”
Believe it or not, this is kind of like our fat cells. There’s so much stigma and ‘stuff’ around weight, that we would do anything to make our body do what we want, when we want, whenever we want- to which our body says, yeah… no guarantees. Our fat cells have at at least 10 receptors and even more signals, all of which work with our already present physiology that can enlarge, maintain, or shrink them. I know.. I’m cringing a little too, but stay with me- here’s how you can use this to your benefit.
Before we ‘lose weight’, aka the number drops (and stays) on the scale, our fat cells fill up with water, and then we release water- that’s sustainable weight loss- to where all of our signals are wiring differently that our body trusts itself to lose weight. We need fat to survive, so theoretically losing weight is going against survival. That makes many many mechanisms in our brain want to hold on- this is exactly why consistency is key and why that one night of partying is not going to sabotage your efforts. Actually, it may just be a clue to what’s working in your life or what isn’t.
The receptors on our fat cells include things like vitamin D, inflammatory markers, signals that tell us we’re full, hormones like testosterone and estrogen, stress response related hormones, and insulin (i.e. blood sugar), as well as some signals that actually help regulate our blood pressure. Yet we’re all so fantastically different that if you give the two people the same scenario (i.e. meal, situation, health concerns), their fat cells will respond differently to varying degrees depending on their past history, family history, genetics, lifestyle, outlook on life (e.g. emotional health and wellbeing), etc. Our body is literally saying there’s multiple moving parts and signals that need to be addressed in order for us to recalibrate on another level to make us feel safe and get off those frustrating plateaus- rather, to get curious in what we can change.
Cool, so then how can you address all those signals without feeling completely overwhelmed? I got you. The only way ‘out’ is through, so we need a super solid foundation that will really cover all this:
Drink at least 80 ounces of water per day- When you exercise, drink more, make it fun by letting some berries and/or cucumbers sit in there, and consider starting your morning off with lemon and/or apple cider vinegar in there as well. Those are very detoxifying, help ‘wake us up’ after we’ve been horizontal all night as things are somewhat stagnant, and give our liver an extra boost- a super important organ in weight loss (amongst other things) as many of those receptors on the fat cell represent processes that involve the liver. Plus, we’re about 70+% water.. and we lose it constantly through sweat, tears, bathroom breaks, caffeine, stress, and alcohol- let’s replenish.
Aim for 12 hours between dinner and breakfast (and minimize snacking)- Intermittent fasting aids in resting our digestion (we don’t need to be eating all the time, we actually have at least 3 processes in place where our body can derive energy from stored carbs, proteins, and fats to turn into whatever we need), and diverts energy towards, let’s say making those new connections from your consistent healthier habits! And also helps repair anything else that was maybe on the brink of being turned in to a symptom. This is a great place to start, and very effective not just help with weight loss, but more energy, reduce cravings, balance hormones, improve mental clarity, feeling overall grounded, and many other benefits.
Vitamin D levels around 40-50- The range is 30-100… so really if your levels are 29 or 31, you probably won’t feel that much difference. I’ve seen cases improve when levels are bumped up around here, and to some extent higher depending on the concern. Laboratory levels are usually based on what’s been studied for pathological changes, not necessarily what improves our state of well-being or prevention (this is where narrowing ranges and diving into physiology helps us explain why labs can be normal even if we don’t feel fantastic).
We can’t always tell our fat cells what to do, or guarantee the day we drink enough water, fast for 12 hours, and get our vitamin D up that all of a sudden the weight will drop immediately and then - we’ll be happy, we’ll do this activity, we’ll wear that piece of clothing, etc. Sustainably losing weight and adapting an overall different lifestyle is just that- it’s challenging you to live differently, If you’d like to learn how to maximize your efforts so you’re making the most of your time, let’s get your strategy here.