For decades, Heather Early wanted to lose weight.
“I have had many challenges my whole life with trying to be healthy, lose weight, and feel better about myself, with wearing clothes and seeing people.”
Loving the way you look is a great goal. But at 65 years old, Healther’s wisdom gave her a deeper insight into her health goals. She wanted to feel great too.
After just a few months of working together, Heather was beaming!
“Not only did I lose 5 pounds and 5 inches, but I feel better. I sleep better. My thinking is clearer. My walking ability is better. I can move around!”
Outer appearance only gives us half of the story. Yes, we want to love the way we look in shorts. But we also want to live a long, vibrant life!
The right lab work gives us a peek inside, enabling us to tackle health issues, enhance well-being, and even boost weight loss!
Labs You Should Run Each Year
Being proactive about your health is one of the most important investments you’ll ever make. And you don’t need a medical degree to understand how your body functions.
Lab work gives you a look at the inner workings of your body. You’ll gain clear insights into your physical health, find answers to why you’re holding onto stubborn weight, and detect and dodge health issues you’d otherwise run into down the road.
Here are the MVPs of the lab world, the tests you should be running annually to keep your health in check:
- Magnesium RCB: This test measures the levels of magnesium in your red blood cells, which gives you a more accurate assessment of your magnesium status than a standard serum magnesium test. Magnesium is crucial for muscle function, nerve function, and energy production. It’s the magical mineral you’re probably missing.
- C Reactive Protein (CRP): CRP is a marker of inflammation in your body. Elevated CRP levels can be a sign that your body is inflamed due to an infection, an injury, or a chronic disease. A few lifestyle changes can make all the difference, though, in remedying chronic inflammation.
- Fasting Insulin: Your fasting insulin levels can tell you how your body manages sugar. High insulin levels could mean that you’re insulin resistant, which is a precursor to Type 2 diabetes. Keeping an eye on your fasting insulin levels can help you spot early signs of insulin resistance and resulting metabolic dysfunction. Then, you can switch up your habits to make your cells more receptive to insulin.
To get my full list of 8 labs that I recommend that you get every year, download my free Annual Lab Work Guide.
What Does Lab Work Have to Do With Weight Loss?
In addition to helping you ward off upcoming health issues, lab work can give you a deeper understanding of the critical factors that affect your health and weight:
- How Your Body Metabolizes Sugar: Blood sugar and insulin affect how your body stores and uses energy (the calories you eat), impacting weight and your risk for diabetes. Stable levels and high sensitivity help manage weight, while spikes and low sensitivity can lead to weight gain. Fasting Insulin and Hemoglobin A1C tests give you accurate insight into your blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity.
- Your Cholesterol Levels: Lipid Panel and NMR Profile tests assess your cholesterol levels, including LDL (bad cholesterol), HDL (good cholesterol), and triglycerides. Too much LDL cholesterol can increase your risk of heart disease. It’s usually associated with unhealthy diet habits and higher body fat.
- Any Inflammation In Your Body: C Reactive Protein (CRP) test measures the levels of inflammation in your body. Chronic inflammation is linked to a host of health conditions, like obesity and metabolic syndrome.
- The Concentration of Certain Vitamins and Minerals In Your Body: Magnesium RBC and 25 OH Vitamin D tests evaluate your body’s nutrient status. This info is important, highlighting deficiencies in these essential nutrients which can affect your overall health and your metabolism.
- Your Hormones and Your Thyroid Function: Your thyroid plays a crucial role in metabolism regulation and your ability to lose weight. Thyroid Labs (TSH, Free T3, Free T4, TPO Antibodies) can help you evaluate whether your thyroid is functioning optimally.
If you’re struggling with stubborn, excess weight, these lab tests could reveal why.
Get The Full Labs List
Receive my full list of recommended lab tests, along with a reference page to share with your doctor in my free Annual Lab Work Guide. Understanding the hard facts about health, weight loss, and your body is the first and most critical step on your lifelong health journey.
Learn how you can take care of your body, heal from the inside out, and lose weight along the way. Your health is worth fighting for.
