Why Inflammation Makes it Hard to Lose Weight (and what to do about it!)

If you’re overweight and having trouble shedding the extra pounds, there’s a very good chance your body is in a state of chronic inflammation.

While inflammation is beneficial in the short term (it helps your wounds and infections heal), when inflammation becomes chronic—as it can when you eat pro-inflammatory foods, don’t get proper sleep, are stressed or exposed to environmental toxins—it contributes to disease, exacerbates pain and leads to weight gain.

Obesity makes you prone to chronic inflammation, but the opposite also holds true in that elevated levels of inflammatory markers have been linked to future weight gain (and a “large” weight gain at that—more than 8 pounds).[i]

There are a number of reasons why this may be. For starters, inflammation may contribute to leptin resistance. Leptin, your “hunger hormone,” is made by your fat cells and works to decrease your appetite.

When you become leptin resistant, your body has a harder time responding to leptin’s appetite-suppressing effects, so you may feel hungrier and have a harder time controlling your appetite—the perfect combination for weight gain.

As you gain weight, it’s a double-edged sword because fat tissue secretes CXCL5, an inflammatory factor linked to insulin resistance and the development of type 2 diabetes.[ii][iii] The more inflammation in your body, the easier it is for you to gain weight—and the more weight you gain, the more inflammation levels in your body increase.

Not to mention, inflammation in your gut is also disruptive to your gut flora. Not only can such an imbalance contribute to sugar cravings (and other health issues like leaky gut), but if you have an overgrowth of the wrong types of bacteria it can also contribute to weight gain.

Body-wide inflammation may even interfere with the normal functioning of your thyroid and can suppress adrenal function, both of which may in turn affect your weight.

Celebrities Flock to Anti-Inflammatory Diets

The inflammation-weight gain connection has made its way to Hollywood, where the latest “it” diet is an anti-inflammatory one. Channing Tatum, Penelope Cruz, Matthew Fox and Charlize Theron are among those reportedly following anti-inflammatory eating plans to get in shape,[iv] but there’s nothing trendy or particularly difficult about this way of eating.

The most inflammatory foods are those you probably already know to avoid—trans fats, sugar, vegetable oils, refined carbs (muffins, white bread, bagels, etc.), and most heavily processed foods all fit the inflammatory bill.

Other foods and beverages are naturally anti-inflammatory—and you can read about 10 anti-inflammatory foods here. Fresh fruits (like berries) and vegetables, wild-caught salmon and healthy fats like olive oil are examples of anti-inflammatory foods. These foods also support healthy weight gain... and that’s no coincidence.

In addition, many herbs and spices are potent anti-inflammatories. So while cutting out the bad stuff, you’ll want to increase your intake of anti-inflammatory powerhouses like garlic, ginger and cinnamon.

Natural Anti-Inflammatories Stop Chronic Inflammation in Its Tracks

There are also some natural substances that you might not ordinarily eat, but are among the most powerful on the planet for stopping inflammation—and thereby related weight gain—in its tracks.

For instance, devil’s claw, boswellia extract, turmeric, bromelain—each of these is powerful in its own right, but when they’re combined and added to even more anti-inflammatory ingredients like proteolytic enzymes (which work throughout your entire body to fight inflammation, dissolve scar tissue and more), the result is nothing short of miraculous according to some.

You can find not one or two—but 12—natural ingredients that stop inflammation fast in one powerful all-natural supplement: Heal-n-Soothe®. These 12 anti-inflammatory ingredients are some of the most powerful, safest, and most effective in the world – and they’re a must if you’re currently struggling with your weight because of low-grade chronic inflammation (and especially if you eat any of the highly inflammatory foods mentioned above!).

As a bonus, when inflammation levels in your body fall, you’ll likely notice not only that it’s easier to lose weight but those nagging aches and pains subside as well.

[i] Diabetes August 2003 vol. 52 no. 8 2097-2101

[ii] Cell Metabolism 2009 Apr; 9(4): 339–349

[iii] Journal of Endocrinology 2014 Aug;222(2):267-76

[iv] Fox News June 13, 2013