I work with many clients that will say, “I’m eating clean, but I still just can’t lose any weight.” It must be old age, right? Well, sometimes it is. But many times, when we gain weight without any nutritional changes, it isn’t always food related.

Many times it has to do with one of these four things:

1. For women, hormone imbalances (estrogen dominance, PCOS)

Do you have breast tenderness? PMS is worse than ever? Are you gaining weight around your hips, thighs and stomach? Do your cravings for sugar or carbs spike at certain times of the month? Then you may have a hormonal imbalance.

2. Thyroid problems (sluggish T3, low TSH)

Are you exhausted way too often, have muscle weakness, constipation, feel cold even when no one else is cold, and/or have dry, coarse hair? All could be signs that you might have a thyroid problem.

3. Adrenal/cortisol problems (stress hormones)

Are you under a lot of stress and have a hard time sleeping through the night? Do you wake up utterly exhausted (even after a good night’s sleep)? Might be time to check your adrenal hormones like DHEA and pregnenlone.

4. Serotonin levels (low levels in particular)

Are you irritable or short tempered, are you really craving carbs, especially in the fall or winter, feeling a little blue, or feeling not very confidently lately? Do you have tinnitus?

These are just a few examples of the symptoms you could be experiencing.

Fortunately, you can get lab work to see if any of these things are going on with your body. In particular, it’s easy to test for the hormones, thyroid, and adrenals. It’s important to find out if you have any of these imbalances or deficiencies, and if so, why? CentreSpringMD specializes in working with many of these issues.

The good news is there are many things that can be done to correct your levels. I go regularly, every three or four months, to make sure my all hormones are where they are supposed to be, especially since sex hormones can change pretty erratically at my age.

I hope this gives you something to think about if you can’t lose weight or more importantly, you just don’t quite feel like yourself lately. We all deserve to feel and be our best!