Brigid TitgemeierBeingBrigid Functional Nutrition · Transforming Women's Health Using Food as Medicine

4 Reasons You Feel Tired, Inflamed & Unable to Lose Weight from a Registered Dietitian

18 May 2026 · 2 min

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1:58

In this solo video, registered dietitian Brigid Titgemeier explains why many people experience fatigue, chronic inflammation, and stalled weight loss despite seemingly normal lab work and a "clean" diet. She identifies four primary contributors: (1) hidden chronic inflammation and insulin resistance, urging viewers to have annual tests for hs‑CRP, fasting insulin, fasting glucose, and hemoglobin A1C; (2) reliance on "healthified" processed foods that cause blood‑sugar spikes, emphasizing the need for at least 30 g of dietary fiber daily to improve satiety, gut fermentation, and insulin sensitivity; (3) insufficient protein intake combined with age‑related muscle loss, which further drives insulin resistance and inflammation; and (4) the all‑or‑nothing mindset that sabotages consistency, recommending a shift to a "progress over perfection" approach. Throughout, Brigid offers practical dietary and behavioral tips to reduce inflammation, support metabolism, and achieve sustainable weight loss.

Chapters

why you feel tired, inflamed, and unable to lose weight. Number 1, you walk into your doctor's office with weight gain, brain fog, fatigue. They're not sure why it's happening. Your labs look normal. And so often this is driven by chronic underlying inflammation and insulin resistance that goes unchecked. Get your HSCRP, your fasting insulin, fasting glucose, and hemoglobin A1C tested at least one time per year. Number 2, you eat clean, but you're still eating healthified processed foods that are increasing your risk of insulin resistance. Includes the almond flour crackers, your kids' quesadilla, the brown rice pasta, protein bars at breakfast. These foods have very little nutritional value. They lead to large spikes and crashes in your blood sugar, which sets you up for that blood sugar roller coaster and increases risk of inflammation. Dietary fiber is one of the most important nutrients for you to be focused on every single day. And I'm talking about making sure that you get at least 30 grams or more per day. Fiber is key for increasing satiety, delaying gastric emptying, in your hunger and satiety hormones, and also create fermentation to short-chain fatty acids, which improves your insulin sensitivity and your chronic inflammation, and is key for supporting your metabolism and weight loss. I lost track on what number I'm on, but inadequate protein increases muscle loss. After age 30, we lose an average of 3 to 8% of muscle mass every 10 years. Rate of decline is even higher after you reach the age of 60. Loss of muscle increases your risk of insulin resistance. It increases your risk of inflammation, in addition to every chronic disease. One of the key things holding women back is this idea of the all-or-nothing trap. If I can't do it perfectly, I'm not going to do it at all. It's that voice in your head that tells you, well, I already had one cookie. I might as well have the ice cream and the fries and the cake too, and then I'll get back to being good tomorrow. Here's the mindset reframe that I want you to leave with: something is better than nothing, and progress, not perfection.