I work with many clients that will say, “I’m eating clean, but I still just can’t lose any weight.” It must be old age, right? Well, sometimes it is. But many times, when we gain weight without any nutritional changes, it isn’t always food related. Many times it has to do with one of these four things:
1. For women, hormone imbalances (estrogen dominance, PCOS)
Do you have breast tenderness? PMS is worse than ever? Are you gaining weight around your hips, thighs and stomach? Do your cravings for sugar or carbs spike at certain times of the month? Then you may have a hormonal imbalance.
2. Thyroid problems (sluggish T3, low TSH)
Are you exhausted way too often, have muscle weakness, constipation, feel cold even when no one else is cold, have dry coarse hair? All could be signs that you might have a thyroid problem.
3. Adrenal/cortisol problems (stress hormones)
Are you under a lot of stress and have a hard time sleeping through the night? Do you wake up utterly exhausted (even after a good night’s sleep)? Might be time to check your adrenal hormones like DHEA and pregnenlone.
4. Serotonin levels (low levels in particular)
Are you irritable or short tempered, are you REALLY craving carbs (especially in the fall or winter), feeling a little blue, or feeling not very confidently lately, and/or do you have tinnitus?
These are just a few examples of the symptoms you could be experiencing.
Fortunately, you can get lab work to see if any of these things are going on with your body (in particular it’s easy to test for the hormones, thyroid, and adrenals). It’s important to find out if you have any of these imbalances, deficiencies, and if so, why? If you have a good doctor that will accommodate you, they could order the labs for you. My office also specializes in working with many of these issues.
The good news is there are many things that can be done to correct your levels. I go regularly (every three or so months) to make sure my all hormones are where they are suppose to be (especially since sex hormones can change pretty erratically at my age) so I check numbers 1, 2 and 3 from above. Anyway, I hope this gives you something to think about if you can’t lose weight or more importantly, you just don’t quite feel like yourself lately. We all deserve to feel and be our best!
Okay, on to the food…
For the past few years we have held a slumber party for my daughter’s birthday and every year Alice always requests ribs for dinner. But, this year, even though it’s only a mere 8 months away, she has already requested “Mr. Edward’s pork loin”. It is her new favorite meal. While the pork is so flavorful, the extra marinade really makes this so delicious. This has become a Sunday night regular, but we double the recipe so we can have it again Tuesday night. Though sometimes on the second night, we’ll use our favorite chimichurri sauce with it for a change. It’s so good!! It also goes really well with our cauliflower mash. I hope y’all love it as much as we do. Oh, and I did try to make it in the oven the other day and it wasn’t nearly as good as it was on the grill so definitely Big Green Egg it if you can!
- 1 whole pork tenderloin, approximately 1.5lbs
- 1 lime, zest (if you have a zester)
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 3-4 fresh cloves minced or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- Place the lime zest, lime juice, honey, salt, and garlic in a jar with a lid and shake to combine. Pour half of the marinade mixture into a freezer size resealable bag, add the pork.
- Marinate in the refrigerator for 6 to 24 hours.
- Place the remaining marinade in a covered container and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Light grill and bring to medium-high heat, about 450 degrees.
- Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, turning every few minutes, until the tenderloin reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees F.
- Remove the tenderloin from the grill and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Slice and add your remaining marinade.
- You must use the extra marinade for dipping. That's partly what makes it so good!
tricia - This could not come at a better time. I am 45 and starting the hormonal change. I want to go the natural route, and my mother had hrt which increased her estrogen too much, and resulted in breast cancer. I am going to look into the evening primose and the Calcium D. I also take regular Calcium tablets. Would I continue with those as well.
landriav - Tricia, Just be sure to not guess and get labs drawn (same time of the month) so you can compare and know you are giving you body what it needs. Def don’t want to guess and esp with your family history. If anything you might want to make sure your estrogen doesn’t go too high. The DIM or Calcium D Glucarate might make more sense for you but again, hard to say without labs. Best of luck! And sorry for my delay. Somehow I never saw these comments!!
Michelle - The pork looks delish! Yum!
Christine - Hi there! Thank you for posting this! If your blood work comes back and says your adrenals are fatigued and your T3 is sluggish etc., do you address these soley with diet and supplements or do you ever take medication? I’ve had issues with all of the above and I’m ashamed to admit I’m too hooked on “healthy” sweets and red wine to heal myself!
landriav - Christine, Diet can help a lot but your body will likely need extra adrenal support. Sugar stresses our adrenals so maybe start with that though? Ugh I know, sorry! 🙂 But also look into adrenal support (Vitamin C, ashwaganda, etc).
Savanna Colwell - Just wanted to let you know Ryan and I are making this tonight! I started it last night with the marinade and it smelled so good! Can’t wait to throw it on the grill when we get home tonight. PS, Your blog helps our “newlywed” dinner ideas more than you know.
landriav - Ha, that is so great! Thanks for your sweet note Savanna!!
Paula - Did you add the olive oil and cilantro to marinade with the pork tenderloin in the bag or add later?
landriav - Yes, add half the marinade with the pork in the bag and save the other half for drizzling on the pork once it’s done. Sorry if I left that out!