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Connection of Food Addiction (Weight) and Nervous System Dysregulation


I’ve talked about the effects of Cortisol and excess weight and health conditions, but I wanted to follow up and dive in deeper to further explain WHY Cortisol gets a bad reputation.


We know that too much Cortisol over time can lead to burnout, high blood pressure, and increased cravings, while too little Cortisol leaves us feeling apathetic, depleted, exhausted, and hopeless. But what is essentially happening here is that our nervous system has become dysregulated, and while it’s trying to find homeostasis, it simply is in a constant state of “REACTING” to the next stressor.


I’ve talked about everyone having a “Toxic Bucket” and when that bucket gets too full, anything and everything can trigger a “reaction.” This is similar to a dysregulated nervous system. People end up vacillating between a “Fight/Flight” and a “Freeze” state due to prolonged periods of stress and/or trauma.


We hate to feel uncomfortable so we reach for “Artificial Type Regulators” - alcohol, sugar, caffeine, excessive social media, keeping ourselves busy, etc. And when these things don’t work, we turn to the healthcare system to try and diagnose chronic pain, mystery illnesses, gut disorders, etc., but our medical system is not set up to support the process of “Regulation.”


So when it comes to our health, and specifically metabolic issues, weight loss resistance etc., an approach that ONLY focuses on weight will simply not work.


woman meditating

Why do you think people only go so far in their diets before they give up? The majority of people enter into a “diet” or start taking a “medication or injection” WHEN they are completely and utterly dysregulated. So what we do is bypass our nervous system so we can FORCE weight loss. Meanwhile, all the stress, the trauma, the emotional eating patterns, and the dysfunctional relationship with food increases.


Now I am ALL about Nutrition, I think I’ve made that clear, but as we start to change our diets and focus on better decisions, we have to also work on our nervous system by looking at our current stress, trauma, lifestyle and mindset. Our body AND brain need to both be on board in order to create space for true and sustainable health.


If you are looking for a WHOLE-ISTIC and long-term SOLUTION to your current weight and health issues, I’d love to connect!


Xo,

Rachel

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