Conditions We Treat · One Tree Integrative Medicine
Metabolic Health & Weight
I eat well. I exercise.
The weight doesn't move.
I've been told to try harder.
Metabolic resistance isn’t a willpower problem. Hormonal disruption, thyroid dysfunction, insulin dysregulation, gut microbiome imbalance, chronic inflammation, and cortisol dysregulation can all make weight loss physiologically difficult — regardless of caloric intake. Treating this as a lifestyle issue ignores the underlying biology.
At One Tree we investigate the metabolic picture comprehensively — identifying what’s driving resistance and building a protocol that addresses the biology first. Peptide therapy, hormonal optimization, and targeted gut health interventions often play key roles in restoring metabolic function.
On this page
Why metabolic resistance isn’t a willpower problem
What conventional weight advice misses
How One Tree investigates it
Treatments we use
Conditions in this category
“My doctor told me to eat less and move more. I was already doing both. Nobody asked about my thyroid, my cortisol, my insulin pattern, or what my gut microbiome looked like. The biology wasn’t part of the conversation.“
What Metabolic Resistance Is
When the biology works against you.
Metabolism isn’t a fixed rate determined by willpower and effort. It’s a dynamic biological system governed by hormones, the nervous system, the gut microbiome, inflammation, mitochondrial function, and sleep — each of which can independently drive weight resistance when dysregulated.
When one or more of these systems is out of balance, the body actively resists weight loss — storing fat, suppressing energy expenditure, driving hunger signals, and blunting the response to caloric restriction. This isn’t a character flaw. It’s physiology operating as designed under conditions of metabolic stress.
The six most common physiological drivers of metabolic resistance — and the ones most consistently overlooked in standard weight management — are hormonal disruption, thyroid dysfunction, insulin dysregulation, gut microbiome imbalance, chronic inflammation, and cortisol dysregulation. Often more than one is operating at the same time.
What Standard Advice Misses
Why calories in, calories out isn't the full answer.
The conventional approach to weight — reduce calories, increase activity — works for straightforward cases where metabolism is functioning normally. It consistently fails when the underlying biology is dysregulated, because it addresses the output without investigating the mechanism.
Thyroid dysfunction — Even subclinical thyroid dysfunction — TSH at the high end of normal, poor T3 conversion, thyroid antibodies — can reduce metabolic rate significantly and make weight loss physiologically very difficult. Standard panels check TSH only. That’s not enough.
Insulin dysregulation — Chronically elevated insulin drives fat storage and blocks fat release regardless of caloric intake. Fasting insulin and glucose dynamics reveal insulin resistance long before it appears on a standard metabolic panel.
Cortisol dysregulation — Chronic stress and HPA axis dysfunction produce cortisol patterns that directly promote abdominal fat storage, muscle breakdown, and insulin resistance — independent of what you eat.
Gut microbiome composition — Specific microbiome patterns are associated with greater caloric extraction from food, increased intestinal permeability and systemic inflammation, and altered hunger signaling. Diet alone can’t correct significant dysbiosis.
Our Approach
Investigating the biology that's driving resistance.
The investigation starts with your full metabolic history — when the resistance began, what was happening at that time, what you’ve tried, and what your prior labs have shown. This often reveals the pattern before a single new test is ordered.
From there, we build a targeted lab picture that goes significantly beyond a standard metabolic panel — looking at the specific systems most commonly implicated in metabolic resistance, in the depth that actually reveals the driver.
What We Investigate
Comprehensive thyroid panel (TSH, Free T3, Free T4, Reverse T3, TPO antibodies) · Fasting insulin and glucose dynamics (fasting glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR) · Inflammatory markers (hsCRP, IL-6) · Full hormonal profile (cortisol patterns, sex hormones, DHEA) · Gut microbiome composition and intestinal permeability · Mitochondrial function markers · Sleep quality and metabolic regulation factors · Nutrient status (magnesium, vitamin D, B vitamins, zinc)
Conditions in this category
Weight resistance unresponsive to diet & exercise
Insulin resistance
Metabolic syndrome
Thyroid-driven weight gain
Inflammation-driven weight
Pre-diabetes
Cortisol-driven abdominal weight
Gut microbiome-related metabolic dysfunction
Hormonal weight changes (perimenopause, menopause)
Unexplained fatigue with weight resistance
How We Treat It
Treatments we use for metabolic health & weight resistance.
What’s used depends on what the investigation finds. These are the tools most commonly relevant at One Tree for metabolic presentations — typically used in combination because the underlying drivers interact.
Thyroid & Hormonal Optimization
When thyroid dysfunction is contributing — even at TSH levels considered normal — addressing it is often the most direct path to restoring metabolic rate and enabling weight loss. Hormonal optimization includes sex hormone balance (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA) and adrenal support — each of which affects metabolic function, fat distribution, and the body’s response to dietary intervention.
Peptide Therapy
Specific peptides directly support metabolic function. CJC-1295 and Ipamorelin stimulate growth hormone release, which promotes fat metabolism and lean tissue preservation. BPC-157 addresses gut-driven inflammation that contributes to insulin resistance. Protocols are based on what your labs show — not a default weight-loss peptide stack.
Gut Restoration & Microbiome Correction
When microbiome composition is contributing to metabolic dysfunction — increased caloric extraction, systemic inflammation, disrupted hunger signaling — addressing the gut is foundational. Microbiome mapping identifies the specific imbalances, and a targeted restoration protocol addresses them directly. Diet changes are more effective once the microbiome is no longer working against them.
Targeted Nutritional & Lifestyle Protocols
Based on your specific labs and metabolic pattern — not a generic caloric restriction plan. Nutrient deficiencies that impair metabolic function (magnesium, vitamin D, B vitamins, zinc) are identified and corrected. Sleep optimization, stress regulation, and specific dietary strategies are built around what your biology actually needs, not population-average guidelines.
What to Expect
From investigation to a protocol that addresses the biology.
Most people who arrive at One Tree with metabolic resistance have already done the lifestyle work — cleaned up their diet, increased their exercise, tried multiple approaches. The intake process starts from there: what’s been tried, what’s been tested, and what hasn’t.
Free 40-Min Consultation
A conversation about your metabolic history — when the resistance started, what’s been ruled out, and what hasn’t been looked at from a biological standpoint. Dr. Jamie will tell you honestly whether One Tree’s approach is likely to add something your prior workups haven’t.
Deep-Dive Intake (60+ min)
Full history covering the timeline of weight changes, diet history, exercise patterns, prior labs, medications, sleep, stress, and any correlating factors. The pattern of resistance often becomes visible here before new testing is ordered.
Targeted Investigation
Labs chosen based on your specific history — full thyroid, fasting insulin and glucose dynamics, cortisol patterns, full hormonal profile, inflammatory markers, gut health, mitochondrial function. Not a standard metabolic screen.
Your Individualized Protocol
A plan built around what the labs actually show — addressing the specific biological drivers identified. Most metabolic protocols at One Tree run 3–6 months with regular check-ins and lab reassessment to track response.
Honest expectations
Metabolic correction takes time. When hormonal, thyroid, or gut drivers are addressed, weight typically begins to move within 6–12 weeks — but full metabolic recalibration takes 3–6 months of consistent protocol.
Not every case of weight resistance has a single clear biological driver. Some are multifactorial — requiring multiple systems to be addressed in sequence before meaningful progress is visible.
Dietary changes will almost always be part of the protocol — but they’ll be based on your specific metabolic pattern and lab results, not a generic caloric restriction plan.
If your weight resistance has a cause outside the scope of integrative medicine — a primary endocrine condition requiring specialist management — Dr. Jamie will identify that and tell you directly on the free consultation.
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“I had been struggling with the same twenty pounds for five years. Two nutritionists, a personal trainer, a strict elimination diet. Dr. Jamie found severe insulin resistance and a cortisol pattern that was actively fighting every effort I made. Once those were addressed, the weight started moving for the first time.”
One Tree Patient · Colorado · Metabolic Health & Weight Resistance
*Patient experience. Results vary. This is not a medical claim.
If you've done the work and the weight still won't move —
the biology hasn't been fully investigated yet.
The free consultation is a 40-minute conversation about your metabolic history and whether One Tree’s approach makes sense for your situation. Bring whatever labs you have. No forms, no commitment beforehand.