Do you have health SYMPTOMS that you are trying to resolve? Are you focused on fixing the symptoms or are you interested in looking at the "bigger picture?"
What if the ANSWER was right in front of you in plain sight? However, if you are too focused on the symptoms, you might fail to see it.
The #1 root cause of symptoms is much simpler than you think. It's a CELLULAR ENERGY DEFICIT!
Your body cannot RUN on EMPTY. For whatever reason, whether it's low caloric intake, low nutrient intake, poor lifestyle, stress, low carbohydrates, etc.-- your intake might not keep up with the demands you are put on your body every. single. day. Plain and simple. There is just NOT enough for your body to do all it needs to do to keep you SYMPTOM free.
But you think this "isn't you", Think again!
If you have any of the following, THIS APPLIES TO YOU:
These are all signs that your body CAN'T keep up with the daily demands you are putting on your body! Because I know that examples help, so here are some of this in action:
- Your body cannot maintain a healthy temperature of 98.6 degrees if it does not have the proper nutritional resources. Your body might adapt for SURVIVAL by lowering your body temperature.
- Can't get pregnant? Maybe your body can't "afford to do so" with what is coming in. Your body might have temporarily adapted by pressing the pause button on your reproductive cycle.
- Do you work out chronically and have a "slow pulse?" You might be burning MORE calories than you are taking in on a regular basis and your body has adapted by slowing your pulse to help you survive on less food.
- Can't sleep or have INSOMNIA? Maybe you are RUNNING on stress hormones all the time because your body has exhausted its regular sources of energy. Or perhaps your body is no longer able to balance your blood sugar while you sleep so you wake up in the middle of the night because of low blood sugar.
- Can't lose weight? It might be that your low calorie (thus low nutrient diet) has left your organs starving for energy and it has pushed your body into a famine-induced state that is telling your body to hold on to fat to help you survive. Or maybe your liver is malnourished and your body is not able to properly detoxify toxins and that is adding a toxic burden to your body?
In the words of Dr. Ray Peat, PhD,
"If we learn to see problems in terms of a general disorder of energy metabolism, we can begin to solve them."
So let's begin to solve the BIGGER problem instead of just chasing the symptoms we see on the surface. When you start to pay attention to your body, and what it's trying to tell you, then you can start to reverse the vicious cycle! Focus on making sure you give your body what it needs every day (calories AND nutrients), so that your cells can begin to work more efficiently at creating energy for your whole body. Your body is a system of systems, and an increase in energy at the cell level will have a positive ripple effect throughout your WHOLE BODY. However, if you've been digging yourself into a deficit for YEARS, its going to take a while to dig yourself out of nutritional debt.
BOTTOM LINE: If you have a lot of chronic symptoms, your body is in SURVIVAL MODE. Time to flip the switch. Your body has LEARNED to operate this way, and you CAN teach it differently!
Heather r
I really liked this post. Great information and it is refreshing to hear someone give Advice that is based off of real food and body nutrition rather than diets and fads. I am curious where you studied as I have looked for years and have not found a program or school I fully trust to teach me what I want to learn. Thanks
colleen
why does the area around my eyes have a weird puffy, tingly feeling. my tummy is tight with pressure and a bloated look and feeling. is it possible it's just good old fashioned stress? i just got married and have had a lot of changes this year. it feels like these symptons have shown up over night. i have a mad sugar/carb craving and can see where i'm probably magnesium deficient. but what are these other physical symptoms and what do i do? i've tried bone broth, elimination diet. as i said, maybe stress, maybe my intestines?
thank you so much for any insight. 🙂
~colleen
endurance
so, what's the reason? :p
Uddin
Like it 😉
Colleen
I'd like to know whyy tummy is tight with pressure a And feels bloated with anything ineat or don't eat. I've done elimination diet, bone broth etc. Could it just be old fashioned stress? And why are my eyes puffy and itchy I'm trying to decide if it's sugar? Is this an allergy or my body not processing things properly? I've been craving sugar and carbs and chocholate like crazy. Help!
Sylvie
not sure if my post got to you.
i replied about the systemic yeast overgrowth that your symptoms point to.
if the post got lost i will repost it.
🙂
Colleen
Oh yes. Please resend/repost. Looking forward to reading 🙂
Colleen
Sorry for the double post. I didn't think it went through 😉
Jessica
What is the answer? How do address the deficit. I can loose weight no matter what and the only way I can sleep is if I take a unisom. Any insight would be helpful. I love your blog!
Catherine
The answer is a cellular energy deficit, meaning your body is not taking in enough calories and nutrients to create enough energy for your body to run on.
Jessica
I have heard that before but how do I know how much to eat? I know everyone is different but any clues other than above symptoms? I consider myself fairly knowledgable about nutrition and eat well it just seems odd my weight doesn't bedfellows not matter what. I am 160 and 5'6 and 40 somewhere in the 140's is ideal for me. I have been eating more coconut and mct oil also. Any help would be great frustrating to excercise and eat well and have no results
Sylvie
hey Jessica,
i maybe able to help if you tell me what you eat and when.
yes you're right -diet is key.
seems you may have some low functioning liver symptoms and overloaded kidneys hence difficulty sleeping.
do you have any other symptoms?
Sylvie
hi Jessica,
changing your diet is the answer.
i can tell you more if you are really interested.
you would have to let me know what you eat daily and we can go from there and what are some other health issues you're experiencing as they usually point to what should be addressed first.
cheers
jessica
the only health issues I have are inability to loose weight
insomnia (I have had my natropath test my hormones and I make very little Gabba and melatonin)
achy knees and shoulders
I eat usually 2 egss (organic is available) with a bit of cheese, coffee with coconut oil, gelatin (great lakes), stevia and a splash of half and half
lunch usually salad, leftovers, stirfry, either leftover meat of talipia. or salmon, sandwich on rye.
dinner usually meat, veggie or salad, and carb sometimes I eat a small amount of carb sometimes not. Occasional spaghetti usually GF (not always)
snack usually plain greek yogurt with berries. I buy grass fed beef but organic check or pork is out of budget for me. I do buy nitrate free bacon and lunch meats.
Coconut oil chocolate, or dark chocolate. about 1 time a week dessert usually small portions.
I have tracked calories and I land around 1800. I am 5 6 and 160, 40 years old with 4 kids. So budget and time are issues I need to be cautious off.
I work out 2-3 times a week, I tend to take weight class, crossfit, or Barre class.
let me know if email is better for you, feel free to email me also with the email I listed. I appreciate any help!!
Sylvie
It's always about food.
99% of illnesses are nutrition based- nutritional deficiencies (huge consumption of food-like products containing virtually no nutrients), overload with toxins from horrible food-like products, plus digestion thrown off balance by the concentrated/refined sugar/carbs consumption and huge consumption of meds. So the digestive tract stops functioning properly- liver and kidney- the 2 most important organs stop functioning due to the toxic overload and the illnesses start to kick in.
It's really as simple as that.
That's why we can only fix our health with the right diet, never with drugs.
Lisa
This is a great post!
I am a Bowen Therapist and I believe that alongside proper nutrition Bowen can really help with slowing the body down and help build up energy reserves at a cellular level.
One day I hope that Bowen Therapy will be widely known and accepted as a completely holistic treatment that everybody should use!
Ali
To colleen,
I have the same symptoms going on! I am working with a naturopath currently.... I cut out sugar for almost two months and didn't really see much of a change. Added back fruit in two protein shakes a day since I need to add calories. Any insights would be great. I know I have leaky gut.