Happy Friday dear Izabela

This is probably one of the questions I hear most often.

Every single woman I interviewed for my mentorship this week said to me while they were looking at me with (100% valid) skepticism: 

"Valeria... I'm eating healthy."

"I don't understand why I'm still gaining weight."

And every single time...My answer is the same.

"I believe you." 

Because here's the truth.

Most of the women I work with are not eating fast food every day.

They're not drinking litres of soft drinks.

They're not sitting on the sofa eating crisps every night.

They're intelligent women.

They've read the books.

They've tried the diets.

They've downloaded the apps.

They genuinely care about their health.

So if they're eating healthy...

Why isn't their body responding?

The answer lies in one word. Context.

Because "healthy food" isn't the same as a healthy metabolism.

Let me give you an example.

Imagine you're building your dream house.

You have beautiful bricks.

Strong timber.

High-quality windows.

Excellent materials.

But the construction site is flooded.

The workers can't get in.

The foundations aren't stable.

Nothing gets built.

Not because the materials were poor.

Because the environment wasn't ready.

Your body works exactly the same way.

Healthy food is essential.

But it isn't the whole story.

Your body also asks questions like...

• Can I digest these nutrients properly?

• Is the gut microbiome healthy enough to help process them?

• Am I absorbing enough vitamins and minerals?

• Is blood sugar stable?

• Am I sleeping enough to repair?

• Do I have enough muscle to use glucose efficiently?

• Am I constantly stressed?

• Am I eating enough to allow my body to build?

Suddenly...

The conversation becomes much bigger than calories.

This is why two women can eat the exact same salad...

And have completely different outcomes.

One woman's body sees nourishment.

The other woman's body sees bloating, gas, constipation... this woman is still trying to survive.

That's why I spend so much time talking about the gut microbiome.

Because your microbiome reads your food before you do.

The trillions of microbes living in your gut help decide how efficiently you digest food, produce vitamins, create beneficial compounds called short-chain fatty acids, regulate inflammation, influence blood sugar, communicate with your immune system, and even affect hormones through a specialised group of bacteria called the estrobolome.

In other words...

Your microbiome isn't simply helping you digest your lunch.

It's helping regulate your metabolism.

Now let's add one more piece to the puzzle.

Imagine you've been eating 1,200 calories for months.

- You're skipping breakfast.

- Having coffee until lunchtime.

- Going to the gym.

- Trying harder and harder.

Your workout tells your muscles:

"Build."

But then your body looks around.

"Do we have enough protein?"

"Enough energy?"

"Enough minerals?"

"Enough safety?"

If the answer is no...

Your body changes priorities.

Instead of investing those precious amino acids into building stronger muscles...

Some of them may be redirected through a process called gluconeogenesis to help produce glucose for the brain and other essential organs.

Not because your body wants to sabotage you.

Because survival always comes before building.

That sentence is worth reading again.

Survival always comes before building.

This is why I don't teach women to simply eat less.

I teach them to create the biological conditions that allow their body to build.

Healthy muscles.

Healthy hormones.

A healthy gut.

A healthy brain.

A healthier metabolism.

Weight loss often follows naturally.

Not because we've forced it.

Because we've finally removed the obstacles preventing the body from doing what it was designed to do.

BUILD Principle of the Week

Healthy food is important.

A healthy environment is transformational.

Your body can only build as well as the environment you create for it.

I want to hear your thoughts on this one. Hit reply and tell me :) 

To building—not shrinking,

Valeria

P.S. If this email made you look at your body differently, imagine what an hour can do.

In THIS VIDEO from my YouTube channel, I'll walk you through the step by step Protocol and show you why so many women finally start seeing results when they stop fighting their biology and start working with it. 

This week´s Science Corner for you, my favorite skeptical friend