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If You’re Not Gaining Muscle or Losing Fat, Here’s Why

Think tracking your body composition is just about vanity? Think again. The only way to know for sure if you’re dieting and exercising effectively is to consistently measure your body fat, water levels, inflammation, and muscle mass. And the only way to make changes is to know what needs changing.

Why You’re Not Seeing Results

You spend an hour in the gym seven days a week. You eat healthy meals and get plenty of sleep. Yet, as the year draws to a close, you’ve seen virtually zero change in your muscles or you’ve failed to lose that 10 pounds. What gives? You may be unknowingly deterring your efforts or dealing with undiscovered health issues. Much like Sherlock Holmes, consistent body composition testing with tools like the Fit3D Proscanner and InBody can uncover the cause. In the meantime, consider the following questions.

Are you incorporating resistance training?

Man doing pushups

Resistance training is essential to muscle growth. (Photo via Pexels)

The stress of resistance exercises, like push-ups and planks, actually injures the muscles, causing satellite cells to come to the rescue to repair and grow the muscle. If you aren’t doing this type of exercise regularly or you’re not performing the movements properly, your chances of gaining muscle mass diminish.

Are using correct form?

If you are doing resistance training but still not seeing results, or you have “jacked” arms and stick legs, you may not be doing it right. Whether you’re not contracting hard enough, changing form, or not targeting specific muscle groups, it’s easy your effort to be all for naught.

Do you have a balanced diet?

If you’re struggling to build muscle or lose fat, you may be eating too little, too much, or not incorporating enough protein. It’s understandable to think eating less will have a positive effect on your fitness goals, but if your body enters starvation mode, you could end up with metabolic adaptation. Take a good, hard look at your diet. A balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrates is essential for muscle growth and fat loss.

Are you dealing with hormone dysfunction?

Fruit, veggies, toast, and orange juice on table

A balanced diet aids muscle growth and fat loss. (Photo: Jannis Brandt on Unsplash)

Whether it’s your adrenal glands, metabolic damage, nutritional deficiencies, biochemical stress, PCOS, or intestinal inflammation, hormone dysfunction may also hamper your efforts.

Do you struggle with food allergies or intolerance?

Whether you know you’re allergic to peanuts and eat a PB&J sandwich anyway, or you don’t realize you’re lactose intolerant and constantly eat ice cream, your body may be dealing with inflammation from intestinal issues; a huge roadblock.

Do you have an injury?

Untreated injuries also cause inflammation, which can deter your efforts. While a twisted ankle will show swelling proudly, a less obvious internal injury could be lingering undetected.

Testing Leads to Success

Fortunately, consistent use of body composition tools like the Fit3D and InBody helps search out all of these barriers to muscle growth and fat loss. Hundreds of measurements provide unparalleled insight into your body functions, so you know exactly what to change to make changes.

Ready to test your body composition? We have the tools. Get in touch.

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Can You Gain 10 Pounds of Muscle in a Month?

You’ve already set your New Year’s resolution into motion…you’re going to gain 10 pounds of muscle by January. You’re going to eat more protein, deadlift like a demon, and track your progress all the way. What are your chances of success?

Two champagne glasses with ribbons and ornaents

New Year…New Muscle Gains! (Photo: Pixabay)

Not very good. Unless you’re Chris Hemsworth, dedicating every hour of every day to nutrition and fitness to look like Thor, you shouldn’t expect to make such a significant gain. Studies show it’s just not likely.

Don’t Try This at Home

Let’s take a look one study that put men who had never lifted weights to the test. Over the course of a month, they cut their calorie intake to just 60 percent of daily requirements, took high doses of protein supplements, and performed circuit training, sprint intervals, high intensity interval training (HIIT), and plyometric workouts. The result? Participants gained roughly 1.2 kg, or 2.6 pounds, of muscle mass. Even with all that hard work, and having the potential to make gains quicker as a novice weightlifter on their side, only 2 pounds were packed on. And because of the severity of the regimen, nobody sustained their transformation.

What about female weightlifters? Keeping in mind that they typically gain about half the amount of muscle mass as their male counterparts, another group of researchers found that novices gained about 0.5 kg, or 1.1 pounds, in their first month of training.

For seasoned lifters and athletes who have a rigorous training plan, muscle-gain expectations actually diminish and tend to correlate with time spent training. You may be able to push through plateaus and make more gains by changing your training plan and diet, but it’s rare for anyone—newbie or veteran, man or woman—to see more than 2 pounds in a month.

So, How Can You Accomplish Your New Year’s Resolution? 

First off, be realistic. Our friend, Chris Hemsworth, was able to gain 20 pounds of muscle mass over a few months because he worked one-on-one with a Navy Seal, spent half of every day in the gym, and ate high-protein meals every two hours. Most of us can’t make that kind of commitment with our 9 to 5 jobs and day-to-day demands. So, what can you do to make noticeable gains?

  1. Increase protein intake…but don’t forget carbs and fats.

    Egg on top of toast with avocado spread

    (Photo: Alison Marras via Unsplash)

    Protein contains the 20 amino acids essential for muscle growth, but it can’t do the job alone. A diet balanced in protein, carbohydrates, and fat is the most effective way to get results.

  2. Do the right kind of exercise.

    You may run five miles per day and do curls until your biceps scream, but are you seeing visible changes in your muscles? Probably not. Incorporate resistance training in your fitness regimen, and you’ll see a big difference. The stress of resistance exercises, like planks and push-ups, actually injures the muscles, causing satellite cells to come to the rescue to repair and grow the muscle.

  3. Remember to rest.

    Avoid over-exercising, which can cause your hormones to go haywire. Testosterone, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), and growth hormone (GH), are necessary to let the muscle know that it’s time to repair and grow. And since GH is released mostly during sleep, you’ll want to catch your Zs if you want it to do its job.

  4. Track your progress.

    As we discussed in our previous blog post, tracking your body composition is essential to making real changes. Cutting-edge technology like the Fit3D Proscanner and InBody can provide incredible insight into your progress. If you’ve yet to take advantage of these extraordinary devices, schedule a scan at Twin Cities Metabolism and get your first scan free.

Ready to put your muscles to work? We’re ready to guide you. Get in touch.

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Metabolic Minute #20 – What you should be measuring instead of your weight

The scale is probably the worst way to track body progress.  So if tracking weight is the wrong thing to do…. what should you be tracking to make sure your health and fitness are on track?  In today’s video we breakdown the number one thing all those exercising or dieting should be using to track their progress.

For more information on this topic visit the article on our blog entitled “Here’s how you really measure body composition”.

Never miss a video Subscribe to our YouTube channel here.

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Here’s How You Really Measure Body Composition

It finally happened. You got so frustrated with the numbers on the scale that you threw that thing out the window. While you probably did so for the wrong reasons, we commend you. The scale is probably the worst way to measure and track your weight.

The fact is, the numbers didn’t climb because of your body fat—the scale doesn’t actually measure that. As we described in our last blog post, daily fluctuations are almost always the product of water or inflammation, and your scale simply doesn’t know the difference. It’s lumping bone, fat, muscle, and water together and weighing them all at once. So, now that your scale is lying on the sidewalk in pieces, how can you accurately track your progress on your quest to drop pounds?

7 Ways to Measure and Track Body Composition


1. DEXA (Dual X-ray Absorptiometry)

DEXA is the gold standard for measuring body composition and bone health. The scan precisely measures the percentage of fat, bone, and lean muscle throughout your body, including visceral fat (the deep kind that’s wrapped around your organs).

  • Pros: It’s quick and easy, taking just 10 minutes for a scan, and considered the most accurate measurement of body composition.
  • Cons: It’s expensive, costing $100-200 per scan. Also, while you should be tracking regularly, exposing yourself to radiation weekly or monthly isn’t so good.
Woman under water

Underwater weighing is one of the options for measuring body composition. (Photo by Emma Paillex on Unsplash)


2. Hydrostatic Underwater Weighing

Fat floats and muscle sinks. Hydrostatic underwater weighing keeps this in mind. It determines body density by measuring your bodyweight outside water and then under water after exhaling completely, along with the water density. The resulting body density is put into an equation to determine your body fat percentage.

  • Pros: Unless you’re afraid of the water, it’s relatively reliable and accurate.
  • Cons: It’s costly and not widely available. Also, many people have difficulty exhaling completely and staying completely still.


3. BOD POD

Sit in this large egg-shaped fiberglass device for about three minutes, and you have a precise measurement of your body fat and weight, as well as your resting metabolic rate. The system uses air displacement technology, which is as accurate as underwater weighing, but quicker and easier to perform.

  • Pros: It’s highly accurate, and accommodates all ages and sizes.
  • Cons: Locating a Bod Pod can be difficult, and it can get costly with regular use.
Computer screen showing lab results

Fit3D measures body composition and you can track results online. (Photo by Carlos Muza on Unsplash)


4. Fit3D

Twin Cities Metabolism’s Fit3D Proscanner technology uses infrared light and a camera to scan and measure over 400 points on your body before converting them into precise body measurements. Once the scan is complete, you can track your updated data online.

  • Pros: It provides one of the most comprehensive, non-invasive body composition assessments with a quick, 40-second scan. Plus, it’s affordable. At Twin Cities Metabolism, it’s $35/scan, $99 for a four pack, or $149 for an eight pack, which brings the per-scan price down to $18!
  • Cons: You’ll have to remove most of your clothes for the best reading, and it’s possible to misinterpret the results when viewing on your own.


5. Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis

Devices like the InBody offered by Twin Cities Metabolism, which uses bioelectrical impedance analysis, send tiny electrical impulses through the body and measure how quickly they return. Since lean tissue conducts electrical impulses quicker than fat, a faster response time means a leaner physique.

  • Pros: BIA is fast and inexpensive, and you can test with or without a trained professional. At Twin Cities Metabolism, the InBody scans cost $35/scan, $99 for a four pack, or $149 for an eight pack, which brings the per-scan price down to $18.
  • Cons: You can’t use BIA if you’re pregnant or have a pacemaker.


6. Skin-Fold Calipers

If you don’t mind a little pinch, skin-fold calipers can reveal your body-fat percentage. After pinching and measuring the thickness of specific body areas (typically the chest, arms, abs, and thighs), your numbers are used in a formula that estimates overall fat.

  • Pros: Since the calipers are inexpensive, they’re easily accessible at fitness centers. The assessment can be performed in a matter of minutes.
  • Cons: Results can be unreliable if the exact area isn’t pinched each time or someone new measures you. Also, it only measures fat under the skin, not the deep, visceral fat.

Looking in the mirror is a solid way to gauge body composition. (Photo by Mike Wilson on Unsplash)


7. At-Home Methods

When it comes to quick, easy, and accurate, measuring tape and a mirror are all you need. In fact, looking in the mirror regularly gives you a better idea of body composition than a scale. Like the scale, however, measuring tape won’t tell you how much body fat you have. It simply shows you how big you are, which can be skewed if you’re really muscular.

Regardless of which method is used, everyone should be tracking their body composition on a regular basis to achieve and maintain lasting health.

Ready to put the tools to work for you? We’re ready to guide you. Get in touch.

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Metabolic Minute #19 – Why the scale is a liar

We’ve all been there. You weigh yourself Monday and you’re five pounds more on Wednesday. You didn’t overeat, you exercised, and you’re feeling generally healthy. You can’t blame the scale, can you? Actually, you can.

The scale is a bad tool.

If you’re serious about weight loss or fitness, you can’t trust your scale for accurate tracking. Every time you step on, it’s weighing water, bone, muscle, and fat, with no real specificity. To lose body fat, you must weigh and track body fat. Enter the body composition assessment—the only way to get a true measurement of your progress.

For more information on this topic visit the article on our blog entitled “If You’ve Ever Wanted to Throw Your Scale Out the Window…Read This.”

Never miss a video Subscribe to our YouTube channel here.

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If You’ve Ever Wanted to Throw Your Scale Out the Window…Read This

We’ve all been there. You weigh yourself Monday and you’re five pounds more on Wednesday. You didn’t overeat, you exercised, and you’re feeling generally healthy. You can’t blame the scale, can you? Actually, you can.

The Scale Is a Bad Tool

When you’re trying to lose weight, the scale becomes your trusty guide. You give it love every day, and it can be incredibly frustrating to see the numbers go up despite your hard work. The fact is, daily fluctuation is common. Day to day, a 100-pound person can see a two- to three-pound increase or decrease, and a 200-pound person can see a five- to six-pound difference. In the worst cases, some people even see a weekly change of up to 10 pounds.

Here’s the rub. You want to lose body fat, and the scale doesn’t specifically measure that. If you dropped five pounds over two days, you didn’t necessarily lose fat. (Maybe that’s why you still can’t fit into your favorite jeans.) You simply can’t lose that much fat mass in a day or two. So, what did you lose?

The Impact of Water and Inflammation

Water bottle pouring water into glass

Dehydration can affect how much you weigh. (Photo via Pixabay)

Sure, calories in/calories out is still a thing, but hydration plays a huge role in determining what side of that equation you come out on. A large fluctuation in weight over a short period is almost always the product of water. Maybe you had a little too much alcohol last night or your lunches have been loaded with salt. Or maybe increased stress levels have been pumping out the hormone aldosterone, which makes your body retain as much liquid as possible. Whatever it is, being dehydrated can easily swing the scale.

Then there’s inflammation—another form of water that’s always the symptom and cause of an underlying issue. That nagging knee injury or food allergy flareup can cause inflammation—which believe it or not—carries weight in pounds (So does that double-cheeseburger sitting in your colon since last night, but that’s preventable poundage.).

So, how can you know for sure what’s causing your weight gain or loss?

Body Composition Tells All

If you’re serious about weight loss or fitness, you can’t trust your scale for accurate tracking. Every time you step on, it’s weighing water, bone, muscle, and fat, with no real specificity. To lose body fat, you must weigh and track body fat. Enter the body composition assessment—the only way to get a true measurement of your progress.

At Twin Cities Metabolism, we use advanced InBody and Fit3D Proscanner technology to scan your body limb by limb to see exactly where your weight resides. This delivers the truest picture of your overall physique, and should be utilized by everyone on a regular basis to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Next week, we’ll take a closer look at this revolutionary technology to show what it can do for you.

Ready to take charge of your weight? We’re ready to guide you. Get in touch.

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Metabolic Minute #18 – When you’re tired but can’t sleep, you pop a pill

But what do you do when your adrenal glands aren’t at their peak—when exhaustion, brain fog, and illness persist? Is there a magic tablet to take? A simple solution to swallow? Believe it or not, there is kind of, but it’s only a short-term fix to a potentially long-term problem.

The stress of metabolic adaptation, chemical exposure, food allergies, and hormonal imbalance can overwork your adrenal glands, and many people are quick to take adrenal adaptogens for this fatigue. Similar to whipping a horse for a burst of speed, these herbs will certainly boost function in the short term, but what happens when you stop taking them if you haven’t addressed the cause? You’re back to square one—sick and tired.

For more information on this topic visit the article on our blog entitled “Put your adrenal fatigue to bed.“

Never miss a video Subscribe to our YouTube channel here.

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Put Your Adrenal Fatigue to Bed

When you’re tired but can’t sleep, you pop a pill.

But what do you do when your adrenal glands aren’t at their peak—when exhaustion, brain fog, and illness persist? Is there a magic tablet to take? A simple solution to swallow? Believe it or not, there is, but it’s only a short-term fix to a potentially long-term problem.

The stress of metabolic adaptation, chemical exposure, food allergies, and hormonal imbalance can overwork your adrenal glands, and many people are quick to take adrenal adaptogens for this fatigue. Similar to whipping a horse for a burst of speed, these herbs will certainly boost function in the short term, but what happens when you stop taking them? You’re back to square one—sick and tired.

How to Boost Adrenal Function Naturally

If an eyelash is stuck in your eye, you don’t use eye drops or take aspirin for the irritation. You remove the offending eyelash. The same goes for adrenal fatigue. You must remove the aggravating factors to improve your glands’ overall function. Because the longer you continue making poor lifestyle choices, the more your body struggles to recuperate from physical and emotional stress.

The causes of adrenal fatigue vary, but taking small steps can hugely benefit how your glands function. Here are three ways to do just that.

1. Improve your diet

Adrenal recovery and a healthy diet go hand in hand. Start by removing foods and ingredients that tax your adrenals, such as:

  • Caffeine: Can lead to sleeplessness, causing adrenal wear and tear
  • Carbohydrates: Increase blood sugar levels and inflammation as the adrenals are forced to release more cortisol
  • Hydrogenated oils: Vegetable oils are highly inflammatory, leading to adrenal inflammation
  • Sugar and artificial sweeteners: Overconsumption causes a rapid rise and fall in blood sugar levels, and forces the adrenals to release cortisol to bring your blood sugar levels back up

Next, introduce foods that are high in fat and low in sugar, and packed with nutrients and fiber, including:

Carrots, tomatoes, kale nuts, strawberries

A healthy diet can improve adrenal function. (Photo: Pexels)

  • Avocado
  • Bone broth
  • Coconut & Coconut oil
  • Cruciferous veggies
  • Fish
  • Ginseng
  • Kelp and seaweed
  • Nuts
  • Olives
  • Sea salt
  • Seeds

 

2. Exercise…but not too much

Physical activity is great for the mind and body, but overdoing it and cause your adrenals to underperform. Over-exercising can create an inflammatory buildup in the body, leading to water retention. Next thing you know, you’re stuck at the same weight for months, looking a lot puffier than you remembered.

Woman lifting a barbell

Over-exercising can push your adrenal glands to the limit. (Photo by Isabella Mendes via Pexels)

If you’re wondering if you’re overtraining, consider taking advantage of the revolutionary InBody technology available at Twin Cities Metabolism, which measures fluid retention, the first sign of overtraining (more on that in an upcoming blog post!).

3. Avoid chemicals and toxins

In our busy world of instant gratification and convenience, it’s difficult to completely avoid chemical stressors—but you can limit exposure. At home, choose fresh foods over microwaveable, ultra-processed meals with preservatives and fillers. Stop loading up on over-processed red meats that are high in hormones and lacking nutrition. Choose grass-fed beef, and free-range turkey or chicken instead, and consume them in moderation.

Test and Address Adrenal Fatigue

If you suspect your adrenals are being pushed beyond their limit, a quick saliva and/or blood test for cortisol and DHEA can provide a diagnosis. But to get to the cause—the previously mysterious root of your adrenal fatigue—you’re going to need additional testing. Fortunately, Twin Cities Metabolism has seen it all, and we know what to look for.

Ready to take charge of your adrenal fatigue once and for all? We’re ready to guide you. Get in touch.

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Metabolic Minute #17 – Your body is sick and tired of adrenal fatigue

Who would think that something the size of a walnut and weight of a grape can have such control over your health? The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys, working hard to manufacture the hormones that make you vital and full of life. When they’re overworked, you’re overwhelmed with health issues.  In today’s video we discuss the science of why adrenal fatigue creates many different bothersome symptoms.

For more information on this topic visit the article on our blog entitled “Your Body is Sick and Tired of Adrenal Fatigue.“

Never miss a video Subscribe to our YouTube channel here.

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Your Body is Sick and Tired of Adrenal Fatigue

Who would think that something the size of a walnut and weight of a grape can have such control over your health? The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys, working hard to manufacture the hormones that make you vital and full of life. When they’re overworked, you’re overwhelmed with health issues.

What If?

Silhouette of man standing in fog

Stress and poor diet put strain on the adrenals, causing brain fog. (Photo: Harman Abiwardani via Unsplash)

If you’re experiencing brain fog…

.. then you may have a nutritional deficiency. Many of the factory-farmed meat and processed foods we eat don’t support brain health. Your brain relies on a steady stream of vitamins and minerals, glucose, essential fatty acids, and amino acids to function. Stress and a poor diet put pressure on your adrenal glands, causing inflammation and changes to the three primary hormones (cortisol, dopamine, and serotonin) that determine your energy, mood, and focus.

If you’re feeling “puffy…”

…then you may be retaining water. Stress can trigger your body’s fight-or-flight response and pump out the hormone aldosterone. When functioning normally, this chemical regulates your blood pressure, and levels water and electrolytes in your blood. Under stress, aldosterone tells your kidneys to retain salt, which makes your body retain as much liquid as possible, so you feel bloated.

If you can’t lose weight even though you exercise and eat right…

…then your metabolism may have adapted. When you’re an under-eater and/or over-exerciser, your adrenal glands get stressed, produce an over-abundance of cortisol, and leave you with metabolic adaptation—or worse, metabolic damage.

Woman blowing her nose

Adrenal fatigue can run down your immune system.  (Photo via Pixabay)

If you’re constantly getting sick…

…then your immune system may be compromised. Continual stress can weaken the adrenals to the point where they can no longer adequately stimulate your immune system to keep you healthy. While you may only be dealing with recurring colds or the flu, proper immune system function is responsible for preventing more serious conditions like cancer and autoimmune diseases.

If you have a thyroid condition, and synthetic hormones don’t help…

…your adrenal function may be to blame. People with thyroid disorders often have weak adrenals. And if they’re underproducing or overproducing cortisol, your thyroid condition can get much worse.

If your libido is diminished…

… you may have low hormone levels. When your stress levels are high and energy levels are low, reproduction takes a back seat to survival and recovery. To conserve energy, your body lessens (and in some cases, stops) the production of estrogen and testosterone—the hormones responsible for your sex drive.

Boost Your Adrenal Function Naturally

Fortunately, a saliva and/or blood test for cortisol and DHEA can help diagnose adrenal fatigue, but you’ll require a variety of other tests to diagnose the cause. At Twin Cities Metabolism, we’ll start by asking you the right questions, follow with a battery of tests to banish any doubt about a diagnosis, and proceed with a customized treatment plan (which we’ll explore in next week’s post).

Ready to take charge of your adrenal function? We’re ready to guide you. Get in touch.

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Metabolic Minute #16 – Why do my adrenal glands hate me!?

So you have adrenal fatigue… now what?  Many people mistakenly blame their adrenal symptoms on the “mental/emotional stress” in their lives.  In reality, the adrenal system frequently becomes “worn down” from chemical and physical causes instead.  In this video we highlight 3 common “not mental or emotional” causes of adrenal fatigue.

For more information on this topic visit the article on our blog entitled “Why Do My Adrenal Glands Hate Me!?“

Never miss a video Subscribe to our YouTube channel here.

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Why Do My Adrenal Glands Hate Me!?

You walked around for years in a sleepy state, unable to lose weight, and feeling cold and puffy—but you finally know why! Your metabolism doctor confirmed that you’re suffering from adrenal fatigue. And now you have even more questions.

What are you doing to cause that extra wear and tear on your adrenal system? Why do you have increased inflammation? In short, why do your adrenal glands hate you?!

Your Adrenals Aren’t the Cause

As we mentioned in our last blog post, something is making your adrenal system work overtime, and more often than not, it’s biochemical and/or physical stress. These stressors cause the inflammation that’s putting your health at risk. Let’s take a look at a few.

Woman doing situps

Over-exercising can negatively impact your adrenal glands. (Photo: Pixabay via Pexels)

Over-Exercising

A few blog posts back, we introduced you to Danielle who stacked up three hours in the gym each day but fell flat on results. While her struggle had more to do with undereating and metabolic adaptation, if she took a closer look at her ankles instead of her biceps, she might have picked up a clue. Over-training can cause an inflammatory buildup in the body, manifesting as puffiness. Chances are, when Danielle removed her socks, sports bra, and smartwatch, there was an outline where each of them had rested for her three-hour workout. And had she visited her metabolism doctor, cutting-edge technology could have precisely measured her fluid distribution and confirmed she was over-exercising.

Food Allergies

Food allergies and intolerances are on the rise. Research shows that over the past 10-15 years, 15 million Americans, including 1 in 13 children, have a food allergy. What’s worse, many people are unaware they suffer from food intolerance because their symptoms vary and often appear hours, or even days, after the food is consumed. So, they keep eating that gluten or drinking that milk, creating a nasty chemical reaction that ultimately damages their adrenals.

Tractor harvesting wheat

Adrenals are affected by increased use of chemicals in agriculture. (Photo: Pixabay via Pexels)

Toxins and Chemicals

You might wonder why your grandparents’ generation didn’t suffer with all these food allergies. Well, you can blame the increased use and production of chemicals in industry and agriculture for that. In the “good old days,” food wasn’t yet treated with additives, antibiotics, and hormones to help preserve shelf life. While they’ve made life more convenient, they’re ultimately damaging bodily tissue and causing the inflammation that affects your adrenal glands. Add in the toxins we breathe in daily from the production process, and it’s enough to make you want to live on a deserted island.

What You Can Do

Instead of packing up and setting sail for Solitary Island, you can take real steps to overcome the stressors that are strong-holding your adrenals. At Twin Cities Metabolism, we can help you make small changes in your daily life to ensure extraordinary results for your health.

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Metabolic Minute #15: A hidden cause of your fatigue

If you are like many americans you might be walking around tired.  A few cups of coffee in the morning, and sugar in the afternoon are what keep you going.  In this video we discuss a hidden cause of fatigue and how to find it.

For more information on this topic visit the article on our blog entitled “Is Sleep Making You Tired?“

Never miss a video Subscribe to our YouTube channel here.

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Is Sleep Making You Tired?

Ah, sleep. It’s a wonderful thing. After an undisturbed eight hours, you feel rested, refreshed, and ready to attack the day.

Except when you’re not. Instead you find yourself crashing mid-morning…and never really rallying back. Your energy’s low—and your eyeballs weigh 100 lbs. And since no doctor has been able to diagnose the issue, you feel your zombie days will never come to an end.

Maybe It’s Adrenal Fatigue

When you’re always tired, your body enters a stressed state, gets inflamed, and tries to compensate—especially the adrenal gland system. This stress-response organ of the body is like a fulcrum, and every move you make in your life wears it down. When the wear and tear get to be too much—health issues ensue. That extreme fatigue you’re feeling day to day? It’s likely adrenal fatigue.

But it could be more than exhaustion. You could experience:

But My Doctor Said…

Doctors coat with stethoschope

Conventional doctors don’t look deep enough (photo: pixabay via Pexels)

If you’re one of the unlucky undiagnosed, you already visited your conventional medical doctor about your symptoms. Perhaps they even suspected an adrenal issue (good news!), but then approached it from an adrenal disease standpoint (possibly bad news). Here’s the thing. When conventional medicine suspects an issue with the adrenal system, they test for a complete failure of the gland itself. If it’s completely “broken,” you have Addison’s Disease. If there’s an overproduction (resulting from adrenal tumors), you have Cushing’s Syndrome. What if you have neither?

Could it be that it’s not a complete failure of the glands, and instead, they’re just not working as optimally as they should? Perhaps they’re not in a diseased state, but rather, showing signs of wear and tear? Here at Twin Cities Metabolism, we approach adrenal fatigue by looking beyond the system itself.

You’re Stressed Out

Something boosted your inflammatory levels, and more often than not, it’s biochemical and/or physical stress. Sure, we all sit around worrying about our growing to-do lists and racked-up regrets, but that’s mental stress. And while it can surely affect your adrenal function, we see a much closer relationship with biochemical and physical stress. Conditions like leaky gut syndrome, blood sugar disorders, and over-exercising can put your adrenal function through the wringer. If you don’t dig deeper to see what’s damaging yours, you may be doomed to low energy and high dependence on medication for life.

Fortunately, we do dig deeper. Next week, we’ll provide a closer look at those biochemical and physical stressors that can cause adrenal fatigue to see if they’re too present in your life.

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Metabolic Minute #14: So, You Have a Hormone Disorder… Now What?

You’ve had your suspicions.  They’ve grown over time.  But now you are fairly certain hormones could be to blame for your symptoms and health concerns.  In this video we lay out a 4 step process for regaining hormone balance for good.

For more information on this topic visit the article on our blog entitled “When your health hinges on your hormones“.

Never miss a video Subscribe to our YouTube channel here.

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When Your Health Hinges on Your Hormones

You’re low on testosterone? Here’s your needle. High on estrogen? Here are your pills. Low on progesterone? We’ll pass the cream. While conventional medical doctors have your best interest in mind, this is often their starting point—and the end of a deeper investigation. Now, you’re stuck taking hormones for who knows how long, without discovering if you actually do have the ability to produce your own.

Sign stating Ask More Questions

It’s important to find the cause before treating your symptoms (Photo: Photo by Jonathan Simcoe via Unsplash)

Why isn’t your body producing hormones? Why is it producing too many? Is there a systematic issue that’s tripping it up and getting you down? These are the questions to ask from the start. The same questions help determine whether you do, in fact, have a hormone disorder—and they might enable you to dispense with the medication. Wouldn’t that be nice?

So, You Have a Hormone Disorder… Now What?

As we discussed in our previous blog post, many patients think they have a hormone issue before they even visit a doctor. From a symptom standpoint, multiple health conditions can manifest as a hormonal imbalance, so it’s important to confirm this first. Once diagnosed through a series of saliva tests, the real magic happens.

Step 1. Find the Cause of the Hormone Disorder

Whether it’s your adrenal glands, metabolic damage, nutritional deficiencies, biochemical stress, PCOS, or intestinal inflammation from food allergies or yeast overgrowth, something is holding back your hormone potential. Once you get to the root of the issue through additional testing, it’s easier to address it.

Step 2. Don’t Be So Quick to Medicate

Pills, syringes, and vials

Turning to medication first is a bad choice for hormone issues (Photo: pixabay.com via Pexels)

If you’re like Suzanne Somers, you’re into a quick fix. She even has her own brand of bio-identical hormone products—medication and supplements that are chemically identical to what our bodies are capable of producing. But easy isn’t necessarily best when it comes to your health. Who wants to live a life popping pills or coating themselves with creams, when you can uncover the cause and take care of your health concerns for good?

Even worse, many of these “solutions” have potential ramifications. As late-night infomercials show the night owls, there are a number of class-action lawsuits related to testosterone replacement and the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots. That’s a risk we hope you’re not eager to take.


Step 3. Treat the Cause

Once you’ve identified the cause of your hormone imbalance, it’s time to eliminate it—naturally. The most common cause/treatment plans include:

  • Metabolic Damage – Get a hold of your weight and nutrition with a personalized plan.
  • Chemical Stress – Actively minimize exposure (i.e., stop heating your food in plastic and drinking out of plastic water bottles left in a hot car).
  • Nutritional Deficiency – Identify the minerals and vitamins you’re lacking, and infuse them into your diet.
  • PCOS – Stabilize ovarian function and limit impact.
  • Liver Function – Detox and sweep out toxins for enhanced liver function.


Step 4. Turn to Conventional Medicine if Needed

At Twin Cities Metabolism, we have a resounding success rate with our natural, seek-treat-and-delete hormone solutions. If we’ve identified your health concern and taken all the right steps to correct it, without improvement, you may choose to be referred to a conventional medical practitioner. Whether you need an oral contraceptive to better treat your PCOS or require a more invasive, surgical procedure, you’ll have some peace of mind knowing you took all the right steps beforehand.

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Metabolic Minute # 13 – The top 5 signs, and causes of low sex hormone levels

Low sex hormone levels create a long list of symptoms including weight gain, menstrual cycle abnormality, fatigue and loss of sexual function.  While many of us blame the aging process, recent research suggests age is not the cause.  In this video we discuss 3 potential causes of low sex hormone levels you likely haven’t heard of.

For more information on this topic visit the article on our blog entitled “Nobody’s in the Mood for Low Sex Hormones“.

Never miss a video Subscribe to our YouTube channel here.

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Nobody’s in the Mood for Low Sex Hormones

You’ve got hot flashes, night chills, and you’re never “in the mood.” Sounds a lot like menopause—but wait—you’re only 30! While aging certainly affects our sex hormones, something more serious, and treatable, may be lowering your levels.

Signs Your Sex Hormones Are Low

When you’re not busy standing in front of a fan, wrapping yourself in a blanket, or giving intimacy the cold shoulder, you may find yourself experiencing the following symptoms if your sex hormones are low

  • Loss of ability to lose weight
  • Loss of ability to gain muscle mass
  • Menstrual cycle abnormalities
  • Decrease in vigor or energy
  • Loss of sexual function

So, you’re overweight, under stimulated, and completely exhausted. It’s no wonder all you want to do is sleep in your bedroom. But what’s causing the decline? It could be any number of the following.

Metabolic Adaptation

When sex hormone output is low and you’re under 40, metabolic adaptation is usually in full swing. Just ask our friendly baboons from a few blog posts back. Researchers found that their hormones, like humans’, are brilliantly adapted to turn off everything that’s not essential to surviving when under stress. If you’re suffering from metabolic adaptation or damage, your adrenal glands get pushed to their limit (known as adrenal gland suppression), creating a stress response that shuts down the production of estrogen and testosterone.

Fumes rising from the ground on a city street

Synthetic chemicals affect hormone production (Photo by Ethan Hoover via Unsplash)

Synthetic Chemical Exposure

As mentioned in our last blog post, plastics, resins, and pesticide interfere with hormonal processes. The intense chemical stress placed on the body causes the adrenals to fail, which trickles down to the sex hormones, often decreasing their production. Add to this any increased inflammation caused by biochemical issues like food allergies and yeast overgrowth, and your adrenals don’t stand a chance.

Missing Precursors

Just like prerequisites in school, if you’re missing “precursors,” your hormones aren’t going to function very well. Take DHEA, for instance. Your body uses this precursor hormone to make estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone—so without it, you’re operating at a loss. Other precursors like vitamins, minerals, and nutrients are also needed for the body to make sex hormones. If you have nutritional deficiencies, you simply may not have the raw material needed to make them

Age-Related Decline

Elderly man's arm holding a ball with younger person's arm assisting

Hormone levels naturally decline as we age (Photo: Matthias Zomer via Pexels)

We’d all love to find that elusive fountain of youth, but until we do, aging is inevitable. Everyone has a natural slowdown of hormone production as get older—especially women entering menopause. For men, testosterone peaks at about age 18 and falls from there, until it appears to plateau for good around age 40. So, yes, age does affect hormone levels, but should you put too much stock in that? No. Far too many people abandon their health too soon with the justification that, “I’m getting older…there’s nothing I can do.” But there are plenty of people who are incredibly healthy, vibrant, and amorous well into their 70s.

Getting a Hold on Your Hormones

Nobody should have to live with the symptoms of hormonal imbalance. High or low, there is hope for your health. Check back next week as we dive deeper into diagnosis, treatment, and maintaining a hormone-balanced life.

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Metabolic Minute #12: Are Hormones Making You High?

When hormone levels go too high we can experience weight gain, abnormal menstrual cycles, and a long list of other symptoms.  Abnormally high hormone levels can come from overproduction inside our bodies, or also from chemicals found in our environment.  In this video we discuss the connection between environmental chemicals and abnormally high hormone levels.

For more information on this topic visit the article on our blog entitled “Are Hormones Making You High (But Not in a Good Way)?“

Never miss a video Subscribe to our YouTube channel here.

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Are Hormones Making You High (But Not in a Good Way)?

You’ve had some acne, a bit of hair loss, and a growing spare tire under your shirt. Could be that you’re eating right, exercising, and not all that stressed out. If that’s the case, it might be time to see if you’re high…on hormones.

Your hormones—particularly your sex hormones—have critical control over many of your body’s functions. When the levels are too high, those functions can diminish, along with your health and self-esteem. While you may feel “hormonal” at certain times of the month, if you have severely elevated levels of estrogen or testosterone, you could be dealing with a more serious condition.

Effects of Estrogen and Testosterone Overload


PCOS

If you’re plagued with acne, male-pattern baldness, or you can’t get rid of that belly pudge, you could be suffering from one of the most common hormonal disorders in women: polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS. This common, yet highly treatable condition causes an overproduction of both the female and male sex hormones with the formation of tiny cysts on the ovaries. Symptoms may include:

Woman hiding her face

PCOS can cause acne, hair loss, and weight gain (Photo: Pixabay)

  • Weight gain, often appearing as roundness around the middle
  • Menstrual abnormalities, especially heavy, painful periods
  • Hair loss from the scalp and hair growth on the face, back, or chest
  • Oily skin and acne
  • Fertility issues
  • Insulin resistance and too much insulin
  • Depression or mood swings


Fibroids

Sometimes, that “spare tire” isn’t actually fat—it’s a fibroid. Caused by elevated estrogen levels, these noncancerous tumors grow within the uterine wall and can range in size from a few millimeters to as large as a watermelon. When they’re this big, a woman’s stomach can become so distended that she looks pregnant. You might not have any symptoms at all. If you do, look for:

  • Frequent urination
  • Bladder or rectum pressure
  • Constipation and/or rectal pain
  • Lower back and/or abdominal pain

The Chemical Connection

Peaches, bananas, plums, and other fruit

Much of today’s fruit is sprayed with chemical pesticides (Photo: Nancy Folgmann via Pexels)

That fruit that fills your fridge, the spray that cleans your counters, the container you put your couscous in while it cooks. A growing number of synthetic chemicals have been added to our lives in the form of plastics, resins, and pesticide, and they’re silently damaging your health. These chemicals, known as endocrine disruptors, interfere with the actions of hormones by imitating them (known as estrogen mimetics), or increasing or decreasing their production.

Enter Estrogen Dominance

Our increased exposure to chemicals has created an environment that’s threatening our health. Enter estrogen dominance, a hormonal condition that can cause several concerning symptoms in both women and men. Put simply, estrogen dominance is when there’s too much of the female sex hormone floating around in your bloodstream. Everyone—men, women, and children—suffer from it because there’s just so much of it in our environment. You’d have to practically live in a bubble to avoid pesticides, plastics, car exhaust, and cleaners—and unfortunately, they’re all increasing the level of estrogen that surrounds us.

Estrogen dominance manifests as mid-section weight gain, acne, heavy periods, mood disorders, and more. You can especially see it in the increase of men carrying fat in their chest area—a phenomenon rarely seen before the onset of this plasticized generation. At the same time, being overweight itself can also cause estrogen dominance. As your body fat increases, so do your levels of the enzyme aromatase, which converts testosterone to estrogen. More estrogen means more fat, and with more estrogen in the environment, the harmful effects are doubled.

Is Low the Way to Go?

Although high hormone levels are bad for your health, low levels can be equally as detrimental. Next week, we’ll take a look at what happens when yours are in a slump.

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