Video summarized in article below
Dr. Carrie: Weight gain. The tendency to gain weight is very common in adrenal fatigue. It is also very common to have a very difficult time losing the weight. A lot of the weight sometimes is in the abdominal area. So, they gain this adipose tissue and this fat tissue in here. It’s very hard to lose. This is because your body is really trying to slow down and conserve when you have adrenal fatigue.
Dr. Michael: Now, it’s like a body. Imagine that a body’s under stress. It tries to run away. In order to run away, you need energy. So, when the body’s going through this stressful situation, it wants to conserve as much as possible. So, it hangs on to fat as a way of storing metabolism and energy. The best place to actually do it is in your waist area. That’s why the muffin top is very common because that’s where a lot of the cortisol receptors are concentrating, versus the periphery.
It’s almost impossible to fight against the body when you have this phenomenon because it’s really a metabolic phenomenon. It’s not a matter of a diet issue, unless you go through extreme starvation, which is very disruptive to the rest of the body. Then you’re going to lose this fight.
Therefore, the weight issue is a problem, we know that. But the approach to how to use this info to reverse the weight has to be done systematically, starting at the root--by helping and supporting a healthy adrenal system first.
Once that is done, the weight will come off. So, don’t worry about the weight. Give it some time. Understand that the weight issue is really a reflection of underlying adrenal weakness oftentimes, and then focus your energy.
It may take a little time, maybe three months, maybe six months, but you’re better off that way to do it right rather than go through yoyo diets and all kinds of extreme changes whether it’s keto, paleo, fasting, that can crash your system when you’re not ready.
Dr. Jeremy: Right. So, the key to losing weight in adrenal fatigue, like Dr. Lam is saying, is really just to stop fighting your body. Stop trying to diet. It’s taking the time to get your adrenals back on track and really fortifying your adrenals.
Once your adrenals, your reserve, has come back, and once you’ve gained your energy back, then you can exercise and diet without having to worry about your body crashing and putting your body through all that unnecessary stress.
Dr. Carrie: That is something that we do see very often. People think, “I need to exercise until I’m so tired in order to get this weight off.” If you have adrenal fatigue, it’s very important to know what stage you’re in because sometimes, at later stages, you should conserve your energy more than you should spend it.
