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need to request from your physician. But first there is one test you can do on your own. In chapter 4, I asked you to take an accurate waist

measurement. If you’re a woman and your waist measures 35 inches or

Are You Resistant to Weight Loss? | 157

more, or if you’re a man and it measures 40 inches or more, you have

one
of the conditions for metabolic syndrome.

The tests you should request from your doctor are as follows:


Fasting blood glucose:
This test determines how much

glucose (a certain type of sugar) you have in your blood.


Triglycerides:
This is typically part of your overall cholesterol panel, and it measures the amount of triglycerides (
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a type of

fat) you have in your blood.


HDL:
Also a typical part of your overall cholesterol panel, it measures the amount of HDL (your “good” cholesterol, which

helps remove your “bad” cholesterol) in your blood.


Blood pressure:
These days you can even get your blood

pressure checked at a number of local pharmacies, so there’s

really no excuse for not knowing if you have high blood

pressure.

Like me, you might have inherite
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d some of these factors. It’s frus-

trating, but guess what? Life isn’t fair, so get used to it! These conditions can all be managed with your doctor’s assistance and the right

treatment plan. Once you get your numbers back into the healthy

range, your body will be properly configured for weight loss again.

If it was your weight problem that actually caused these issues in

the first place, that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck. You might need

the assistance o
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f medication (perhaps temporarily) in combination

with your new healthy eating and exercise plan as prescribed by your

doctor. Bottom line: have the tests, talk to your doctor about your

concerns, create a clear plan of attack, and more than anything, don’t

give up!

Thyr
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oid Hormone Imbalance

When your thyroid hormones go haywire, you could experience all kinds

of symptoms, including changes in your body temperature, fatigue, hair

loss, hoarseness, changes in texture of your skin, memory issues, and

more. If your thyroid gland isn’t firing on all cylinders, then you might 158 | The 20/20 Diet

also start to pack on the pounds because your thyroid is responsible for regulating your metabolism. Don’t ignore any of these symptoms, and

by all means, discuss them with your doctor.

If your physician thinks you may have an underactive thyroid,

he or she will order tests such as a thyroid ultrasound (to inspect the

physical structure of the gland and to see if there are any goiters) and blood tests to check your thyroid hormone levels.

Should your test results indicate a problem with th
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e function of

your thyroid, there are specific treatments you can undergo, and very

often, once the medications get your thyroid back up and running

properly, your metabolism will normalize and the excess weight will

start to come off.

Estrogen Imbalance

If you’re a woman and you are peri
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menopausal, menopausal, on hor-

mone replacement therapy, have taken birth control pil s for years, or

have been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, it’s very possible

that your female hormones, especial y your estrogen, are imbalanced,

which could lead to weight problems. Some symptoms that could indi-

cate a hormonal imbalance are mood swings, tender breasts, fluctua-

tions in menstruation, genital dryness, hot flashes, or excessive sweating.

There is a lot of information floating around on the Internet about

female hormones. As with all of these medical conditions, do not try

to self-diagnose. I
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t’s important that you go to a gynecologist or general

physician whose opinion you trust and discuss your symptoms and

suspicions. Don’t jump to conclusions or try to take matters into your

own hands and treat yourself with herbs and supplements. A doctor

should guide your treatment plan if a hormonal imbalance is the cause

of your body’s refusal to lose weight.

Slee
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p Disorders

The lack of good sleep can total y derail your weight loss efforts. Sleep deprivation can lead to more hunger throughout the day, and studies

show that sleep-deprived people consume more calories on a daily basis.

Are You Resistant to Weight Loss? | 159

There are two key hunger-related hormones cal ed leptin and ghrelin

that are affected by your sleep patterns. If you’re not able to sleep seven to nine hours per night, those hormones can get out of sync and cause

you to feel hungrier or less satisfied at meal times.

Sleep problems can also increase your risk of insulin resistance,

which basical y means that your body produces insulin but isn’t using

it properly. Insulin resistance can lead to diabetes if it’s not ca
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ught early.

If you have been having trouble falling asleep or if you’re waking

up several times a night, you need to discuss this with your doctor.

There are several underlying causes of sleep problems, ranging from

stress to sleep apnea. Treatment options depend on what’s at the root

of your sleep issues.

Stress Fat/Cortisol Overproduction

Chronic, unresolved stress can wrea
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k havoc on your entire body and

all of its organ functions, and it has the power to block your weight

loss. When you let stress run amok, it has the ability to put you into a continuous state of fight or flight. That means certain stress hormones

(cortisol and adrenaline) are being pumped into your system so much

that it begins to negatively impact many of your body’s most basic

functions.

If you think chronic stress has a choke hold on your mind and

body, your doctor can help. It might be a matter of learning to man-

age the stress throu
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gh simple cognitive-behavioral exercises, or certain

medications could help even out your brain chemistry. Regardless, do

not let another day pass without seeking medical guidance.

Digestive Tract Imbalance

If yo
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u’re regularly faced with digestive symptoms such as bloating,

acid reflux, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, or abdominal pain or dis-

comfort, especially in connection with specific foods, you might have

developed some food intolerances or sensitivities that are contributing

to weight issues. It’s also possible that you have an imbalance of your

intestinal bacteria, which can occur for many reasons, including as a

160 | The 20/20 Diet

reaction to the use of antibiotics or nutritional insufficiencies. Or you might be suffering from an ulcer or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux

disease), which can significantly affect your eating patterns.

Digestive symptoms can be extremely disruptive to your life, and

they can also be a source of embarrassment. But your doctor can do

several tests to determine what’s causing your digestive distress (the

tests depend upon your specific symptoms) and get you b
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ack on track

with the right medication. Probiotics have been a life-changing treat-

ment for many people, but talk to your doctor before you begin using

any over-the-counter probiotics.

If food intolerances or sensitivities are found to be the source

of your gastrointestinal distress, your doctor might recommend

removing certain foods from your diet. If any of those foods are

ones included in this diet plan, by all means, heed the advice of your

doctor! In the Allergy Alert in chapter 7, you'll find a concise list of alternatives for foods in my plan tha
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t are commonly associated with

intolerances.

Taking Action

Now that you have a glimpse into some of the common causes of

weight loss resistance, don’t just smile, nod, and then promptly ignore

all of it. If medical testing and your physician’s expertise reveal that you do, in fact, fall within the category of the weight loss resistant, I am telling you th
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at it’s not the end of the world. In fact, it’s an import-

ant first step to becoming “weight loss triumphant” because you will

finally learn the proper ways to manage your unique biochemical con-

figuration. You can, at last, win control over your weight. You should

feel lighter already now that the yokes of guilt and shame have been

removed from your shoulders.

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On the other hand, I want to put you on high alert for a certain

reaction you might have if you find out you are not currently con-

figured for weight loss. If you learn that your issues are, for exam-

ple, inherited, then your knee-jerk reaction might be to just give up

the ghost. “Well, it was just meant to be, I guess. I’m going to be

fat for the rest of my life just like my parents, and if I die young,

Are You Resistant to Weight Loss? | 161

then I might as well go out with a beer in my hand and a pizza in

my lap.” That attitude doesn’t cut it, not even close. Just because a

few genetic cards are stacked against you, that doesn’t mean you

quit playing the game. This is when you get busy; this is the time

you put your health on project status and you reprioritize so you

can focus on doing whatever it takes to bring the balance back.

There’s really no excuse—others in your position have d
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one it, so

you can too.

No matter what treatment plan you’ll now be following in order

to achieve that balance, you’ve got to give your body time to reconfig-

ure itself. Change doesn’t happen overnight, so don’t get frustrated if

the fat doesn’t instantly start melting like butter on hot toast. It’s very likely that your body will go into temporary shock when you make a

change. That’s a function of our ability to survive; when homeostasis

is disrupted, our bodies want to hang on to all the fat in case there are long, starving days ahead. Your body
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can
learn that it doesn’t need to

go into starvation mode and store everything it’s given, but it’ll take a little while as you work through your prescribed treatment plan. You

may have to work a little harder and have some patience, but good

days
are
ahead. Your decision to seek medical support will be a game changer.

Remember, winners do things losers aren’t willing to, and you’re

a winner.

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162 | The 20/20 Diet

12

MAINTAINING YOUR SUCCESS:

THE MANAGEMENT

I don’t want you to keep accepting what life deals up r
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PHASE

ather

than working to get what you want, need, and deserve.

—
Dr. Phil McGraw

Weight loss success is not a one-t
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ime, fleeting moment of achieve-

ment that fades into the background of your life. Overcoming

a weight problem, no matter how big or small that problem was, is

a
daily
achievement. Think about it this way: When you gradu-

ate from high school or college, walk across the stage, and accept

your diploma, that’s thrilling, right? It’s something you never forget

because you’re proud of your accomplishment. But it is also final

because it represents the end of a journey.

Not so when it comes to weight loss. When you step on that scale

and finally se

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e a healthy number, one that you haven’t seen in a long

time, if ever, it’s exhilarating, and I want you to take pride in that victory.
You
did that! You won the battle. But you shouldn’t think of this achievement as “final.” Your weight loss is an ongoing journey, one

that you live every day. I don’t want you to take it for granted, or else you run the risk of feeling invincible, like you can go back to all your ba
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d behaviors without gaining back the weight.

By the time you arrive at the Management Phase of this diet, you wil

have formed many healthy habits and you will have developed a healthier

relationship with food, so maintaining your healthy weight should be

easier for you now than it was before. But you need to guard against the 163

various danger zones and traps that can ruin everything you’ve done to

this point. Later in this chapter, I will help you “see around corners” by identifying those common pitfal s so you can avoid them.

The Management Phase is a way of eating and living that you can

truly do for the rest of your life. Because you’ve already spent a number of days eating healthy meal portions spaced over the span of your day,

and you’ve familiarized yourself with your hunger signals, yo
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u are start-

ing to feel like you’re on autopilot. Your body is used to this new way of eating, and if you continue to pay attention to your needs, you can keep yourself on track without having to obsessively think about food.

What Now?

The first order of business after you’ve completed Phase 3 is to record