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- Understanding your metabolism

June 4, 2025

Are you one of those women, who tried different “trending” and “proven” diets, that either didn’t work, or didn’t bring long term results? I often hear ladies saying during their free consultation that they don’t understand why their weight is not budging. Often these are women, who eat small amounts, make healthy food choices, and exercise regularly.

Why is lasting, healthy weight loss so difficult?

Weight loss never feels like an easy job for anybody, but when it comes to women’s health, even losing a few pounds can seem like an impossible mission. Don’t be surprised… The body is a very complex, sophisticated system, where everything is interconnected and one small thing, like a sleepless night can throw a part of this system out of balance for a while.

> The fact that our body is so sensitive to changes, is not bad news! <

It means that it is possible to make small, positive changes to achieve a difference in how we feel, how we digest, how we sleep, and increase or general well-being one step at a time.

10 complex “behind the scenes” processes

Metabolism is the series of chemical reactions during which energy is created from the food you consume. First I would like to clarify, that metabolism is not the same thing as digestion. Digestion is the process that breaks down your food into smaller molecules so your body can process it, and it is one complex stage of your metabolism.

To understand its complexity, I’d like to show you all the elements of the metabolic process that have to work soundly for optimum result.

Mental health

The psychology of our choices and habits around food is an increasingly popular research topic, therefore we know more and more about just how much it influences our physical health.

Oral health

Digestion starts with chewing which makes dental health an important first step in the process. Some types of food start breaking down here by bacteria and enzymes.

Enzyme activity

The stomach, pancreas and the small intestine are all involved in how your body breaks down food. To break down all types of food all types of enzyme have to be present in sufficient amounts.

Absorption

A more complex process in itself than you would think. It requires the lining and the wall of the digestive organs to be intact, as well as the presence of support molecules.

Signaling

Once absorbed, the molecules need to know what to do. Your hormones and your nervous system play their role here, both of which are incredibly complex systems themselves. This is the part where most women in their late 30’s start to struggle as their hormone levels start decreasing.

Transport

Requires special molecules, a strong hearth and circulation and clear and healthy blood vessels. Different molecules are transported in different ways and travel through different pathways that all are controlled through complex processes.

Optimal cell function

Once the nutrients are where they should be they have to enter into the cells where they are turned into energy. Healthy receptors, that recognise the arriving molecules, and a healthy mitochondria, the “energy factory” inside our cells are required for the desired outcome.

Building new molecules

Before it can enter the energy producing pathway, one omega-3 molecule for example, can go through as many as 22 steps to be ready to be an ingredient! All those steps need specific molecules that are built through different pathways.

Creating the “energy molecule”

This 8 step process is happening inside our cells, without a break, night and day (and of course previous steps are also needed to assist). It does not only to fuel our daily activities but also all of our organs, like the brain or the heart, even when we are asleep. But it’s also required for building all the necessary molecules for the energy production itself to happen… producing energy to produce energy…

Utilizing energy

Once it’s created, the “energy molecule” goes on and makes reactions and motions happen, like muscle contraction, or the above processes.

As you might expect, there are thousands of points where such a complex process can go wrong. And when it does, despite the sophisticated design, this interconnected flow can be disrupted and become less efficient.

10 most common issues that disrupt your metabolism

Poor food choices for various reasons – often partially outside of our control
Lack of or insufficient levels of certain enzymes – undetected food intolerances or sensitivities
Hidden inflammatory conditions that interfere with nutrient absorption and other processes
Less adaptive metabolic rate due to various reasons (e.g. inherited conditions or lack of a suitable exercise routine)
Hormonal imbalances due to certain health conditions (e.g. changed thyroid function or diabetes) or natural processes (perimenopause)
Dysregulated glucose homeostasis due to insulin resistance or more advanced states
Reduced capacity of cell receptors due to presence of toxins
Nutrient deficiencies resulting from various reasons (poor diet or elimination diets)
Poor mitochondrial health
Illness or medication

It’s time to move away from guilt and start looking at the big picture

You are not expected to figure this out on your own. At WholeSoMe Nutrition we look miles beyond calorie intake to find out what is working less efficiently in your individual metabolic processes.

To do this we start with the big picture, and zoom in gradually to examine all elements of your health.

We start with a detailed assessment and medical history
Then we go on and draw your nutritional profile to identify any possible imbalances or deficiencies
We look at your lifestyle, habits and routines
You learn how to balance out your diet and lifestyle to optimize your metabolism

Once the basics are in place, there are usually a lot fewer issues to dissect. Resolving these, whether they are hormone related or else, becomes a more “digestible” bite, and will feel like a doable mission one step at a time.

Are you getting the right combination of nutrients?

Are you eating the right proportion of different types fibre?

Is your gut healthy?

Are you eating and exercising for, or against your individual metabolic type and life cycle?

Your takeaway

For women, losing weight is not only about calories in and calories out. There is a complex system of systems behind the scenes, that require important ingredients to operate flawlessly. Only when everything is in the right place you can rely on balancing your calories for weight management.

Therefore at WholeSoMe Nutrition we look at the big picture, and start zooming in from there, step by step, to find out which part of your metabolism is missing an ingredient.

Northumberland, UK

Pictures by Canva Pro and freepik.com