If you’ve ever been stuck at a weight plateau and NOTHING seems to help, it may be time to look inwards and no I don’t really mean mentally or emotionally but rather inside of your body.

Your gut, your thyroid, your hormones. These are all things that majorly effect your body and your overall ability to lose weight, gain muscle or even just function regularly on a day to day basis.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Jenn Cino this week who is a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner. Below is a brief summary of what we went over. Make sure to listen to the podcast episode to get the full scoop! (linked to the bottom of this post)

Sorry guys, this week’s episode is more focused on the ladies but it might not hurt to take a listen if you want to be able to support your lady 🙂

Is birth control killing your gains?

Many women experience a reduction in androgen, or male hormones such as testosterone while on the pill. This is great for curing things like acne, but it can also cause you to see a reduction in strength. As we know, testosterone is good for building muscle as well so it can hinder your ability to build muscle as fast as you could have if you were not on the pill. There are many case studies on the subject but I think it is fair to say it’s probably very individualized. As someone who was on the pill for 6 years, I am personally leaning towards the side of this being true due to the science behind it.

Should you go to the gym when you’re on your period?

Jenn makes a great point in our talk that instead of listening to a trainer, a doctor or an outside source, listen to your body.

If you’re feeling really bloated, tired or not well, it is probably best to skip the gym for a few days. There is no harm in doing so. Pushing yourself to go when you’re not feeling good can place additional stress on your body which can make your symptoms even worse.

What can you do to make your period “easier” on you?

Your liver plays a key role in metabolizing your hormones so the less stress you can place on it, the better off you will be.

Your liver will prioritize toxins such as processed food and alcohol since they are recognized as poison over metabolizing your hormones.

To support liver health, Jenn recommends things such different herbs, dandelion teas, and castor oil packs.

Liver health plays into the thyroid as well so good liver health will help support your thyroid function.

Gut health is stress?

Gut health also plays a major role in your hormones functioning properly. The microbiomes in your gut help your estrogen detox so making sure your gut health is in line can make it much easier on your body when it’s that time of month.

When your gut health is off, it can cause a lot of stress in the body.

Stress can make your period symptoms worse, can throw off your meal schedule and mess up your sleep which can in turn, make your stress even worse or trigger anxiety.

Additionally, cortisol and adrenaline levels raise when you’re stressed.

If you’re skipping meals, fasting or think you’re feeling fine when you’re not eating – you could be used to the adrenaline rush you get from feeling like you’re doing something good for your body when in actuality, you’re doing the opposite.

Fasting, skipping meals and under eating overall cause blood sugar levels to drop, cortisol levels to raise and your body gets put into a hyper stressed state.

As with anything, that adrenaline rush can become addicting. As a result, you’re essentially so addicted to feeling of stress that comes from skipping meals, fasting, under eating, etc. that it becomes the norm and you don’t even feel the true stress of it anymore.

It’s pretty difficult to remove stress from your life completely because life is never smooth sailing but learning to be consistent in managing your stress day to day will be a HUGE game changer.

Jenn’s top 5 tips for getting started if you’re struggling with your thyroid, gut health, or just losing weight in general

1. Get enough sleep – 8 hours is great but timing is important too. Try to work to go to bed around 10 pm. Circadian rhythm gets thrown off when you go to bed at later times which can throw off your melatonin production. In turn, it throws off your ghrelin and leptin levels which are your hunger hormones. The next day you may find yourself snacking, not satisfied or ravenous if your sleep schedule is thrown off.
2. Get sunlight in the morning – instead scrolling on your phone first thing in the morning, opt for a quick 10 minutes outside in the sunlight to optimize hormones and energy levels.
3. Eat enough & hydrate plenty – this will depend on your goal but even if your goal is fat loss, make sure you’re not severely under eating. Try to get at least half your body weight in lbs in oz of water each day.
4. Strength train – cardio is great for the heart but strength training builds muscle. Muscle improves insulin sensitivity which helps with blood sugar imbalances and energy crashes.
5. Eat enough protein – try to get 30-40g first thing in the morning and follow through your day trying to hit your protein goal overall. If you’re unsure of how much protein you need for your goal, use my calorie and macro calculator below. Make sure to read the instructions carefully.

Freshman Fitness Calorie & Macro Calculator

Recommended testing

HTMA – hair tissue mineral analysis. Tests for past 90 days of minerals and heavy metals. Helps determine how your metabolism is functioning on a cellular level. Minerals help with hormones, adrenals, thyroid function etc. Helps determine if your body is depleted and not absorbing the nutrients you’re eating which could be the reason your body holds onto weight.

GI Map – stool test that shows bacteria microbiome, parasites, gut infections which can also be the reason you’re not absorbing nutrients. Shows inflammation levels as well.

To wrap it up

You may be experiencing symptoms that you don’t realize are connected to poor gut health, liver function, thyroid function or hormonal imbalance.

If you seem to have tried everything but nothing is working, it may be time to reach out and get tested!

Until next time,

Coach Emily