Underlying Metabolic Imbalances Quiz
1. Do you often feel anxious, stressed or overwhelmed?
a) Yes
b) No
2. Do you gain or hold weight primarily around your midsection and/or have a hard time losing fat around the midsection?
a) Yes
b) No
3. Do you get 8-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night?
a) Yes
b) No
4. Do you wake up feeling rested?
a) Yes
b) No
5. Do you have food cravings, especially in the afternoon or evenings?
a) Yes
b) No
6. Do you feel hungry often throughout the day, even after eating?
a) Yes
b) No
7. Do you suffer from low or fluctuating energy throughout the day?
a) Yes
b) No
8. Do you tend to run cold?
a) Yes
b) No
9. Do you have high cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood sugar or high blood pressure?
a) Yes
b) No
10. Women : do you have PMS, menstrual irregularities, mood swings, low sex drive or symptoms associated with menopause? Men : do you have low sex drive, irritability, muscle loss or problems with erections?
a) Yes
b) No
11. Do you crave certain foods or eat mainly the same things every day?
a) Yes
b) No
12. Do you have gas, bloating or indigestion on a regular basis?
a) Yes
b) No
13. If you go 3-4 hours without eating, do you get cranky, fatigued, light headed, dizzy or get headaches?
a) Yes
b) No
14. Do you find it hard to lose weight or gain muscle even with regular workouts?
a) Yes
b) No
15. Are you:
a) Male
b) Female
16. Are you vegetarian or vegan?
a) Yes
b) No
Thank you for taking or quiz to help you determine your possible areas of underlying metabolic imbalances. Your results are outlined below.
Your Underlying Metabolic Imbalances
Your answers have helped us determine your possible underlying metabolic imbalances, which are detailed below.
Our Research and Why OBB is Different
Did you know that ninety-five percent of dieters regain their weight back in the same amount of time it took to take it off? This statistic provoked us to take a step back and figure out why individuals are not able to lose weight and keep it off. The diet program mantra of eating less, exercising more, and counting calories is often just not working for most people.
Our research and clinical experience has led to the development of a new approach to optimizing metabolism and body composition. We have identified the key areas of metabolic damage that prevent many individuals from losing weight and keeping it off. By identifying and addressing your specific underlying metabolic imbalances, we can correct the primary metabolic challenges preventing you from losing weight, leading to effective and permanent weight loss.
You and Your Underlying Metabolic Imbalances Are Unique Everybody is biochemically different. We each possess our own unique biochemical and metabolic blueprint which means that each and every one of us has completely unique nutritional, physical, emotional and psychological needs. This quiz is designed to identify YOUR specific underlying metabolic imbalances and provide you guidance on how to begin to address them.
So what are your UMIs? Based on your answers, you most likely suffer from the following underlying metabolic imbalances:
Adrenal Fatigue : also known as STRESS!
Adrenal fatigue happens when you have moderate to high levels of stress for an extended period of time. This stress can come from overworking, not getting enough sleep, constant worrying, too many things on your plate, emotional stress and even working out too much. All of these things can eventually cause hormone imbalances that lead to weight gain, particularly around the mid-rift (waist and hips), as well as problems with blood sugar, hormone imbalances, sleep and appetite. Stress is often one of the key causes of 'emotional eating' and if your adrenals become too fatigued, you can experience 'adrenal burnout'. If this happens, you will often gain weight very easily and it will be nearly impossible to lose, even if you exercise and eat 'right'.
Sleep deprivation
Most people don't even consider sleep as a factor that could keep them from losing weight. However, data shows that the less you sleep, the more likely you are to be obese. There are many mechanisms at work here, but it turns out that chronic sleep deprivation due to the inability to stay asleep or sleep enough hours can lead to insulin resistance by raising the stress hormone cortisol. This has the dual negative effect of making you crave sugar and putting on fat easier : a pretty bad combination if you are trying to lose weight! In addition, lack of sleep lowers human growth hormone (HGH), which makes it harder to put on muscle mass, encouraging fat storage. Sleep deprivation is also known to affect two hormones, leptin and grehlin, that you have most likely never heard of, but that play a big role in overeating. Imbalances in these two hormones increase the desire to eat and to store fat. This leads to inappropriate hunger and decreased satiety.
Neurotransmitter Imbalances
Neurotransmitters are a class of chemical messengers in the body that help regulate many body functions. Most people have heard of several common neurotransmitters, including serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) and are familiar with some of their functions in regards to mood and sleep. However, they also directly impact your appetite and cravings. Neurotransmitter imbalances will increase cravings and appetite- particularly for carbohydrates/sweets, especially in the mid-afternoon and evening. This makes it particularly difficult to lose weight, because your will power is no match for your brain chemistry and you will eventually 'blow' a diet and give into the cravings and binge. Neurotransmitter imbalances are at the root of many addictive-type behaviors - including addictions to various foods, alcohol, drugs, and actions - all of which will thwart any attempt at losing weight through traditional weight loss methods. Therefore, one of your keys will be to identify and address your specific neurotransmitter imbalances so you can eliminate your cravings, naturally reduce your appetite and help you improve your sleep so you don't have to use 'will-power' to get you to your goals.
Thyroid imbalances
The thyroid gland is your metabolic powerhouse. Not producing enough active thyroid hormone can have a huge impact on your ability to lose weight. This is because the thyroid directly regulates your metabolism. Low thyroid function makes gaining weight easy and losing weight nearly impossible. If you think of the thyroid gland as a thermostat, when the thermostat is running low, every process in the body works slower. A depressed metabolic rate is one of the biggest contributors to weight loss resistance.
Sex hormone imbalances
Sex hormone imbalances can be caused by numerous factors, including other underlying metabolic imbalances, including adrenal stress, thyroid imbalances, sleep imbalances and insulin resistance; but they are also greatly impacted by nutritional imbalances and environmental chemicals, particularly those called 'xenoestrogens'. These are chemicals, found in many plastics and pesticides (and some drugs), that can mimic estrogen in the body and cause a great number of detrimental hormone imbalances over time.
Hormone balance is ESSENTIAL in order to lose weight. PMS, menopause, andropause (male menopause), and HRT use are all signs that your sex hormones will dramatically impact your ability to lose and maintain your weight. Hormone production and interaction in the body is an incredibly complex topic. However, basically hormones are chemical messengers in the body. If communication between the hormones breaks down due to hormone imbalances, the body will not be able to function correctly. Professional guidance is often necessary to help you reach your perfect hormone balance which is exactly what the Optimal Body Balance Program will do for you.
Insulin Resistance
Proper blood sugar regulation is imperative to your overall health and healthy weight loss. However, with insulin resistance, the body no longer takes sugar and other nutrients into the cells where they can be used for energy production. This causes more fat storage, especially around the midsection. In addition, chronically elevated insulin causes chronic inflammation and lower serotonin which can lead to the breakdown of muscle, increased fat storage around the abdomen, and cause cravings, especially for sugar. All of these also cause a worsening of insulin resistance which over time can lead to blood sugar imbalances, cholesterol problems, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Improper Gastrointestinal (Gut) Function
Imbalance in the microbial environment in your gastrointestinal (GI) tract, called dysbiosis, can have a tremendous impact on your ability to lose weight. Aside from numerous gastrointestinal complaints, such as acid reflux, gas, bloating, indigestion, constipation and diarrhea, dysbiosis causes incomplete or improper digestion so that you do not get the full value from your food, causing you to eat more in order to satisfy your body's nutritional needs. You may be eating the best foods on the planet, but since you are not breaking them down properly, you are still nutrient deprived.
In addition dysbiosis also sets the stage for you to have delayed food hypersensitivities which can cause you to crave the very foods you are intolerant to creating a vicious cycle resulting in continued weight gain, GI problems and frustration.
Toxic Burden
Toxins are basically any substance that the body cannot use and must eliminate. Some are created by the body itself during regular metabolism or immune function. However, most of our toxins come from our environment: pesticides/herbicides on our foods, food colors, additives and preservatives, pollution, drugs, alcohol, tobacco : all of these substances increase your toxic burden. These toxins can disrupt proper digestion and elimination, creating hormone and neurotransmitter imbalances (which will affect your mood, energy, focus, concentration, pain levels, etc.), decreasing energy production and disrupting your overall body chemistry.
Our body has several specific mechanisms to modify and eliminate these substances, but its capacity is limited. These limitations are more pronounced if the diet does not include adequate nutrients to supply this never-ending need. When the body's detoxification limits are reached, the toxins in our bodies start to accumulate, and the most common way for the body to protect you from these toxins is to store them in body fat.
However, the drawback to this method is that the body will do everything possible to NOT burn away that body fat, as to do so would mean those toxins would be released causing the body's toxic burden to increase. Your body will literally slow down your metabolism in an effort to NOT burn body fat that is being used to reduce the body's toxic burden. Therefore, it becomes vitally important to help the body release and eliminate these toxins, allowing you to lose the body fat and optimize your body chemistry.
Now what?!
Now that we have uncovered your personal underlying metabolic imbalances what can we do about it? The Optimal Body Balance Program was designed to help you address the specific reasons preventing you from losing weight, and we have an option for everyone: Online, Group and 1-on-1.
Optimal Body Balance, Online
Can’t come to us? We'll come to you! OBB – online! Do you feel that you have been "Workin' it" but it just isn'tworking? Isn't it time to get to the root of the problem? That's where we come in. This comprehensive program allows you to learn about overcoming your specific underlying metabolic imbalances and work at your own pace from home. Sign up for the online program here.
Optimal Body Balance, Group Program
We've designed a program that brings together the science of weight loss with the fun of doing it together with friends. This program starts with an individualized getting started visit and then meets weekly for 12 weeks. You will have a team of educators to help you through the journey along with the other members of the program. Check to see when the next class starts!
Optimal Body Balance, Personalized 1-on-1 programs
The journey starts with a comprehensive Getting Started Visit with program director, Sheila Robertson. The initial visit is followed by a 12week program that focuses on balanced and whole foods nutrition, teaching lifestyle changes through one-on-one counseling and providing the accountability and support you need using compassion, enthusiasm and positivity. Contact Sheila today to get started!
Supplement and Remedy Recommendations
Learn more about the role of these supplements in achieving optimal body balance
|
Remedy/Supplement |
Upon Rising |
Breakfast |
Mid - morning |
Lunch |
Mid - Afernoon |
Dinner |
Before retiring |
|
|
1 scoop |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Optimized Irvingia : b4 meals |
|
2 |
|
|
|
2 |
|
|
Wellness Essentials |
|
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
|
|
GI Revive |
|
2 |
|
3 |
|
2 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
|
4 |
|
|
|
4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
|
2 |
|
2 |
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
|
|
TranQ |
2 |
|
|
|
2 |
|
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1-3 |
|
|
as directed (this is a 7 day detoxification program) |
NOTES:
-> If you have neurotransmitter imbalances, you may need further adjustments to achieve proper balance. See Achieving Proper Neurotransmitter Balance for guidance.
-> It is very important to get in all the amino acid supplements daily; if you miss a dose, take them at some other time during the day
-> If you experience nausea when taking the NeuroReplete, discontinue and follow the attached dosing recommendations
-> If needed, you can open the NeuroReplete capsules and pour them into water/juice/applesauce; do NOT open CysReplete capsules
- You must CHEW your food at LEAST 30 times (it should be liquid) before swallowing.
- Water : drink 2-2.5 quarts of water/tea daily in divided doses (4 oz. (1/2 cup) every 30 minutes optimal)
-> Relax before eating : take at least a few deep breaths and stop thinking for a few minutes before eating.
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