Have you tried everything and still wonder why you can’t release weight? This episode is for you.

I share why weight release doesn’t start with cutting calories, how your nervous system and stress keep you stuck, and what it really takes for your body to release weight naturally.

1. The Backwards Paradigm of Dieting

So many of us have heard it in a doctor’s office:

“You need to release weight.”

But here’s what I want you to understand:

Weight release does not create health.Health creates weight release.

When I support my:

• nervous system

• hormones

• metabolism

• gut health

• emotional safety

My body naturally releases excess weight.

If I’ve struggled for years, it isn’t a willpower problem — it’s a physiological and nervous system problem.

2. Protection Mode: Why My Body Holds Onto Weight

Whenever my nervous system senses danger — physical, emotional, or psychological — it activates protection mode.

Triggers can include:

• stress and self-talk

• emotional conflict

• overwhelm

• certain foods

• chronic dieting

When protection mode becomes my baseline, my body forgets what safety feels like.

Small stressors create big reactions.

My nervous system sends ten fire trucks instead of one.

3. My Diet Is More Than Food

Today I redefine diet:

My diet is everything I ingest.

This includes:

• food and beverages

• media and news

• TV and music

• relationships and conversations

• emotional environments

• even the air and environment around me

Everything I consume affects how safe I feel — and that directly affects metabolism and hormone balance.

4. Cortisol, Stress & Midsection Fat Storage

When I live in protection mode:

• cortisol rises

• sugar cravings increase

• fat storage increases

• insulin stores excess energy

• weight accumulates around the midsection

This is survival physiology — not failure.

My body prioritizes energy availability when it perceives danger.

5. Processed Foods & Physical Stress

This isn’t about calories.

It’s about stress signals.

Highly refined foods and chemical additives:

• stress the pancreas

• spike insulin rapidly

• trigger cortisol

• activate protection mode

This is physical stress inside the body.

The goal is not restriction.The goal is reducing stress signals.

6. Why Digestion Shuts Down Under Stress

When I enter fight-or-flight:

Digestion pauses.

Energy shifts to muscles so I can survive perceived danger.

Meanwhile:

• immune responses activate in the gut

• inflammation increases

• gut health suffers

Chronic stress makes digestion inefficient and metabolism slower.

7. Two Truths About Metabolism & Weight Release

Truth #1: Slow and steady wins.Rapid weight release is usually water, sugar stores, and muscle — not fat.

Truth #2: Long-term weight struggles signal nervous system dysregulation.If I’ve been stuck in cycles for years, it’s not discipline — it’s protection mode.

Key Takeaways

• Health creates weight release.

• Chronic dieting increases stress.

• Nervous system safety is essential for metabolism.

• My diet includes everything I consume.

• Stress hormones drive cravings and fat storage.

• Slow change supports sustainable fat loss.

• Long-term struggles reflect protection mode — not failure.

Book your FREE 30-minute Food Freedom Call now and start your journey to lasting change! Schedule here: https://sherryshabanfitness.com/clarity

Stuck in cravings, stubborn weight, or unwanted eating? Download my free e-Book Calm The Hormones That Drive Cravings and reset your body naturally.

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