My Gut Health Stopped My Weight Loss | What I am Doing to Fix It

I was more than 75 pounds down in my weight loss journey, exercising, eating healthy, and feeling great about my health journey. Then things went sideways and I didn’t know why until recently. It took me three years and gaining back almost 50 pounds for me to figure out that my gut health was the cause. Let me explain.

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My symptoms that finally shook my world enough for me to stop and say, “ENOUGH!” included:

dry patches of skin that were itchy and couldn’t be remedied with lotions
weight gain even when eating healthy and exercising
mood disorders which included anxiety and periods of mild depression
consistent intestinal issues
increase in food sensitivities
sleep disorder
regular sinus congestion
hypoglycemia
constant headaches or migraines

In short, life sucked and wasn’t getting any better unless I figured out what it could be. Doctor visits only brought on band-aid fixes with more medications, and a message to lose weight and being told to cut back on the pain meds for the headaches. Well, that was helpful…NOT!

I then started seeing information on imbalanced gut health, dysbiosis, and the light bulb went off! I was experiencing some of the symptoms and thought I should try and see if this was the reason for my health problems.

What is Dysbiosis?

In short, Dysbiosis is an imbalance of your gut health. Our gastrointestinal health requires a balance to maintain health and well-being, which means that dysbiosis is a pretty big umbrella for gut health issues. When the bad bacteria outweigh the good bacteria in your lower gut, then you will start to experience more and more symptoms of dysbiosis.

What causes Dysbiosis?

Doctors are now saying the leading causes of Dysbiosis includes:

antibiotic use
antacid use
birth control pills
use of hormones, especially steroids
a diet that is high in sugar, and processed foods
alcohol
chronic stress
environment factors: mold in the home, damp climates, and toxic metals in the food or water supply

What are the Symptoms of Dysbiosis?

Remember when I mentioned that dysbiosis was a big umbrella of gut health issues? This list gives you a clear idea as to how big that umbrella truly is. I was shocked to see the list grow, as I researched this subject. If you have a few symptoms on this list then you might have dysbiosis.

chronic diarrhea, heartburn, or chronic constipation
bloating, belching, bad breath
abdominal pain, frequent indigestion,
nausea after taking supplements
excessive weight loss due to malabsorption, weight gain, or thyroid diseases
sugar cravings
alcohol cravings
chronic sinus congestion
bladder issues
increase in behavior symptoms for learning disorders
irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
celiac disease
lactose intolerance
Crohn’s disease
depression or anxiety
arthritis
fibromyalgia
skin conditions like acne or hives
restless leg syndrome
type 2 diabetes
allergies and sensitivities
eczema
autoimmunity, or conditions such as Hashimoto thyroiditis, or psoriasis

Doctors can do tests to confirm dysbiosis. Please visit your doctor for more information and a proper diagnosis.

Can Gut Health be Improved?

YES, IT CAN! This message was a huge relief for me and for many others that I have come across since I found out about dysbiosis. I have personally started improving my gut health over the last few months and am confident that I’ll start seeing more benefits over the coming years.

Many people that I have encountered have shared their journey and have gained their lives back by making small changes in their gut health. People with IBS, Fibromyalgia, or Crohn’s have relieved most of their debilitating symptoms. Those that struggled with acid reflux, food sensitivities, and sleeping disorders are also enjoying their lives more.

What did they do?

Introduced Prebiotics and Probiotics into their diet. The prebiotics prepared the gut for the healthy production of good bacteria production. Probiotics are the good bacteria we need for good gut health.
Started cleaning out the bad toxins so the GI system could become more regular.
Reduced the harmful triggers in their lifestyle as their health improved, and added healthy habits like exercise and drinking their water.

I personally have added the Plexus Balance Pack* into my daily regime. It includes a prebiotic, probiotic, and cleanse. The combination is made to work together to balance gut health. With just the use of these products, I’ve noticed positive changes to my health and a large reduction in my original symptoms.

Foods can be used to help remedy your dysbiosis, too. Including probiotic-rich foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and pickled vegetables may help your gut health journey. I found this particularly interesting because I eat pickles or pickled beets when I was craving sugars. This trick eliminated my sugar cravings, but I didn’t know I was adding probiotics to my gut health.

My health journey started by focusing on my weight loss. Today I focus on my gut health. By focusing on my gut health, I’m slowly regaining my health back. My blood sugars are balanced, I don’t get headaches anymore, and my skin is healthy again. The list of food sensitivities that were a problem is smaller, and I’m enjoying life again. My well-being is becoming balanced, along with my gut health.

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