In this episode of the Advanced Women’s Health Podcast, I sit down with two incredible doctors from our Brooklyn clinic, Dr. Samantha Maloney, ND and Dr. Alyssa Louras, ND to talk about one of the most common and frustrating concerns we hear from patients: weight loss resistance.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing everything right—eating well, exercising, and still not seeing the changes you expect—this conversation is for you.

One of the biggest misconceptions about weight loss is that it simply comes down to calories in versus calories out. But in reality, the body is much more complex than that. Hormones, inflammation, gut health, stress, thyroid function, and metabolic signaling all play a role in how the body uses or stores energy.

In this episode, we each share our perspectives on weight-loss resistance, drawing on our clinical experience and personal journeys. Dr. Samantha talks about how her background in bodybuilding helped her understand how the body can shift between muscle building and fat loss, and why those signals can sometimes go wrong. Dr. Alyssa shares how her training in nutrition led her to see that weight loss is rarely just about food—it’s about the larger systems in the body that influence metabolism.

Throughout the conversation, we unpack some of the biggest drivers of weight-loss resistance, including insulin resistance, chronic stress, inflammation, thyroid function, and the nervous system's impact. We also talk about why testing and understanding your individual physiology are so important when you feel stuck.

Most importantly, we emphasize something I say often in clinic: you didn’t eat your way into weight loss resistance, and you’re not going to eat your way out of it either. Weight is often a reflection of what is happening in the body as a whole. When we address the underlying drivers—hormones, gut health, inflammation, stress response—the body often starts responding again.

This is just the first part of a bigger conversation, and we will be diving even deeper in Part 2.

In this episode of the Advanced Women’s Health Podcast, we are introducing a new member of our team. I’m so excited for you to meet Dr. Karina Samji, ND, who is now seeing patients at our Toronto West and Port Credit clinics.

Dr. Karina’s journey into naturopathic medicine began with her own health challenges. After struggling with digestive issues and symptoms that no one could quite connect, she experienced firsthand how powerful a root-cause approach to healthcare can be. That experience shaped the kind of doctor she wanted to become—someone who listens deeply, connects the dots, and helps patients understand what is happening in their bodies.

In this conversation, we talk about Dr. Karina’s path into naturopathic medicine, the types of concerns she loves supporting, and what patients can expect when working with her.

We also dive into the foundations of naturopathic medicine, how it focuses on treating the whole person, and why collaboration—both with patients and other healthcare providers—is such an important part of care.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to work with a naturopathic doctor or what a first visit looks like, this episode will give you a clear picture.

You’ll also hear some of Dr. Karina’s favorite foundational health habits and simple ways you can start supporting your health today.

We talk a lot about health on this podcast — hormones, gut health, skin, stress, inflammation — but today’s episode is a little different.

In this conversation, Dr. Alessandra Autieri and Dr. Lauryn Dingwall take you behind the scenes and share something much more personal: the habits they prioritize in their own lives.

Because here’s the truth — we cannot ask our patients to build consistency if we are not doing it ourselves.

This episode is not about perfection. It’s not about cold plunges at 5 a.m. or complicated wellness routines. It’s about the simple, foundational habits that actually move the needle — and how to make them realistic, sustainable, and integrated into real life.

You’ll hear how they structure their days, how they approach movement and nutrition, how they build support systems, and how they stay consistent even when life gets busy.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by health advice or unsure where to start, this episode brings you back to the basics — in a way that feels achievable.

The biggest takeaway from this episode?

You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.

Health is not built in one appointment. It is built in the daily decisions — the quiet ones, the repetitive ones, the unglamorous ones.

And those are the habits that change everything.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend and start building your non-negotiables together.

Be well.