Case Study: Too Tired To Lose Weight

Cheryl is a 35 year old lady who came to see me for help with weight loss. She was carrying 20 excess pounds and had been trying to lose it for the last 4 years. Cheryl did her best to stick to a healthy diet and exercise plan but she never lasted very long because she felt so exhausted all the time. Cheryl didn’t sleep well. Her sleep was light and broken and she woke feeling terrible. Her energy level picked up during the day and the afternoons were her best time. Cheryl’s doctor had diagnosed her with polycystic ovarian syndrome and insulin resistance when she was 29. Cheryl’s mother and her sister both have type 2 diabetes. When her doctor performed a blood test, he found high levels of insulin in her blood. That means Cheryl has insulin resistance (also known as syndrome X or pre-diabetes). People with insulin resistance usually feel very hungry most of the time, and they often experience strong cravings for sugar and carbohydrate rich foods. Cheryl told me she never feels satisfied after eating. She said “I could eat all day and in fact some weekends that’s what I end up doing, but then I feel so terrible and almost have a panic attack thinking about how much weight I’m going to gain”. I wanted to improve Cheryl’s health and energy level; help her to sleep better and reduce the strong cravings. That would make losing weight so much easier. Cheryl had been going about it the hard way for too many years.

My treatment plan

I ordered some blood tests for my patient. Cheryl’s iron and vitamin B12 levels were good. I checked her vitamin D and it was on the low side of normal (28ng/mL). Low vitamin D can promote fatigue and it can worsen insulin resistance, making it more difficult to lose weight. I asked Cheryl to take one vitamin D capsule daily with breakfast or lunch. I checked her thyroid hormones and they were not ideal. Cheryl’s TSH was 3.1 U/L, indicating a mildly under active thyroid gland. A level like this is consistent with feeling tired, a bit depressed, finding it hard to lose weight and experiencing some fluid retention. I gave Cheryl my Thyroid Hormone Cream and asked her to apply ¼ teaspoon in the morning and ¼ teaspoon in the afternoon to her wrists. This would top up her levels of T4 and T3 thyroid hormones, helping to give her more energy. Good sleep is extremely important for weight loss and overall health. I asked Cheryl to take 1 teaspoon of Magnesium Ultra Potent powder with dinner each evening. She often stayed up late at night, staring at her computer screen or smart phone. I explained the negative effects on sleep of exposure to blue light late at night, as described in this article. I asked Cheryl to follow the lower carbohydrate, higher protein eating plan in my Syndrome X book. This is specifically designed for people with high insulin levels who struggle with cravings and hunger. The Synd-X Slimming Protein powder makes a delicious and filling smoothie, to keep hunger away. Taking one Glicemic Balance capsule with each meal would help to stabilize her blood sugar and further reduce cravings.

Three months later

Cheryl was able to lose 17 pounds and she feels so much better. She said “life feels so much easier now that I’m not so exhausted all the time. I’m getting stuff done faster and don’t get as stressed out by minor things anymore”. She has been able to stick to a healthy eating plan most of the time. Cheryl said “I can get away with eating a bit of chocolate here and there and it doesn’t start my cravings, but ice-cream is my dangerous food; I need to stay away from it entirely because once I start eating it, I can’t stop”. Cheryl has done very well and found an eating plan she can comfortably stick to long term. The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.