Do you struggle to lose weight and keep it off? In an extract from her new book Eat Right, Lose Weight, leading nutritionist Pippa Campbell reveals the seven body imbalances that might be thwarting your efforts, before sharing a simple quiz to help you work out what your metabolic type is…
We usually think of our bodies as a collection of separate organs. We might say we have bad digestion (gut) or anxiety (mind). In fact, each of our body systems communicates to others. There are hormones, neurotransmitters and other chemical messengers flying all over the place. For example, people who have anxiety often have gut issues, too; there’s a two-way superhighway between the brain and the gut that’s key to mood.
So what happens when one body system goes wrong? There are knock-on effects on all the other body systems. When our hormones are out of whack or we have gut issues or we are stressed, our metabolism does not work properly. We get into a vicious cycle of not absorbing crucial nutrients, being hungry all the time, storing more food as fat or not releasing fat stores, so our weight stays stuck or goes up. This is what can happen in your body: one or more body systems being out of balance can cause other signs and symptoms, including weight gain or not being able to lose weight.
QUIZ: Find your metabolic type
When I am looking for a client’s ‘why?’ with regards to their weight, my first tool is always their symptoms. Diagnosis is the most critical part of the PCM [Pippa Campbell Method]. DNA tests and functional tests are good to have, but what some clients have called my ‘endless’ questioning is at the heart of it all. Our bodies are very often trying to tell us what is going wrong with them in a multitude of ways. We just have to learn to speak their language.
I’ve recreated the approach I use in clinic as much as I can, without sitting in front of you, through a simple quiz. I’ve divided the questions into seven metabolic types, one for each of the body systems that I’ve found are most likely to be going wrong in someone who can’t lose weight or keeps putting it on.
In each section, I’ve included 10 signs and symptoms that, according to my training and experience, are most likely to show up in people I treat with an imbalance in that body system. By addressing the underlying body system that’s imbalanced in your metabolic type, you will lose weight.
To take the quiz and discover your metabolic type, read our April issue! Pre-order your copy now at shop.kelsey.co.uk.
To find out more about your Metabolic Type and the Pippa Campbell Method, read Eat Right, Lose Weight by Pippa Campbell (£14.99; Bonnier Books)
