The struggle is real: More than half of Americans say they would like to lose weight.1 Unfortunately, traditional calorie-cutting advice rarely works.
Research shows that the weight you lose through dieting will likely return within one year.2 That’s due in part to the fact that most diets don’t address the underlying causes of weight gain.
If you’re serious about slimming down, it helps to start with the root problems, says Andrew Hayes, founder of Alta Coaching in Denver, Co. These include inflammation, stress, and hormonal imbalances.
Hayes regularly explains this to his own clients. “I position it in a way that's very simple,” he says. “I say, ‘Your body's not primed to burn fat right now.’” To get it primed, you have to look under the hood.
Hayes does this with bloodwork through InsideTracker. This allows him and his clients to address what’s happening inside their bodies, which leads to better overall weight-loss results. “Some people have jaw-dropping results,” he says.
If you’re interested in losing weight, a blood test is a great place to start. Here are the biomarkers you should pay attention to.
(Are you using GLP-1s? If so, this article may be better for you: 12 Biomarkers To Monitor if You Take a GLP-1.)
Glucose and insulin
Glucose is a simple sugar, and it's your body’s main source of energy.
Insulin is a hormone that lets glucose enter cells. It "opens the doors," so to speak.
These two biomarkers—glucose and insulin—work together to regulate your metabolism and help your body use energy properly. Unfortunately, they don’t always function like they should.
If your glucose is chronically high, insulin becomes overwhelmed. It stops opening doors properly, which means glucose gets locked out of cells. Eventually your body just puts it into storage—aka fat.
In the long-term, dysregulation of insulin and glucose leads to prediabetes and diabetes. But with early detection, you can manage the problem and dramatically improve your ability to lose weight.
> Improve your metabolic health
Simple carbohydrates—such as breads, sweets, and processed foods—are a primary source of glucose in most diets. So cut back on these foods.
Instead, focus on whole foods and fresh vegetables, which digest slowly and release sugar at a rate your body can more easily handle.
In addition to eating better, you can also help your body process glucose faster with short bouts of movement throughout the day. Walking after meals, for example, is a great way to reduce the impact of blood sugar.
Finally, consider taking supplements such as alpha lipoic acid, omega-3 fatty acids, or vitamin D, all of which can help temper your glucose.
Cinnamon, as a capsule or seasoning, can also help.3 “Even the powdered cinnamon you have in your kitchen has been shown to help with blood sugar control,” says Michelle Cawley, MS, a nutrition scientist at InsideTracker.
HbA1c
Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is another measure of blood sugar. But instead of looking at one moment in time, it reflects your average glucose levels over the past 3 months.
When you're evaluating your metabolic health, this is an extremely important piece of the puzzle. It’s considered the gold-standard screening tool for diabetes and prediabetes.
By testing your HbA1c every 3 or 4 months, you’ll always know how your current habits are affecting your blood sugar.
> Improve your HbA1c
The same rules for lowering blood glucose apply here too: Focus on whole foods and increase exercise.
You can get additional benefits by avoiding alcohol. And if you smoke, make a plan to quit.
HsCRP
High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (HsCRP) is a marker of inflammation. High levels often
indicate that you’re carrying a type of body fat called visceral fat.
Visceral fat is uniquely harmful. Unlike fat that forms directly beneath your skin (called subcutaneous fat), visceral fat forms deep inside your abdominal cavity. It can pack around organs and cause damage, sparking the runaway immune response that drives inflammation.
Addressing inflammation can help you manage visceral fat. If your hsCRP is high, reducing it should be a key part of your weight-loss strategy.
> Reduce inflammation
A healthy weight-loss journey starts with good sleep. “Sleep really helps clear out inflammation, so you want to be getting 7 to 9 hours every night,” explains Cawley.
Sleep also has a more direct effect on weight. That may have to do with how it affects hunger hormones.
In one study, subjects, who regularly slept fewer than 6.5 hours per night, were asked to increased their sleep to 8.5 hours per night. As a result, they naturally started eating less.
Simply by sleeping more, the subjects began consuming an average of 270 fewer calories per day.4
If you’re looking for a supplement, Cawley says alpha lipoic acid5 and omega-3 fats can also be useful for reducing hsCRP.6
ApoB
Apolipoprotein B (ApoB) is a protein found on the particles likely to contribute to arterial plaque. You can find this protein attached to cholesterol carriers like LDL, VLDL, and Lp(a).
Doctors do not regularly test for ApoB, but experts consider it better than LDL for predicting heart disease.7
But while ApoB is most commonly associated with heart health, it’s also an important marker for body weight.
“In general, you expect to see higher ApoB levels in people with more body fat ,” says Cawley. But as you lose weight, this number should go down.
Note: Your genetics can also affect ApoB. That’s why InsideTracker uses both your blood and DNA to analyze your ApoB levels. Click here to start your membership and get a personalized plan for improvement.
> Control your ApoB
All the traditional heart health advice applies to ApoB. Let's address diet:
- Eat more fiber: Few people reach the daily recommendation (20 to 25 grams for women; 30 to 38 grams for men). Hit those numbers and you'll do your heart a favor.
- Increase your protein from healthy sources: Think whole foods like chicken, beans, and eggs.
- Opt for healthy sources of fat: These include nuts, olive oil, and avocados.
In addition, you should plan to exercise at least a few times per week. Resistance training and aerobic exercise are both great.
Triglycerides
Triglycerides are type of fat that circulates in your bloodstream. It's also the main source of fat stored in your body.
This fat comes from your diet—primarily fats and extra calories. And like glucose, it can be used as a source of energy. But too much can be dangerous.
“Higher levels of triglycerides are associated with worse health conditions,” particularly related to heart disease, says Cawley. “If you have excess fat in circulation, you won’t be able to metabolize it correctly, and it’s going to end up in adipose tissue [body fat].”
If you can reduce elevated triglyceride levels, you’ll make it easier for your body to start using stored fat as energy.
> Improve your triglycerides
Reduce your intake of processed foods, and try to focus on healthier sources of fat.
“It’s not a good idea to just chop fat entirely out of your diet,” says Cawley. Instead, switch to healthier fats found in fish, olive oil, nuts, and seeds.
» Related: Here's why I'm using InsideTracker with my GLP-1
HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol
HDL helps carry excess cholesterol from your arteries to your liver, where it can be removed from your body.
Meanwhile, LDL carries cholesterol from your liver back to your cells. And if there's too much LDL, it starts delivering cholesterol to your arteries, creating a sticky buildup.
These two biomarkers offer insight into whether your weight loss is also improving your heart and metabolic health.
As you change your dietary habits, you’ll want to make sure they’re staying in—or moving toward—your personalized InsideTracker optimized zone.
> Improve your cholesterol
Improve your total cholesterol by eating more fiber and vegetables and exercising regularly.
You might also consider plant sterol supplements, says Cawley. They can help your body excrete excess cholesterol. 
Testosterone
Testosterone is a hormone that plays a key role in muscle mass and overall energy levels.
It occurs naturally in both men and women, but men’s levels are higher. That said, the hormone naturally decreases over the course of a man's life.
Often, this drop in testosterone is at least partly responsible for so-called “age-related” weight gain.
In one study, obese men showed significantly lower testosterone levels than men who were not obese.8 And this trend carried across age groups.
To complicate things, the fat-testosterone relationship is “bidirectional.” That means causality goes both ways—the classic chicken-or-egg problem. While excess fat decreases testosterone, low testosterone also makes it harder to burn fat.
Your move: Focus on testosterone and weight loss simultaneously, so you’ll be more likely to see improvements in both areas.
> Boost your testosterone
To increase your T, it’s important to balance exercise and recovery.
Exercise is critical for your health and weight loss, but if you’re going hard every day, your testosterone could actually take a hit.
So be sure to give your body time to recover between workouts. And make sure you’re getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night.
Cortisol
Known as the stress hormone, cortisol plays a key role in your body’s fight-or-flight response. This helps prepare you for immediate threats.
Among other things, cortisol raises your blood glucose and suppresses your immune system. It reallocates your energy for short-term battle mode.
The problem occurs when your stress is chronically elevated. While short-term cortisol spikes can boost your energy during workouts and big work presentations, chronically high levels may promote fat storage—especially around your midsection.
But as with testosterone, the relationship is bidirectional. While cortisol increases fat, fat (and excess calorie consumption) also increases cortisol.9
This creates a feedback loop that makes weight loss more challenging.10
> Improve your cortisol
As you dig in on weight loss, you should also address cortisol head-on. That may require you to:
- Go to bed an hour or two earlier
- Take breaks during your workday to walk or meditate
- Spend more time in nature
Regular exercise can also help reduce stress, but if your cortisol levels are already high, moderate workouts may be best.
“If you’re trying to do HIIT (high intensity interval training) every day, you could be adding stress on top of stress,” says Cawley. “This is where more gentle activities like walking and yoga can be really great.”
TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone)
Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) is a hormone produced by your thyroid, and it helps regulate metabolism.
“Your thyroid is the master regulator in your body, and it’s linked closely to weight management,” says Cawley. “If your thyroid is underactive, you can gain weight because your metabolism is slower.”
> Improve your TSH
Reducing stress is a positive first step. This may require you to slow down in life.
You may need to unburden yourself from non-essential responsibilities and obligations, or otherwise find more time to relax.
In addition, you can also eat more foods rich in TSH-promoting minerals. These include:
- Iodine (fish, eggs, and chicken)
- Selenium (Brazil nuts and seafood)
- Zinc (oysters, pumpkin seeds, and mushrooms)
If you suspect you have a more serious thyroid issue, talk to your doctor about potential treatment options.
Vitamin D
Low vitamin D has been linked to both increased body fat and metabolic dysfunction.11 Unfortunately, deficiencies are extremely common.
“When I look at most people’s blood work, they are either clinically deficient in vitamin D, or they’re on the very low end of normal,” says Cawley.
In fact, after their first blood test, roughly 1 in 3 InsideTracker members discover they’re deficient in vitamin D.
It’s not that more vitamin D directly leads to weight loss. But low vitamin D can hinder many of your body’s critical functions. Overall, you can expect better health results by keeping this vitamin optimized.
> Improve your vitamin D
Sunlight is the best source of vitamin D, but the UV rays have to hit your skin directly.
According to the National Institutes of Health, you should aim for:
- 5 to 30 minutes of direct exposure
- Two to three times per week
- Between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.12
If that’s difficult for you in the winter—like it is for most people—then consider a vitamin D supplement. You can also increase your consumption of foods like fatty fish and eggs, both of which have vitamin D.
Ready to test your blood?
If you want to increase your odds of losing weight, it helps to know how your body is currently functioning. And that will require a blood test.
“It's really important to measure your biomarkers to get your baseline, so you understand where you stand,” says Cawley. “Then you’ll know what to focus on.”
And with follow-up testing, you’ll be able to directly see your progress. “If you see improvements in these key markers, you pretty much can say, ‘I'm on the right track.’ And that can be very validating,” says Cawley.
If you’re ready to book a blood test now, click here. The InsideTracker Ultimate test will look at all 12 of the biomarkers in this article—plus dozens more.
In addition, InsideTracker gives you deeper insight by factoring in both your DNA and fitness tracker data. It’s not just about blood. It’s a 360-degree look at your health, complete with personalized recommendations.
With complete analytics, a just-for-you Action Plan, and ongoing health tracking, you’ll learn exactly what your body responds to. And you’ll prime your body for quick, sustainable weight loss.
References:
- https://news.gallup.com/poll/654425/americans-say-overweight-slim-down.aspx
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32238384/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6425402/
- https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2788694
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5989440/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4030645/
- https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamacardiology/article-abstract/2786334
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16873135/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27345309/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5334212/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1279770723016299
- https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/
