You may not be a person that goes out and indulges in a big chocolaty brownie, because you know that you will want to eat the entire batch. In fact, you may be the healthiest, most disciplined person you know when it comes to nutrition.

You may think that the sole reason you have not been able to drop those pounds is due to overindulging and not pushing hard enough in the gym. Well, this is partly true, but there is a whole other element that you may be missing.

The root of the problem stems from your body not producing enough grhelin, the chemical hormone in the brain that signals hunger, and a lack of leptin, the hormone that tells us we are full.

Think of your body as a chemistry lab. If you're T4, one of the three thyroid hormones, is too low, it is as a chain reaction for all other chemical hormones. Simply put, when one hormone is off, the entire endocrine system is off.

So what do you do about it?

Solutions:

• Keep a daily journal or recorded diary to become consciously aware of your thoughts and emotions, and what drives them. Evaluate if you are simply attempting to solve the current circumstance or if you are being triggered, by a past event, to react accordingly.

• Understand the power of "The mind-body connection." This task is so powerful that we literally cannot function properly without each being in harmony. There is direct cause and effect signal between the hormones and the body that directly correlates with our thoughts, emotions, energy-levels, fat storage and stress levels.

• Speaking of stress, the way in which we physically handle stress is a huge factor to why you may be carrying extra belly fat. When we become stressed the brain signals the chemical hormone, cortisol to the abdomen in order to protect itself from famine. The more stressed we feel the more cortisol is sent. This ongoing behavior also known as the, fight-or-flight mode, can eventually burn out your adrenal glands which can cause extreme fatigue, hormonal imbalances and in turn weight gain.

• It is vital that you go get a full hormonal blood panel from your current physician or an endocrinologist. How do you know what to fix if you don't know what's off? The doctor may suggest a hormone replacement like, Synthroid, Armour thyroid, a bio-identical hormone, (still an ongoing research), for women in pre-menopause, or even a natural supplement to help support the brains signals.

Whatever the case, this is no overnight process so remain persistent and diligent in your doctor's prescription and know that this is key to feeling internally energized, motivated and satisfied with your weight.